Recipes...Lots of Different or Stick with a winner?

[lsg]

I have two or three favorite recipes that I mainly use. When the Soap Queen, Soaping 101 or someone else I trust posts a new recipe, I do like to try it. But then I usually go back to the recipes I came up with by experimenting with SoapCalc.

 

[kazmi]

When I first started soaping 14 years ago I had a "Must try it" syndrome, brought on in big part by a yahoo soaping group I was on. I HAD to try every oil and every method, and almost every eo. Between that and selling to a B & B that loved my soap but was never quite satisfied for some reason (packaging, etc.) I was burned out when we moved to Oklahoma. For 10 years I didn't even make soap for myself. This go-round I have a different philosophy. Soap will be rinsed off, so my goal is to make one that does not strip the skin, feels good and lathers well. I have two recipes, one vegan and one not. I still enjoy playing with additives, but my basic recipe stays pretty much the same.

Ruthie what oils do you use if you don't mind me asking.

 

[danahuff]

Here's another idea to help cool your oils a bit faster. Melt only your hard oils & butters. Once they're melted add your soft oils and they will cool the other. Also make your lye mixture prior to starting on your oils, allowing additional time for cooling. Another option is put cold water in the sink and put your oils and lye in there to cool them down.

This is exactly what I do, and I almost never have to wait around for things to cool. I second this advice.

 

[christinak]

I'm doing this today, whoop whoop! I LOVE you guys

 

[Ruthie]

Ruthie what oils do you use if you don't mind me asking.

My regular recipe has lard, GV Shortening (tallow, palm), olive, coconut, sunflower and castor. The vegan has the above less the lard and shortening, plus a bit of cocoa butter. But in different proportions than the first recipe.

 

[judymoody]

One base recipe and a couple of luxury ones with specialty oils.

I have never had beer or aloe speed trace although they do tend to heat once in the mold.

 

[kazmi]

My regular recipe has lard, GV Shortening (tallow, palm), olive, coconut, sunflower and castor. The vegan has the above less the lard and shortening, plus a bit of cocoa butter. But in different proportions than the first recipe.

thanks for sharing. I've been using olive, coconut, castor, and avocado. Maybe I should try sunflower to see any difference.

 

[Cosmo]

I use the same recipe every time. I don't use palm and wanted to streamline the oils I use, so I use the same four oils: Olive, coconut, shea butter and castor. I use a lye concentration of 50% to make a nice hard bar. I change my soaps up by adding different herbs, fragrances, colorants, etc.

It took a long time to find a recipe I loved, but once I did I just didn't want to change a thing. When I first started soaping, though, I wanted to try absolutely everything!

 

[christinak]

You guys, tonight I made 3 batches worth of oils and lye mixture at once to save myself alot of in-between clean-up (and boy did it ever)...I did just what you said, in the right order, and I let everything sit while I chose my FO's and colors (which takes me forever). By the time I split and weighed all 3 batches, I had NO PROBLEMS with speedy trace, YAY! Besides those changes, I added my aloe to the lye mixture rather than adding it at trace. Tomorrow (hopefully) you will see some nice swirls! I'm SO HAPPY it slowed down! I really didn't want to take out the aloe so these were wonderful suggestions, thanks!

 

[Lindy]

Yay!!! Happy dance....

 

[Marilyna]

I only use one tried and true recipe that i love.

 

[wildherbs]

I have yet to settle...I change things up all the time, but now that I'm going to sell at the local Farmers Market, I will be needing to find a favorite.
Re beer: I let my beer go flat, then freeze. Then add the lye directly to it. Then soap with room temp lye/beer and room temp oils. No problem.

 

[splendidsoaps]

When I started soaping ten years ago I tried many, many recipes. Now I mainly stick with two. If I need additional time for a complicated swirl I stick with my good old tried and true recipe of olive, coconut, palm kernel, avocado and sunflower. It's great to work with.

 

[navigator9]

When I first started making soap, I experimented with tons of recipes until I came up with one that seemed to have everything I was looking for, and wouldn't you know, it's a simple, three oil recipe! I do vary it by using beer, goat's milk, coconut milk, oatmeal, etc., but most of what I sell is made with that recipe. I do make a goat's milk castile, and a facial soap with avocado oil, too.