Thank you for sharing this, DeeAnna. Rosin is wonderful in CP. It is sensitizing but you can use as little as 1 oz in a 5-lb batch and notice a boost in lather. Here's some notes from my LS files...
ROSIN at 5%-15% makes incredibly clear light golden or dark amber brown LS with awesome lather. Try with 5% coconut oil and 80% liquid oil(s) of choice for high foaming shampoo.
Sold as fragrant, amber colored crystals, or in powder form, rosin can be purchased on line or at Dick Sports in the baseball department.
If you buy chunks, grind it to a fine powder to make it easier to melt. I use a cloth over a plastic bag and the side of a hammer to first make smaller particles, then run it in my (dedicated to soap) food processor. Wear gloves and a mask and avoid breathing the dust. Leave the lid on the food processor until the dust settles. I use A & H washing soda to clean my food processor. 1 tablespoon per 16 oz. hot water. Soak for 5 minutes. Should clean up fairly easily.
TO MAKE SOAP:
To calculate - Rosin has the same SAP value as Wheat Germ Oil.
ROSIN HAS A HIGH MELT TEMP. Weigh rosin into 4-cup Pyrex. Add some coconut oil from the recipe. (I use 2:1, CO:Rosin) Nuke 2-3 minutes @ high to 180°F (80°C). Add to other oils in the recipe. Be sure to mix in all the sappy bits on the bottom. Don’t let the temp drop below 180°F (80°C) to keep the rosin liquid. Continue to nuke oils @ 20 second intervals, if necessary, to get it completely liquid before combining with KOH solution.
NOTE: Pears, the very first transparent soap was formulated with castor oil and rosin some 200 hundred years ago. These 2 ingredients impart exceptional clarity to LS. Distilled from the oleoresin of pine trees, rosin saponifies much like an oil but WITHOUT any resulting GLYCERIN. It gives a smooth cold cream finish to the lather. It also acts as a detergent and preservative. May cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.