Shea butter for soap - how much can I use?

[kavakava]

Hi there,

I normally use Shea butter for lotions and creams. I have a batch that is about to expire, and there is no way I can use it all up, so I thought about making it into soap.

Now, I have not made soap before, but I make lotions and body butters all the time, so I hope that will not be too difficult.

Could anyone please advise on how much Shea I can use in a soap recipe? I have a LOT of it left, as said - about 10kg (20 pounds). Can a soap be made with 100% Shea as the fat component used?

Should I use the cold or the hot process here?

Any help/input would be much appreciated!
Many thanks,
Boris

London,UK

 

[CPSoaper]

I never use it at more than 10% in my cp soap. You can always try a batch at a higher percentage and see how it comes out. Good luck.

 

[soapbuddy]

I use it at 5%. I do CP.

Irena

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Yep, when I do use it, and I have 2 recipes that I made that I use Shea butter in, I use at 5 to 8%. It is so much better in leave on products and my Whipped Shea & Kpaingan recipe is fantastic! But since one of the great things about Shea is it's high percentage of unsaponificatables (that is not spelled right, but you know what I mean) that it brings to a bar of soap. The goodies stay in the bar of soap and the skin benefits from them.

ETA: Hi and welcome to our forum! 8) Glad to meet you, have fun here! We love to help when we can!


Paul... :wink:

 

[dragonfly princess]

Welcome to our site! Hope you enjoy your time here.

 

[kavakava]

Hi everybody,

Many thanks for all your replies and making me feel welcome!

So, not really sure what to do with all that Shea now...if I can only use it up to about 10%, I'm gonna have tons of soap! Not sure either what to use for the remaining 90%?

Thanks!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Hi everybody,

Many thanks for all your replies and making me feel welcome!

So, not really sure what to do with all that Shea now...if I can only use it up to about 10%, I'm gonna have tons of soap! Not sure either what to use for the remaining 90%?

Thanks!

Whipped Shea is a great product and sells well for me.

Paul.... :wink:

 

[kavakava]

Whipped Shea is a great product and sells well for me.

Paul.... :wink:

Hi Paul - yes, I know, I make a lot of whipped Shea as well, but as I mentioned in my first post, I have a huge batch that is about to expire left over, and there is no way I can use it all up. So, instead of throwing it away, I thought about making it into soap...but if I can only use it up to 10%, I am not sure if that would be viable for me - as I would need to get 90% of something else as well...

 

[smellygoodsoapy]

You can totally make soap out of 100% shea butter. African black soap is usually all (or a very high percentage) shea butter. Most people use it in small quantities because it's so expensive, but it should make a wonderfully moisturizing soap.

 

[soapbuddy]

Can you wrap it well and put some in the freezer?

Irena

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Or, you can send it to me! I'll take care of it and give it a good life!
What Irena said is a great idea! It should freeze just fine! I freeze my Deer Tallow!

Paul.... :wink: