Soap Properties

[Journey]

HI,
I just read

How to Make Soap - Soapmaking Guide for Beginners

Soapmaking for Beginners There are several reasons people may want to learn how to make soap. While some may choose to do so simply because it’s a fun and satisfying hobby, many people start making their own soaps so they can avoid undesired ingredients like fragrances and synthetic detergents...

www.soapmakingforum.com

And in there, I saw the lye calculator screen caps, and list of soap properties ( bubbles, lather, cleaning, longevity, etc...)


I did a "different Soap properties" site search and it did produce results, but its not what I am looking for.

I'm not sure of the right words. Maybe someone can share the right words?

What I'm looking for is a list of sorts that tells what type of properties of soaps.

For example (and this is all guessing based I have no idea if any of this is true not, its only purpose is so serve as an example)

To get soap properties ( bubbles, lather, cleaning, longevity, etc...)
use coconut oil if you want lots of bubble
use lard if you want a long lasting bar
use olive oil if you want a cleaning soap

Is there a list of what different ingredients do?


Thanks Kindly

 

[dmcgee5034]

Hi @Journey - I am not an expert by any means, but this:

Free Beginner's Guide to Soapmaking: Common Soapmaking Oils - Soap Queen

This comprehensive guide includes a list of common soapmaking oils, their shelf lives, and instructions for how to add them to your next recipe.

www.soapqueen.com

was a good place for me to start to learn about oils and their properties. I’m still working on finding the combination of oils and additives to get the “bubbly but not over cleansing” results I’m after.

I will chime in about your olive oil comment. All soaps will clean, and higher olive oil percentage helps give me a slow moving recipe so I can do swirls in soap.

Keep us posted and ask questions. This forum and the members are very helpful.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Another good source of information on soap making fats is this page at Lovin’ Soap, especially if you scroll down to the table of fats.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

It's never a popular response, but I suggest reading back through a lot of the recipe feedback section of the forum. You'll quickly get a great overview of what different oils and additives might bring to a recipe

 

[Ford]

Whole sale supplies plus. Has several reference pages. That you can down load. Hope this helps.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I found this helpful in my earlier days: https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog/the-most-popular-fatty-acid-profiles-in-soapmaking

 

[Zing]

I have read and re-read and consult even now all the links mentioned in this thread. In my early days I focused on process and mastering the steps and emulsion. Later when I was refining my recipe the resource @KiwiMoose mentioned was enormously helpful.

 

[Cindy D.]

"Soapcalc" has a download on their "sort oil list" page that lets you choose the property you are looking for, hardness, bubbles, conditioning, cleansing... It sorts the oils by what you choose and puts the highest at the top. It does not have longevity listed though.

 

[Zing]

"Soapcalc" has a download on their "sort oil list" page that lets you choose the property you are looking for, hardness, bubbles, conditioning, cleansing... It sorts the oils by what you choose and puts the highest at the top. It does not have longevity listed though.

Now ya tell me!!
Just kidding. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Cindy D.]

Now ya tell me!!
Just kidding. Thanks for sharing this.

Better late than never

 

[Andf]

I read the Ultimate Guide to Soap blog, forum responses, looked up single-oil soap experiments, and I have a list of how oils behave in soap and recommended usage.

I have a list of oils and butters and their recommended percentages in a notebook. I also have notes in there like:

castor oil helps to stabilize lather but if you use more than 5% it can make the bars sticky and soft.

Keep coconut oil under 20% or it can be too cleansing/drying

I also looked at additives (eg citric acid, sugar) - what they do, when to add them, how much to add.

I write down the recipe I used, what fragrance, design, along with the date. Then I go back and add notes when I use the soap. Did the fragrance stick, what’s the lather like…

 

[Andf]

I read the Ultimate Guide to Soap blog, forum responses, looked up single-oil soap experiments, and I have a list of how oils behave in soap and recommended usage.

I have a list of oils and butters and their recommended percentages in a notebook. I also have notes in there like:

castor oil helps to stabilize lather but if you use more than 5% it can make the bars sticky and soft.

Keep coconut oil under 20% or it can be too cleansing/drying

I also looked at additives (eg citric acid, sugar) - what they do, when to add them, how much to add.

I write down the recipe I used, what fragrance, design, along with the date. Then I go back and add notes when I use the soap. Did the fragrance stick, what’s the lather like…

Oh and here’s a “reference chart”

Soapmaking Oils Properties and Chart

This helpful reference chart covers 45 soapmaking oils and their characteristics, including hardness, conditioning, bubbly, cleansing, and longevity properties. It will be helpful to use as a guide when you want to swap out oils in a natural soap recipe!

thenerdyfarmwife.com