Sorry so long winded, need advice starting up.

[Robin Hood]

Hello and Good day,

I will start out by saying I am a brand new member to the forum and this is my very first attempt to outreach to the experts, (or at least that are more experience than Myself, which at this point is everybody ha ha) to help answer some specific questions I have before attempting my first batch of Cold Process Soap.

To inform you all as to where I’m at this point, I have done hours of theoretical research yet, as previously stated, have yet to jump in and just make soap. I have two points of apprehension that I'm hoping that someone can help me on the first being the lack of a recipe. While to be sure, there are multitudes of recipes for cold process soap readily available online, the part of the problem is that as being brand new to soap making, I am simply overwhelmed on which way to go for my first attempt, "base" recipe. In the efforts of attempting to gain a more profound understanding of the soap making process; I have explored several online lye calculators in the hopes of developing a stable 5-pound recipe for my first attempt. My favorite by far has been soapcalc for the reasons of for my purposes as a beginner, it display the numerical value ranges for the combination of oils in relation to the properties that the end result should posses. I have played around with this and being new to soaping as stated, I am just becoming familiar as to even the base properties of the oils which I’m sure will come with time. My main questions to you all, if someone would be so kind to help me is that at this point I am looking for a 5 pound vegetable based recipe that will produce a hard cold process bar that is creamy and very cleansing. I was wondering if someone could share a 5lb recipe suitable for a beginner that would relate these properties and help get me started? Some caveats are is that I am very interested in making a very, (very 20%?) potent Pine Tar recipe with maybe a base Coconut Oil? This is the product I have and have researched enough to find out that it is indeed cretose free.

http://www.solventfreepaint.com/pine-tar.htm

A fundamental question for those of your that would know this; would Pine Tar be considered a part of the fatting or an essential oil? I am also interested in making some fragrance based cold process soaps as well, namely a strong pumpkin fragrance and a old spice scented soap as well. In retrospect, I need a starting point, a 5 lb recipe, built for beginners. Once I have my base, I intend on using soapcalc to experiment from that base. If anyone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction in this capacity it would sure help me get going on what I think would be a life long hobby.

The second point that I need advice on is Saftety. Being that Cold Process soap making requires the inclusion of caistic chemicals I would like to know what is the most accurate way to test the PH levels of your product before letting someone use it. This is of a very big concern to me being that I am new to this and while I have seen some PH strips & liquid drops that measure PH via a colorized comparison result I am wondering if there is something digital that would take a reading? I dont know if this is a foolish question however, I feel I need to be as safe as possible and whatever way anyone could recommend to me in ensuring that my soap is indeed safe or what they use would be greatly appreciated.

The last but not least segment of my long winded email is any advice anyone could give on a thermometer system would be greatly appreciated. I have all my other equipment already and actually found most of the pots/bowls and utensil ant the local goodwill with the thermometer being the last piece before I get started (and the PH testing method as well). Below is a digital one I have been eyeing up. If anyone has any experience with it or any other advise, I am anxious to learn and very appreciative. Thank you

Shawn

 

[Nevada]

Hello Robin Hood, welcome aboard. I would start by reading all the stickies.
Roy

 

[lsg]

One part allspice e.o. and one part sandalwood e.o. creates an exact replica of Old Spice. Because of the expense of sandalwood e.o., I usually substitute a good sandalwood f.o. in the mixture. From .5 oz to 1 oz per pound of oils is the recommended usage rate for using essential oils in soap. If you use a lye calculator such as SoapCalc and follow the recommended usage rates, I feel there is no need to test for pH. Having said that, you can use pH strips to test your soap. I would let it cure for four weeks before testing and using. I use the zap test instead of pH strips, but I have been making soap for quite a while. You can buy an Infrared thermometer to check the temp. of oils and lye solution. IMO a good digital scale and stick blender are necessities.

 

[pamielynn]

Personally, I wouldn't start with a 20% pine tar recipe. That's a tricky one to work with. Or even a high coconut recipe - it can move really fast on you. IMHO, you should take one of the recipes you've found in your research, run it through soap calc and use that - a nice beginner recipe. No EOs, FOs or other additives; just to get a feel of what oils and caustics do when you mix them together.

Also, using a simple recipe at first will not distract you from the safety precautions you need to learn.

 

[judymoody]

Hello and welcome!

First, I wouldn't start with a 5 lb recipe. That's a LOT of soap and if it doesn't turn out well, you will have wasted a lot of ingredients. I would go with a 1.5-2 lb. recipe.

Second, pine tar is tricky and I'd wait until I had more experience. Pine tar does have a SAP value - it is listed on soap calc.

If you want an easy bar that is very cleansing and has good lather, you could try 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat. Doesn't get much simpler than that. It will trace quickly.

Another basic starter recipe that yields good results is 25% coconut oil, 35% palm oil, and 40% olive oil at 7-8% superfat.

Regarding pH, do a search for "zap test." I believe there is a sticky on this. Don't waste your time on pH strips - they aren't very accurate.

A good accurate digital scale that measures in grams is a must.

I use an infrared point and shoot thermometer to do a quick read on temperatures. Your oil and lye do not need to be at the same temperature as some recipes/books suggest.

 

[cmzaha]

Welcome to the forum Robin. I also would not recommend starting with a 5lb batch. Practice with 1-2 lb batches of soap. If and when you make pine tar soap please label clearly, and make sure the receiptant has no allergies to pine tar. Pine tar in even small amounts can send me to emergency, and my allergies are eczema which people do not think can be life threatening. My granny used pine tar soap on me when I was little and it nearly killed me., so did Aveeno Oat bath when I was little. To this day I do not know what was in it to create the problem, I am sure it was not the oats. That being said, you never know what someone is severly allergic to. Not trying to scare you off for pine tar soap, some people love it. Once in awhile I have someone ask for it, but I can't make it for them.
Miller Soap (do a search) has a lot of info on her site and recipes, that is where I found my very first inexpensive to make recipe

 

[Robert]

would Pine Tar be considered a part of the fatting or an essential oil?

Depends how much rosin it contains. I'm not sure what products labeled as "pine tar" contain. If it's truly just the distillates, then it is technically an essential oil and would have no saponifiable material. However, if it's just a cooking process where the whole mass is collected, then it could have a considerable amount of rosin, some of which would be saponifiable.

 

[somedayHomefree]

I agree with people who recommend a smaller batch than 5 pounds, I make 1 lb batches when experimenting and 2 when I want more. That way I have an excuse to make lots of batches! I can make soap everyday or a couple times a week.

Not to mention that batches do not always turn out how you intend, and it can be a real downer. Nothing like making a new one to bring your spirits back up!

I highly recommend keeping a record of the recipe for every batch you make until you discover a favorite. Since you are making them and likely curing them for 4 weeks or more, it would be a shame to discover you love something and then not be able to reproduce it.

 

[Lindy]

To start I agree with a smaller batch to start. WHEN you start working with Pine Tar, which should not be your first recipe you will want to keep it down at 5% or less, 3% is usually enough. It is tricky to work with and you do need to know how to handle your soap as far as how it moves etc to be able to work on it.

 

[kazmi]

Robin Hood welcome! This is a great place to learn. You've gotten some really good advise so the only thing that I can add is to read 1 or 2 soapmaking books. There are lots to chose from (search here and you'll find some recommendations) and some even come with recipes. Just remember to always, always, always plug in any recipe you want to use into a soaping calculator like soapcal to be sure there are no typos. Mistakes can and do happen.

There's lots of good information on the Internet but reading will give you a lot more details that you won't find elsewhere. Plus it will be a handy tool and reference guide to refer back to.

 

[sistrum]

Any particular reason for needing a five pound recipe? Did you already buy a mold that needs that much? Just asking because a lot of small molds can be made from things you might have already at home. If you need ideas just ask or do a search.

 

[Lindy]

I remember my first recipe was huge because the book I was working from gave that for a recipe. It worked and I ended up with a wonderful castile soap, but I learned to make smaller ones after that....

 

[la-rene]

Me too Lindy. My first batch was about 6lbs and goats milk to boot. It came out perfect, though it too forever and a trip to the store for a stick blender to get it to trace.

Good Luck, Robin Hood! I would also stick with a simple batch of soap to start. Mine had only 3 oils. Don't waste the Pine Tar until you develop some skills and a feel for making soap. Theory only gets you so far. Time and practice is key!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...what is the most accurate way to test the PH levels of your product before letting someone use it..."

The inherent pH of a lye soap that is skin safe will range from 8-10, depending on the types of fatty acids in the soap (and assuming the pH is tested with a standardized lab procedure). One blend of fats could be skin safe at pH 9, but another blend of fats might be skin safe at a pH of 10. The better way to determine a skin-safe soap is to measure its excess alkalinity.

The "zap" test is a better test than pH for a number of reasons. It is a direct measure of alkalinity, not pH. It's fast, easy, and cheap. It immediately tells you if the soap is skin safe or not. It is not dependent on moisture level, calibration, equipment, technique, etc.

That said, if you are uncomfortable using your tongue to test your soap, pick any pH method that makes sense to you -- meter, test strips, phenolphthalein, etc.; use the method consistently; watch for unusual trends; and do not get hung up on the specific pH numbers you get. Expect that different blends of fats will result in skin-safe soap having somewhat different pH values.

Thermometer? Infrared is a no-contact type of measurement that many folks seem to like. Just remember it only measures surface not internal temperature, so be sure any liquid you are testing is well blended before taking its temp. If you want a probe type thermometer, choose any fast-read food thermometer with a stainless steel tip.

As far as a suitable beginner recipe, there are thousands to choose from. A good place to get basic recipes is http://www.millersoap.com/ Scroll down the home page a ways until you find a link to the all-veg recipes. Here's another resource: http://www.northcountrymercantile.com/soapmakinglibrary/

I agree with the good advice already given to set the hurdles at a reasonable height for your first soap making attempts. Pine tar at 20% will likely be a very fast tracing recipe that results in a soft soap that is difficult to unmold and cut. Large batches are more difficult to mix and pour, especially if you have not developed an established work procedure. Get the basics down -- that will be exciting and challenging enough! -- then set the hurdles higher.

 

[shunt2011]

You have been given some very good information already. I to agree with starting small and simple and raisng the bar once you get your method down pat. Soapmaking can be pretty quirky sometimes. Even after 100's of batchs I still have the odd one that misbehaves or just plain fails even with proven recipes.
Good luck and have fun with it.