Standard Base Recipe-What do you think?

[lwil2151029]

Hello all, Happy New Year! I wanted to create a standard soap base that I can use in all of my soaps as I will eventually add clays, essential oils, herbs, etc. Take a look and let me know what you think! As always, thank you!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Looks pretty good to me! make sure you use the 33% lye concentration setting in the soap calc if it's for cold processed soap ( it will default to water as percent of oils of you don't actively change it).

 

[lwil2151029]

Looks pretty good to me! make sure you use the 33% lye concentration setting in the soap calc if it's for cold processed soap ( it will default to water as percent of oils of you don't actively change it).

thank you! could you explain to me the difference in the soap result when you change it to lye concentraction 33% ?

 

[KiwiMoose]

The soap will have a bit less water by comparison to the default setting of water as a percent of oils. Too much water in a soap recipe can cause a myriad of problems for a beginner, but it will still make soap.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Looks good to me. I would still try a small test batch before I scaled up. Test for ease of use, feel, sudsiness, etc.

 

[DeeAnna]

I want to share that my "favorite" recipe has changed over time for various reasons. I don't know of too many other soap makers who are still using the same recipe they started out with. The only exception was my grandmother who always made 100% lard soap for her laundry.

After about a year or so of experimenting and being mentored by my soap maker friend Renae, I arrived at a blend of fatty acids that works pretty well for me. So the fatty acid percentages in my recipes tends to be similar from batch to batch, but the fats I use to get those proportions can vary.

I like a little bit of avocado, for example, but it's a high oleic oil so if I don't have avo, I'll simply replace it with more high oleic sunflower, which is my main high-oleic oil (as opposed to olive).

Other shifts in my recipe: If my friend Renae gives me some rendered tallow, I'll sub in tallow for some of the lard I normally use. I used to use shea, but trials with and without shea showed me there's not a huge difference, IMO.

So keep an open mind about your "standard" recipe.

 

[lwil2151029]

I want to share that my "favorite" recipe has changed over time for various reasons. I don't know of too many other soap makers who are still using the same recipe they started out with. The only exception was my grandmother who always made 100% lard soap for her laundry.

After about a year or so of experimenting and being mentored by my soap maker friend Renae, I arrived at a blend of fatty acids that works pretty well for me. So the fatty acid percentages in my recipes tends to be similar from batch to batch, but the fats I use to get those proportions can vary.

I like a little bit of avocado, for example, but it's a high oleic oil so if I don't have avo, I'll simply replace it with more high oleic sunflower, which is my main high-oleic oil (as opposed to olive).

Other shifts in my recipe: If my friend Renae gives me some rendered tallow, I'll sub in tallow for some of the lard I normally use. I used to use shea, but trials with and without shea showed me there's not a huge difference, IMO.

So keep an open mind about your "standard" recipe.

that's a great way to look at it--the recipe can vary by ingredients, yet the fattys acids are still the same. love that key tip!

The soap will have a bit less water by comparison to the default setting of water as a percent of oils. Too much water in a soap recipe can cause a myriad of problems for a beginner, but it will still make soap.

thank you! do you also superfat at 5% for your recipes? I know it can vary. the cleansing level is 14, hardness is 41, and the conditioning is 55. curious to know what you would do