Thoughts on this recipe.....

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Cannon1227

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HI everyone

There is so much great information in these forums and as a new soaper I really appreciate it. I am entering the ghost swirl soap challenge and have created my first recipe for it. Lets see if it turns out...I just wanted your thoughts on the recipe itself. Here it is... please let me know your thoughts....Thank your so much, Leanne
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Hi Leanne,

Have you made soap before (I don't know how new you are)

For the ghost swirl, I believe the batter is made with a 50:50 water/lye solution - and then more water added to the specified high water soap part. Do you see that in the challenge directions?

Also, did you mean to use fractionated coconut oil? (If I remember correctly - fractionated coconut is more inclined to heat up in soap....but don't quote me on that. Just wanted to put that out there so someone knowledgeable will notice it)

That's also a 5lb batch of soap which is a lot, IF you haven't made soap before.
 
Hi Cannon1227 and welcome! I will be trying to do the SCC Ghost Swirl challenge. I'm pretty limited in soaping time this month, but I want to give this a try.

Like @lenarenee I wonder if you meant to use fractionated coconut rather than coconut oil, and agree 5 lbs is a big batch - especially if you want to have more than one try at this technique for the challenge. Also, are you just posting the recipe for feedback, and adjusting your water amounts in separate portions of your batter?

The only other comment I would make is about the avocado butter. There is pure avocado butter and there is also an 'avocado butter' sold by some soap suppliers that is avocado and soy. Make sure which you have for accurate lye calculations. Good luck!
 
Hi Cannon1227 and welcome! I will be trying to do the SCC Ghost Swirl challenge. I'm pretty limited in soaping time this month, but I want to give this a try.

Like @lenarenee I wonder if you meant to use fractionated coconut rather than coconut oil, and agree 5 lbs is a big batch - especially if you want to have more than one try at this technique for the challenge. Also, are you just posting the recipe for feedback, and adjusting your water amounts in separate portions of your batter?

The only other comment I would make is about the avocado butter. There is pure avocado butter and there is also an 'avocado butter' sold by some soap suppliers that is avocado and soy. Make sure which you have for accurate lye calculations. Good luck!
Hi! I did mean to use fractionated coconut oil.. it was all I had and the soapcalc had it in there.. I did make the adjustments for the lye when I separated the batter. (Yes I made 5 lbs😜, I really want to try my new mold). This is my first try at a recipe..in the past I’ve used melt and pour and 1 quick mix from brambleberry. Any feed back is appreciated, I have so much to learn.
 
So, you made the soap? (sorry, you have some past and future tenses in there). If you have, then you can be giving us feedback on your recipe - and pictures (hint hint). Love a ghost swirl.

Not sure what you meant about making lye adjustments when separating the batter - hope you mean lye water?
 
So, you made the soap? (sorry, you have some past and future tenses in there). If you have, then you can be giving us feedback on your recipe - and pictures (hint hint). Love a ghost swirl.

Not sure what you meant about making lye adjustments when separating the batter - hope you mean lye water?
My favorite recipe uses the same ingredients but differing percentages. I do share concerns with making 5lbs of soap on one's first go. This recipe, while easy, is also not the cheapest either.
 
So, you made the soap? (sorry, you have some past and future tenses in there). If you have, then you can be giving us feedback on your recipe - and pictures (hint hint). Love a ghost swirl.

Not sure what you meant about making lye adjustments when separating the batter - hope you mean lye water?
Yes, the water amount is what changes. For this challenge, the oils are required to be masterbatched - all the oils for the entire batch - and the lye solution is then calculated per the amount of oils used in each part to make the ghost swirl. So the recipe needs to be run through soap calc three times (or more depending on how many different lye concentrations are being used in the design). The oils are then taken from the masterbatch and the corresponding lye solution is added to that part.
 
It was a lot of soap @Arimara :) and I found the recipe to accelerate pretty quickly. I did add lemon verbena yankee type fragrance from Bramble Berry for a light sent (which from what I read accelerates trace). I also ran it through soap calc 3 times like @dibbles said. Once in the mold I put it in the oven at 170f (this was the lowest my oven would go) For 1 hour then turned off the oven and let it sit inside the oven overnight. Today when I cut it I had ghost blobs more than ghost swirls. It still smells good and I was able to try piping on the top so it wasn’t a total loss. Here are some pictures...I’m going to try again but this time use a much smaller mold.
 

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Congratulations on making your first batch of soap! You did good! Your Sat:Unsat Ratio is good. All of your Bar Quality values are within the recommended ranges, and INS value of 157 is close to the so called "perfect" INS value of 160. It looks like your formula was designed by an experienced soapmaker. All except for the FCO (fractionated coconut oil), which is more suitable for lotions and potions. Coconut Oil 76° is best for soapmaking and less expensive. I think the only reason that FCO is on the list is because it is sometimes used as a "carrier oil" for fragrance.

I'm also interested in reading how the soap "feels" once cured. Updates, please. 😁
 
I have used Fractionated Coconut Oil in soap also, a few times actually. The reason I used I used it was that I had a 7 pound bottle of it, purchased for another purpose, but afterward I had this bottle sitting around taking up space. So why not use in bar soap? As long as the formula gives a balanced FA profile in the soap calculator, it's just another soaping oil. The soaps came out fine, and in fact one of them is really quite nice, and I have repeated it a few times because I really like the feel of the soap.

Since I used it all up to make space for more traditional soaping oils, I haven't made soap with it in about 3 years, but I have been considering buying another 7 pound bottle again just so I can make that soap recipe again.
 
Congratulations on making your first batch of soap! You did good! Your Sat:Unsat Ratio is good. All of your Bar Quality values are within the recommended ranges, and INS value of 157 is close to the so called "perfect" INS value of 160. It looks like your formula was designed by an experienced soapmaker. All except for the FCO (fractionated coconut oil), which is more suitable for lotions and potions. Coconut Oil 76° is best for soapmaking and less expensive. I think the only reason that FCO is on the list is because it is sometimes used as a "carrier oil" for fragrance.

I'm also interested in reading how the soap "feels" once cured. Updates, please. 😁
Thank you! If I can ask why do you think the recipe accelerated so fast... both my oils and lye solutions were 81-88f and I barely used my stick blender so I don’t think I blended too much. Any advice is appreciated. I have fallen in love with cp soap making, I find it so relaxing.
 
I have used Fractionated Coconut Oil in soap also, a few times actually. The reason I used I used it was that I had a 7 pound bottle of it, purchased for another purpose, but afterward I had this bottle sitting around taking up space. So why not use in bar soap? As long as the formula gives a balanced FA profile in the soap calculator, it's just another soaping oil. The soaps came out fine, and in fact one of them is really quite nice, and I have repeated it a few times because I really like the feel of the soap.

Since I used it all up to make space for more traditional soaping oils, I haven't made soap with it in about 3 years, but I have been considering buying another 7 pound bottle again just so I can make that soap recipe again.
That was the reason I used it too, I need to make room. When you used FCO did you notice it accelerated trace?
 
Thank you! If I can ask why do you think the recipe accelerated so fast... both my oils and lye solutions were 81-88f and I barely used my stick blender so I don’t think I blended too much. Any advice is appreciated. I have fallen in love with cp soap making, I find it so relaxing.
You mentioned earlier that the FO you used is known to accelerate trace. So, I think that's your answer. :) Also, castor can be a fast-moving oil, too.
 
... why do you think the recipe accelerated so fast... both my oils and lye solutions were 81-88f and I barely used my stick blender so I don’t think I blended too much.
Honestly, Cannon, I see nothing wrong with the recipe or your technique so I would assume the fragrance is the culprit. It happens. Be sure to take good notes for the next time. You might even start a separate log for "Fragrances", how they behave, discoloring or not, ricing, acceleration, long-lasting or not, etc. I'm bad. All I remember are the good ones, and there's way too few of those. ;)
 
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