What size for tester soaps

[Chickenpoopshoes]

So I think i am coming up with a good plan for my test batches of soap.
I have narrowed it down to three rounds of testing. I have friends and family lined up to help me test them.
Round 1 will be attempting to come up with a formula of fats that can make up my base for future soaps. I currently have the option of pure lard, or cutting the lard with suet. I don't think I want to use pure Suet because it is already hard as glass before saponification and I suspect it will be like trying to wash with a polished stone.
Round 2 will be to test whether we like the winner of the base oil test with or without Kaolin (for slip/glide)
Round three will be adding some interesting additives like oatmilk and honey, or beer.
SO I have two silicone soap moulds which have 6 oval cavities making a nice sized bar of soap each.Each mould takes 500ml fluid so I can either make 6 soaps per batch or 12 (350g fats or 700g) BUT as I see it, I will need to make TWO kinds of soap for round 1,, one more for round 2, and two more for round 3.
Would it be better to produce smaller sized soaps for these trials? My concern is that a full sized soap would be too big for a tester. Also, it might be a bit of a bummer having to use up all the 'losers' from the trials.
What do you guys do about testing soap recipes?

 

[Megan]

I feel like testers should be as big as your normal bars of soap will be. Sample sizes dissolve faster because of the increased surface area relative to volume (I think?)...and if you give people sample sized bars they may think that your soaps don't last very long.

Also, I have a ton of scrapped soap that's sitting ready to be used up from "bad" batches, recipes that weren't very nice (in comparison), scents that weren't very nice...yes, it's a bummer to see it there, and I slowly go through the pile...but if you make a lot of soap, that just kind of happens.

 

[goat soap rulz!]

I have a little silicone mold that holds 24 lil square bars. It is half my recipe. The only thing I test is FO so far, but I def wanna do honey because I have my own bees. I order a little 1 oz FO to try out. And if I put them in my 5 pound recipe, then I can barely smell it!

 

[Chickenpoopshoes]

yes, I was wondering about that. How does size affect a soap. smaller =greater surface are and therefore faster water loss (I imagine)
I've chatted to my husband about my plans and he seems to think I'm pretty much on the right track so I think I will go ahead and start Round 1...

 

[Obsidian]

I would just use my regular loaf mold and cut the bars in half.

 

[Chickenpoopshoes]

Yup, don't have a loaf mould yet...

 

[Anstarx]

I'd use a loaf mold, too as I can cut them however I want and not need to worry about having to fill a certain size. Many daily object can sub as a loaf if you don't mind the look. Plastic bag, freezer paper lined cardboard box, milk carton, a PVC pipe, a pringle can, a rectangular tupperware, etc.

 

[goat soap rulz!]

May I ask how would you line a Pringle can? Like how would you also line the bottom of it so by doesn’t stick? I get the sides, just not the bottom. I might try it!!

 

[Obsidian]

May I ask how would you line a Pringle can? Like how would you also line the bottom of it so by doesn’t stick? I get the sides, just not the bottom. I might try it!!

What I do it cut off the bottom off the can, this will become the top. Put the lid on the bottom/old top and hot glue/tap the bejeezus out of it so it won't leak.
I then set the can inside something to hold it upright, a plastic juice pitcher works well.

DidI mention to use lots of tape? Lol. That's really the one thing I go a bit overbord with but I had a leak once, was a terrible mess.

The soap doesn't stick to the plastic lid, you can just pop it off and slide the soap out, provided you lined the can with freezer paper.

 

[lucycat]

I hate little bits of soap. I think they need to weigh at least 3 oz to have a bar that someone will actually use several times.

A lot of times I make my log mold "smaller". I kept a couple pieces of a flexible plastic packing material that small computer parts were packed in. I cut them so that they are the width of my mold. I position where I want the new "end" to be in the mold and make a 3/4 to one pound batch in the mold.

 

[Andy7891]

I bet that if the formula you use is pretty balanced (hard oils equal soft oils) then your test batches will be perfectly serviceable soaps. I think the only catastrophes happen when you use 100% castor oil. Some 100% one oil soaps are fine like coconut and olive oil. One time I made a batch with a whole bunch of different oils (I think I was trying to use them up) and it ended up being pretty gloopy/slimy as soap but if I keep it dry between uses it does the job ok (note: don’t use soap the isn’t firm enough to handle etc. you don’t want unfinished raw soap or unreacted lye etc.) I put it away for months and months but recently dug it out and am using it here and there.

 

[TheGecko]

What do you guys do about testing soap recipes?

I started with three regular recipes...all had Sodium Lactate and Kaolin Clay. After ruining a few batches of soap (2 lbs each) in the beginning and not wanting to be stuck with a lot of soap that folks may not like, I bought a couple of 1 lb square silicone molds...four bars, approximately 5 oz each, cut in half for testing. I made one batch of each soap over two days...two colored with bit of mica. I instructed my testers to use Bar A for a week, then use their regular soap for a week, then use Bar B for a week and so on a so forth. I included a form for each soap and a stamped envelope. Because I wanted complete honesty in the responses, my address was the return address and I deliberately did not look at the postmark. I did a similar test with my Goat Milk Soap. The results of both were interesting...folks like Bar B of my Regular Soap and Bar C of my GMS. It was the same three recipes, I just substituted goat milk for distilled water.

 

[AliOop]

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