Whats in the cupboard..

[Bubbles00]

K... I have to order some more base oils and they can take awhile to arrive. But I want to make soap NOW :wink:
I have a tiny 100ml (if that) bit of coconut oil
Olive Oil in abundance
Castor oil
Shea Butter
sunflower oil

Can I make a descent soap? (SoapCalc has its doubts)

Help!

 

[Genny]

That will make a perfectly fine soap. It might be a little soft at first, but will harden nicely once it's curing.

 

[Hazel]

You need to remember that olive oil does get really hard but SoapCalc doesn't show it as being very hard. So, you need to take the values with a grain of salt, kwim?

What percentages were you considering for your batch and what size batch did you want to make? Also, what is the weight of the coconut oil in grams?

 

[Bubbles00]

I love this forum ;-) and you people for your help!
I have less than 70 grams of CO and I just wanted to make a 1kg batch....
I had noticed that soapcalc doesnt think of OO as a hard soap, though my castile soaps have been ROCK SOLID ;-)

Today maybe Aloe Vera gel soap.....

to the kitchen!!

 

[judymoody]

The hardness number refers to solubility. So not hardness as "I can pound nails with this Castille" but how quickly it will dissolve in contact with water.

I would try this:

CO - 7%
Castor - 5%
shea - 20%
sunflower - 20%
OO - 48%

35% lye solution so it doesn't take forever to firm up.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[seo]

If you don't mind waiting, I'd soap at a really high OO % personally. While it takes *forever* to cure, my higher OO soaps are (in my opinion) awesome! It's all my husband will use. Although they literally take several months (upwards of 6) to cure. Hope that helps. The previous poster's recipe sounds awesome. I think I might try that, once I stock up on some more OO. My cupboard is bare in that department!

 

[Bubbles00]

Hi
Thank you everyone. JudyMoody that soap suggestion I have to try.
Sao - I make a lot of OO soap, and your right it is worth the wait ;-)
Anywayz I thought I would inform you of my afternoon adventure as I decided to cook fresh Rosmary in Water and use this in my soap making - and add at trace Sunflower Oil, Rice flour and Rosmary Oil. The rosmary was from my garden and after 20 minutes the whole house smelled lovely and I had a rich reddish brown water to use.
Went ahead and made my soap though with the OO it takes awhile to trace, but looked really good.
Filled my mould and 'put to bed'....only to realise I had forgotten to add my EO. flour and sunflour oil.......Doh! :shock: :shock:
.. so thats in a jar for another batch next time round.
**sigh**

 

[Lindy]

I'm pretty sure there is a rule somewhere that photo's must be posted.... :mrgreen:

 

[seo]

Oh, even with forgetting your other items, the rosemary water sounds lovely. I think you sparked my creativity for tomorrow. I have a lovely rosemary plant outside and I think I might go snag some of it and make my own rosemary water! Does the water retain any of the fragrance once soaped? Or should I add something in there with it. I am horrible at mixing EOs and such, I leave that to the pros! I do have a lemon EO though. Lemon rosemary? Think it would work? Ground up rosemary inside maybe? Would it need to be dried rosemary, or could I grind fresh? I'm thinking fresh will probably turn the soap brown as it cures? Your soap sounds amazing! Thanks for the creative spark!

 

[Lindy]

The scent from the Rosemary water probably wouldn't come through with soap so you might want to use that water for lotions where it will come through. Lemon rosemary sounds wonderful..

 

[judymoody]

Oh, even with forgetting your other items, the rosemary water sounds lovely. I think you sparked my creativity for tomorrow. I have a lovely rosemary plant outside and I think I might go snag some of it and make my own rosemary water! Does the water retain any of the fragrance once soaped? Or should I add something in there with it. I am horrible at mixing EOs and such, I leave that to the pros! I do have a lemon EO though. Lemon rosemary? Think it would work? Ground up rosemary inside maybe? Would it need to be dried rosemary, or could I grind fresh? I'm thinking fresh will probably turn the soap brown as it cures? Your soap sounds amazing! Thanks for the creative spark!

I have used rosemary infused olive oil in soap. Yes, it turns brown. But I also think a bit of scent survives saponification. I used a woodsy EO blend with cedar, juniper, and black pepper so perhaps it was my imagination? Anyhow, worth a try.

 

[Lindy]

Judy that sounds really, really nice!

 

[Bubbles00]

Seo I love it when people get creative and enthusiastic! Go for it! I also thught about adding dry Rosmary to the mix, but a) it will cut badly and b) Like Lindy has said in other threads it can turn out like mouse poo. Maybe a sprinkle on top?
Lindy- I took some photos of my soap and bath bombs and put them on the photo bit of the forum. (and believe me thats an achievement for me a technophobe) I'll take some more of yeaterdays adventure.
Judymoody- I think a bit of scent remains too. I'll go check my soap now.....

 

[Bubbles00]

**Que horror music**
WHAT IS THIS!? Disaster?

 

[Genny]

Did you add fo or EO? If not, then the liquid on top looks like lye water seeping out.
I'd leave it for a day or so and see if it soaks back in before testing to see if it's lye heavy.


Or were you asking about the black along the one area?

 

[Bubbles00]

I had tried my new mould and put clingfilm over it and the wooden lid. The room that its in is quite hot. I've taken off the mould top and clingfilm and the 'sweaty bits' have gone - Why is it darker and still soft one end?

 

[Bubbles00]

Its still a mess. Solid on top - gel like underneath (I've been poking it) I have no idea whats happened or why. The heat and humid weather? The rosmary infused water (I doubt it) I've measured something wrong? :roll:
So should I re heat it all and see what happens?

 

[judymoody]

I'd just wait. It probably went through gel and it can take several hours before it assumed a solid consistency throughout.

Gelled/gelling soap looks darker than ungelled or post-saponification.

ETA: If it's still mushy on the bottom and hard on the top after a day or two, I suspect you experienced overheating and separation of your soap. You could save it by rebatching. Use ALL of what's in the mold or your soap might turn out lye heavy.

If upon molding you have a liquidy and a solid layer or if you have pockets oozing liquid, then definitely rebatch.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I am a newbie to soap making as in so far I am only thinking about it lol and trying to get all the ingredients together. I think I have everthing with the exception of essential oils for scent. The cost is prohibitive in my small town. Can you use something from the cupboard such as vanilla extract?

 

[judymoody]

I am a newbie to soap making as in so far I am only thinking about it lol and trying to get all the ingredients together. I think I have everthing with the exception of essential oils for scent. The cost is prohibitive in my small town. Can you use something from the cupboard such as vanilla extract?

Brambleberry offers samplers of essential oils and high quality fragrance oils for not a lot of money if you want to order some. A little goes a long way.

You could also try unscented.

ETA: I forgot to answer your question - extract is not a good option as the alcohol can cause your soap to seize. Also little if any scent will survive saponification.