Soap Makers Help!

[ChicksterJo]

I tried infusing olive oil with fresh rosemary and I can't detect the smell of it now (though when it was hardening up the day after it did smell a little like rosemary). I haven't tried bananas but I did do a cinnamon ("pumpkin spice") soap and it smells like pumpkin bread. I infused the OO with cinnamon sticks, cloves, all spice and nutmeg. I hope this helps and have fun with this...it really is addictive.

 

[Morgaine]

I have not had good luck getting scent from infusing. I do get scent with my Fruity Oaty from the bananas which adds to the fragrance I use.

 

[itsy]

So with all of the ingredients I have - I can make soap?

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
Bolded my advise about your ingredients. But with lye, olive oil, and coconut oil, you're on track to making a lovely Bastille soap. I recommend a recipe with 70% olive oil and 30% coconut oil with a 5-10% superfat level. It will take a while to harden, but once it does, it'll be hard as a rock.

 

[itsy]

Stacy.... So if I use a lye calculator, I can figure out a recipe? What is the vinegar for? I do have it on hand. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[itsy]

I used the brambleberry calculator! That was easy:


Oil(s) Selected Amount %

Coconut Oil (Fractioned)

9.60oz 30.0%

Olive Oil

22.40oz 70.0%

7% Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Amount 4.863oz

Ounces of liquid recommended 10.56oz

Yields

47.42oz

This is with a 7% superfat. Do I have to worry about adding the honey? Would that throw off the recipe?

 

[Morgaine]

As a beginer, I would hold off doing the honey this time because it can cause your soap to overheat.

Bananas, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin I have all used in soap and they have never gone bad. The lye acts kinda like a preservative. The trick is to use purreed food so that there are no big chunks.

You need to use the coconut that says Coconut 76. The fractionated one is a liquid oil and has a different fatty acid profile.

You should just be able to take spoon and dig the coconut oil out and then melt in a bowl.

 

[Renee']

Quote:
The vinegar is used to neutralize lye.

I have heard both arguments about vinegar. Some say use it others say don't use it. Me personally, I just rinse with cold water for 30 seconds or so.

That said, it's highly advised that you wear eye protection and gloves while making your soap.

Regarding the coconut oil. I put my oil pot on the scale, measure my olive oil, move the pot to the stove, set the stove on 2/low, then I srape out the hard coconut oil, weight it on the scale, then plop the blob in the olive oil on the stove, the coconut oil melts in the olive oil.

 

[ChicksterJo]

I agree with Renee. If you get any lye on you wash with water, don't use the vinegar directly. I use goggles and gloves but I do use vinegar to wipe down my countertops. The first soap I made was just olive oil and coconut oil (no fragrances or anything special) and it is hard as a rock after 3 weeks.

 

[itsy]

Quote:
Would the same hold true for the sweet potatos etc, as an overheating issue? I have a thermometer and I can watch the heating. How do I know what temperature it's supposed to stay at? I could put the mixing bowl in another bowl with ice in it to keep the temp down..... Do the additives like honey and sweet potatos count as the water portion? I'd assume that too much of it would throw the recipe off, no?

The coconut oil I got is from Walmart. It's the third one down on this page that is the "refined" version. It is a solid, not a liquid oil. It doesn't mention anything about Coconut 76.