Soap Makers Help!

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
That ammonia smell is common in milk soaps. It does go away.

As does the tea that gets burnt by the lye.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Alrighty. I need to order some more oils and would love your input as to what I should add to my supply.

Here's what I have:
Avocado
Castor
Coconut
Olive
Palm
plus anything I can get at the store

I was thinking of adding:
Cocoa Butter
Shea Butter
possibly Palm Kernel Oil

What oils can you just not live without?

 

[Morgaine]

Oh that is so funny that you should post this! I just got on line to order some soap supplies too and saw that I had an email for this thread. I'm going to try Babassu oil (I think it's spelled that way), Palm Kernal flakes, and Rice Bran oil. I haven't decided which butter to go with, but I'm thinking Coco or Mango.

Where are you ordering yours from? I'm ordering from Columbus Foods. I'm also going to order some bulk castor and almond oil cause i'm paying .85 cents/ounce for almonf from the store vs. .22-.23 with shipping figured for the almond oil.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
I'm also planning to order from Columbus Foods. Too bad we don't live near one another and could double up to save shipping.

I forgot about Rice Bran oil. Mango is another nice option. I remember reading some nice reviews of both. I bought my castor from Columbus foods - 7 lbs, I believe, and my supply is still holding up since I don't use all that much in a batch.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

coconut and palm kernel have almost identical fatty acid profiles, although I find PK oil a lot harder.

If you do get PK, get it in the flake form (unless you like attacking oils with a chisel!

The other oil I can not live without is high Linoleic Safflower. The only place I can find it in bulk is Golden Barrel

 

[cockadoodlemom]

MLF~doesn't the Safflower Oil make the soap feel slimy?

 

[Don]

Quote:
OK, so I got tired of waiting and just kinda jumped in.

I had a VERY basic recipe using lard, coconut oil and canola oil. Mind you, I'm using an 'el-cheapo' analog scale, a new (but now burnt out

) immersion blender (that I replaced today

) and I had no molds so I put baggies and wax paper in some mini loaf pans that I had layin around. LOL

I didn't even have any smell purdy stuff BUT ... I did toss half a cup of rolled oats into the 'bullet' blender and put that in at what I assumed to be trace.

I did all this last night and unmolded this morning. They're still soft, as I assume they're supposed to be. They also smell more of lard than anything else. I will assume that although I didn't have any smell purdy stuff to add in, the lard odor will mellow in time.

OK, so here's some pic's from last night ... be easy on me, it's my very first one ever! Hehehe

The first two pictures are very accurate representations of the colors.

I used a different color balance on this shot, hence the varied table and soap colors.

 

[BirdBrain]

. I think it looks just great!! As your soap cures the smell will mellow. You can tell if your soap's ph is alright by tasting your soap. That's right... Give it a lick and if your tongue doesn't sting then your ph is probably just about right.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Nice job, Don! Both the lard and the coconut oil should contribute to a hard bar, assuming that they make up a decent percentage of the oils in your recipe. That's also assuming that you got the proper amount of lye in your recipe as well.

How is it doing today? Has it hardened any further?

As for the purdy smells, maybe you need to peruse one of the scenting retailers out there if that's what you're looking for. You'll be amazed at the number of choices you have!

Oh, and I see you have the goatee thing going on there. One of the next things I'm going to experiment with is shaving soap. Hubby and one of his buddies are requesting one.

Something else to think about adding to your soaping line, especially if you get to be the guinea pig!

 

[Don]

Quote:
Thanks for the feedback and suggestion!

OK ... so I ummm ... 'tasted' my soap. LOL

I got a quick zing on the middle of my tongue then nothing. A little bit of an
icky aftertaste but no stinging. Guess I'm doin OK. hehehe

The smell has mellowed a bit already ... I'm sure in a few weeks it'll be really happy.