Soapmakers Share Your Recipes Please!

[krstms]

How bout this? This is what I have:
coconut oil 76
crisco
canola oil
castor oil
glycerin
olive oil
lard



goat milk
distilled water



Can one of you give me a basic idea of a recipe using the oils I have on hand that will make a good bath bar that is relatively easy for a newbie? Doesnt have to include all ingredients I just wanted to let you know what I have. Also what EO are safest to use that wont cause it to trace to fast?

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

As with most anything else, YMMV (you mileage may vary)

Some folks are very sensitive to coconut oil, others are not. A soap made of 100% coconut oils should be very drying, but with a 15% superfat, is quite mild! Some folks (like me) are very sensitive to palm oil ... it dries my skin like an alligator ... but I know it doesn't do that to everyone. The combination of various oils can greatly change a single oil. For example, adding an oil that is high in linoleic fatty acids will balance an oil high in lauric fatty acid (at the right proportions)

Just be careful about taking what you read in books and the internet as gospel. Some could be true and others total fallacy.

I spent the first two years of my soapmaking (1999 & 2001) experimenting with single oils soaps, then combinations of 2, then 3, et al oils until I found the recipe that worked well for me & my customers.

Regarding lye ... the MSDS (material safety data sheet) recommends diluting any spilled lye with water. This weakens the lye exponentially. Do not use vinegar to dilute, do not just brush it off (unless you know where it is going ... hate to be surprised by stepping on a piece of lye!)

I wouldn't start off with goat milk until you get a feel of the steps of soap making (there is a pictorial on my site that shows milk soaping)

30% coconut oil
30% olive oil
30% lard (or crisco)
10% canola oil

You won't need the glycerin since it is one of the by-products of soapmaking. Castor oil will give you creamy bubbles (like that of olive oil) and since you already of olive oil in the mix ...

Here's another:

30% coconut oil
30% lard (or crisco)
25% olive oil
10% canola oil
5% castor oil

How large of a batch are you wanting to make? (for starting out, I recommend using at least 3 lb of oil). I can quickly zip the amount of water and lye for you.

Lard helps slow down trace so you have more time to work. Any of the 'hot' EO will speed trace (like cinnamon, clove, et al) With FO, the florals will speed trace. If you want to make a lavender soap and decide to use both an EO and lavender buds, be sure to grind the buds so they don't look like mouse turds in your soap.

 

[Saltysteele]

try adding water to lye that is on your skin. that is the only time i've been burned by lye, is when i had a particle on my hand and water sprayed on it.

if you get dry lye on your skin, brush it off. obviously, you're not going to want to brush it off onto the floor, in your cereal, etc.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
I have added water to lye that is on my skin, many, many, many, many times.

If your skin is damp, dry lye will be attracted to it. Most likely you received your burn before you added the water. The water dilutes the lye, making it weaker.

Now if you spray the lye with vinegar or a vinegar/water mixture, you are creating an exothermic reaction that will increase the burn.

Plain water is the best thing to use when you get lye on you.

You don't have to trust me, check out any MSDS on sodium hydroxide.

 

[krstms]

Quote:
Thanks a bunch! those recipes are exactly what I was looking for. I had always heard vinegar was the way to go. Glad you told me that. And I definitely am glad you told me about the lavender as I do not want it to look like I have mouse turds in my soap.

Thanks a lot for the info.

 

[CYGChickies]

Nevermind question withdrawn.

CYG

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

CYG,

Sounds like you are talking about a M&P (Melt & Pour) glycerin base 'soap' (most isn't true soap, just a combination of syndets & alcohol). My nearest Hobby Lobby is about 70 miles away & I rarely go there, so I may be wrong about the M&P but most of the 'soap' bases you find in those places are M&P.

If you want to delve into real soap making, you'll want to start with oils and a lye solution. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I have a soap making web page that offers a pictorial in making soap as well as recipes and suppliers.