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Hi Guys,
Thought I would make a suggestion to share soap revolutions! Interesting things about soap, tips about soap and ingredients. What ever it might be share it here!I have already said this in a reply, but you can’t just use coconut oil. It has to be paired with caster oil or it can be very drying on the skin. Coconut oil in general is very moisturising, but when cured with the lye, a special reaction goes off. I strongly suggest using caster oil with it if you want a moisturising, bubbly bar of soap. Of course you can use other oils, but when you are using coconut oil, use caster oil. (both of these provide an excellent bubbly lather too!)
What have you leant?
I’ve learned that soaping cold, like Marie does, is a great way to slow down a fragrance oil that likes to seize on you! Oh, and stirring it totally by hand is also recommended for fragrance oils that tend to seize. This way, you have time to create swirls or what have you in your soap.
I have already said this in a reply, but you can’t just use coconut oil. It has to be paired with caster oil or it can be very drying on the skin. Coconut oil in general is very moisturising, but when cured with the lye, a special reaction goes off. I strongly suggest using caster oil with it if you want a moisturising, bubbly bar of soap. Of course you can use other oils, but when you are using coconut oil, use caster oil. (both of these provide an excellent bubbly lather too!)
Hi Maddie, I don’t know any other way to tell you this, but no. This is not totally accurate.
Superfatting or lye discount, is the oil that is left behind after the saponification process (generally speaking), it is usually referred to as the “free” oils that have not been converted into soap.
As I mentioned in a previous post, soapcalc by default sets the superfat of soap to 5%. That means 5% of your oils are not converted into soap. When you make a soap that is 100% coconut oil and send it through soapcalc and not change the superfat, yes, your skin will be in a lot of pain as you’ve just stripped it of everything. However; if you change the superfat to compensate for the over eager stripping power of coconut oil soap to 20% or higher, you have an very lovely bar of soap.
For example:
100% coconut oil
Superfat: 30%
AMAZING bar of soapBut to make this soap even better:
80% coconut oil
20% shea butter or lard
Superfat 30%I have tried superfatting these recipes at 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33, and 35. I find for my skin, it likes the high percentage coconut oil soap at 30-33%. It is through trial and error that you learn how to set your superfat in your recipes.
Most soapers generally would not put castor oil into a high percentage of coconut oil soap simply because castor oil helps to create large fluffy bubbles. With high percentage coconut oil soap, coconut oil does create very awesome bubbles all on its own.
Good luck and don’t forget to share pictures of your finished soap! We love soap porn here!
Hi Maddie, I don’t know any other way to tell you this, but no. This is not totally accurate.
Superfatting or lye discount, is the oil that is left behind after the saponification process (generally speaking), it is usually referred to as the “free” oils that have not been converted into soap.
As I mentioned in a previous post, soapcalc by default sets the superfat of soap to 5%. That means 5% of your oils are not converted into soap. When you make a soap that is 100% coconut oil and send it through soapcalc and not change the superfat, yes, your skin will be in a lot of pain as you’ve just stripped it of everything. However; if you change the superfat to compensate for the over eager stripping power of coconut oil soap to 20% or higher, you have an very lovely bar of soap.
For example:
100% coconut oil
Superfat: 30%
AMAZING bar of soapBut to make this soap even better:
80% coconut oil
20% shea butter or lard
Superfat 30%I have tried superfatting these recipes at 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33, and 35. I find for my skin, it likes the high percentage coconut oil soap at 30-33%. It is through trial and error that you learn how to set your superfat in your recipes.
Most soapers generally would not put castor oil into a high percentage of coconut oil soap simply because castor oil helps to create large fluffy bubbles. With high percentage coconut oil soap, coconut oil does create very awesome bubbles all on its own.
Good luck and don’t forget to share pictures of your finished soap! We love soap porn here!
Actually I have done some pretty thorough research, and it is correct.I am not saying to put it in high percentages, but even in 5-10%.
Are you talking about adding in 5% (on average, up to 8-10% in say shampoo bars) in a regular bar of soap? Where coconut oil is left at about 15-30% and the superfat is at 5-8%?
I *think* she’s saying 5-10% for the castor oil, Barb. At least that is the way I read it. But I could be wrong. Or confused…..
I think she’s saying use 90-95% coconut oil and 5-10% castor oil in a soap recipe so it’s not too “drying”, as she says it.
Hello,
Has anyone here used a soap calculator. Soap calc.
In the section where it says bubbly, it says the range is 14 – 46. Will a 25 make a bubbly lather?
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