This is cool. Thanks for sharing.
If the soap has too many bubbles, will re-batching (i.e. hand milling) the soap help?
If the soap has too many bubbles, will re-batching (i.e. hand milling) the soap help?
My Soap Making Adventure
- Thread starter rockclimber
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #23
[MENTION=108562]dkeester[/MENTION] It would solve the air bubbles but I would rather just pour the soap a little earlier instead. By the time I zap tested the soap it was nearly a solid in the crock pot, I way over cooked it.
I just shaved with the soap and it's ready to have scents added next round. I may do some small tweaking but the basic formula is pretty solid. Some other experiments I want to do are:
Next batch I want to superfat with some of the butters instead of putting them all in with the lye, that should be fun.
I want to add clay to the soap to see if it does in fact add slickness.
I want to add more lanolin after the saponification is done. See if that helps with post shave feel without adding too much sheep smell.
Increase the stearic acid content and reduce the Tallow to see what that does to the shave experience.
There are a few more things I will do and document but I can't say if it makes the soaps better or worse. If you try soap long enough you already know what your face likes and you don't need me to say if tallow/clay/lanolin/shea butter makes it better or not anyway. Like they say, "it's just soap"
I just shaved with the soap and it's ready to have scents added next round. I may do some small tweaking but the basic formula is pretty solid. Some other experiments I want to do are:
Next batch I want to superfat with some of the butters instead of putting them all in with the lye, that should be fun.
I want to add clay to the soap to see if it does in fact add slickness.
I want to add more lanolin after the saponification is done. See if that helps with post shave feel without adding too much sheep smell.
Increase the stearic acid content and reduce the Tallow to see what that does to the shave experience.
There are a few more things I will do and document but I can't say if it makes the soaps better or worse. If you try soap long enough you already know what your face likes and you don't need me to say if tallow/clay/lanolin/shea butter makes it better or not anyway. Like they say, "it's just soap"
Enjotly your new soap making hobby, its addictive! Next thing you know you'll have more soap than you'll knowwhat to do with like me.
I personally enjoy the cold process, but the hot process is just as fun. If and when you deside to add fragrance to your soap, may I suggest http://naturesgardencandles.com/fragrance-oils They have tons of different fragrance options and all the ones I've tried so far smell awesome.
I personally enjoy the cold process, but the hot process is just as fun. If and when you deside to add fragrance to your soap, may I suggest http://naturesgardencandles.com/fragrance-oils They have tons of different fragrance options and all the ones I've tried so far smell awesome.
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I was just thinking of it as an option to salvage this batch. Obviously, future batches should be handled differently.
- Thread starter
- #26
Thank you, that site looks great. I appreciate the help!
- Thread starter
- #28
If you were me what scents would you choose first? I already have my list but I would like to hear what you all would choose if you were in my position.
Props to you for making your own soap. I see you are doing unscented first, then progressing to adding that in. Does the addition of scents alter the formula enough where your original unscented ratios would need altering?
Summer's almost here so I'd go for some citrus of some sort.
Don't miss the opportunity to also check out health food stores and places like TJ Maxx or Marshall's that have essential oils as well. I picked up a couple last week that are amazing mixes.
Fascinating thread. Thanks for the photos and explanations of the steps, even I could understand what was going on.
If I were in your shoes adding fragrance I would try something crazy with those bits of menthol I've seen for sale. Like maybe rose or lemon lime menthol. Lately my tastes have been to spices and natural scents so any experiments would smell like a far out hippie kitchen
If I were in your shoes adding fragrance I would try something crazy with those bits of menthol I've seen for sale. Like maybe rose or lemon lime menthol. Lately my tastes have been to spices and natural scents so any experiments would smell like a far out hippie kitchen
Sandalwood is always a good choice.
- Thread starter
- #37
I think lather in a bowl should be acceptable as we can discuss the various ingredients and how they affect color and texture. It will not be much different from the picture of the soap pucks.
This first soap beta 1.0 has a ton of stearic through tallow and straight stearic acid so lather is obviously not a problem. There are some videos on YouTube showing that once you get into the 50-60% range further stearic will not help lather, it was generally ruled that 50% stearic acid was the perfect amount and beta 1.0 sits right there since I didn't want to reinvent the wheel.
I am surprised at how white the soap turned out. I thought I would have to use titanium dioxide to achieve such a pure white. There were a ton of butters and oils that should have contributed some color but this is pure white as you can tell from the pictures. Perhaps adding flavor next round will impart some color in the soap. Fun stuff, I have shaved with it twice and am delegating it to kids bath duty so I can go back to my soap sample thread. Looking forward to my scents arriving next week so I can post beta 1.1 when I get off work, this is a fun hobby.
- Thread starter
- #38
Day 1 cure weight. The soap has lost a lot of weight for 1 day!
That is a great looking bowl of lather. Good work. 
This is an awesome thread. Do you think lemongrass would work as a scent for a soap?
