Usually I can wait for soap to cure. Yes, I might grab a sliver of freshly made soap and wash my hands. I love to see how the combination of oils blend and wonder what kind of lather the soap will create. If you don't make hand crafted soap yet, you might not realize that soap has different characteristics based on the type and quantity of oils used in the recipe. Online soap calculators often include soap qualities such as: Hardness Cleansing Conditioning Bubbly Creamy If a soap is too hard, you might not be able to cut it. If a soap is too cleansing, it may dry out your skin. If it's too conditioning, it might be soft, slimy or not bubbly. If it's too bubbly, it might not be conditioning enough. If it's too creamy, it might behave more like lotion than soap. These statements are my opinion as I dislike non-bubbly, soft soaps. A balance of oils and characteristics is important. The other day, I made a lavender soap loaded with Sea Salt and essential oils. Salt destroys bubbles. Coconut Oil, however, makes lots of bubbles and cleans really well, but it can be drying when used at more than 30%. The soap I made contained 80% coconut oil. How can such a high percentage of Coconut Oil make a good soap? Instead of the standard 5% superfat, I increased it to 10%. The soap is gentler with the addition of extra fat. I also added 20% Castor Oil which is very nourishing and creates a fluffy, stable lather. Castor Oil is thick like corn syrup. It's said to act as a humectant in soap -- helping to counteract the drying properties of the Coconut Oil. Check out the recipe below, watch the video, and make some salt bars! I can't wait to try these salt bars! Here's what I selected for my Lavender Essential Oil Salt Spa Soap: 80% Coconut Oil 20% Castor Oil (10% superfat) Run these ingredients through a soap calculator to see how much lye(Amazon Link)Sodium Hydroxide(Essential Depot link)to use --------- plus 75% of the oil weight in Sea Salt (added at trace) I'd use .5 oz of essential oil per pound of oil in this soap. Here's the video I created while making this soap:
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Nighttime, it's when I soap. The littles are asleep. The house is mostly quiet. And it's peaceful. Tonight, I created a cold process soap using essential oils. And I'm in a generous mood, so I'm sharing my recipe. Please run your own lye calculations though a soap calculator to confirm. Oils/Fats: 20 oz beef tallow 18 oz coconut oil 18 oz palm oil 4 oz castor oil 17.51 oz distilled water 8.76 oz sodium hydroxide (lye) 2.25 oz fragrance oil or essential oil
Follow all safety precautions for working with lye. At a minimum, that means wearing gloves and goggles and keeping pets and people (especially children) away from the working area. Work in a well ventilated area or open a window while mixing the lye as it emits fumes.
Weigh the oils and melt to combine.
Weigh the distilled water and place in a suitable container (I use a Pyrex glass batter bowl, but a stainless steel and some plastic containers are acceptable.) Don't use aluminum.
Weigh the lye and add it to the distilled water. Stir briefly with a stainless steel spoon or silicone spatula. Never pour water onto the lye. Remember the expression "it snows on the lake" -- the white lye flakes fall into the water.
Wait for the lye water to cool and turn clear.
Add the lye solution to the melted oils.
Mix with a stick blender until it looks like thin pudding.
Add the fragrance of your choice and stir.
Pour into your mold(s).
Spray top with 91% rubbing alcohol to prevent the formation of white soda ash on the top.
Next day: remove soap from mold and cut into slices.
Place soap on a non-aluminum surface to cure for 3-6 weeks.
and essential oils. Salt destroys bubbles. Coconut Oil
, however, makes lots of bubbles and cleans really well, but it can be drying when used at more than 30%. The soap I made contained 80% coconut oil. How can such a high percentage of Coconut Oil
which is very nourishing and creates a fluffy, stable lather. Castor Oil
Salt Spa Soap:
