# Soap



## BizzyB (Dec 10, 2010)

Per UncleJoe's advice, here is something I know:

This my favorite, go-to basic soap recipe. This makes a nice, lathery hard bar. It's a generally balanced formula, but is slightly more drying than some homemade soap recipes because of the coconut oil. It's also a great recipe because 1) all of the oils/fats are easily found at the grocery store and 2) it's a great way to use up oils/fats that are ready to be rotated out of storage.

Basic Ratios:
30% Crisco 
30% Coconut Oil
20% Canola Oil
20% Olive Oil

2.5# recipe (w/ 6% superfat):
430.9 g water
159.5 g NaOH (Lye)
340.2 g Crisco
340.2 g Coconut Oil
226.8 g Canola Oil
226.8 g Olive Oil

This recipe can be scaled up or down, depending on the size of the mold. My mold for the 2.5# batch is portion of a cardboard box lined with waxed paper (shiny side in). You can calculate the size of the batch needed for your mold by: Cubic Volume of mold (in^3) * 0.38 = weight of oils.

Then, use the SoapCalc utility  to get the correct amounts of reagents for your desired sized batch. The utility also allows you to tailor for different oils. Crisco has changed formulations recently (added palm oil), you'll need to update the calc if you're using the new formulation. This is a great utility to play with, especially if you have a good soap book handy. It makes the chemistry a breeze. Speaking of books, here are two for your library:

Watson, Anne L. "Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliabily&#8230;" (Jan 2007) I love her shea butter soap and make it for Christmas presents every year.

Print most of Kathy Miller's pages and put them in a binder. Her site is better than 98% of the books on the market. She has the SAP values for fats/oils in tabular form; these are *must have* if you ever have need to improvise a recipe but don't have access to the internet.

Follow Miller's and Watson's instructions faithfully for tools, temperatures, procedures, and safety protocols and you will have awesome soap. I'd love to try out any recipes you've had success with, so please post and share!


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Hi BizzyB.
If you want you can put in some silk and neem oil. The silk can be got at a fabric store. A 1/2 yard will last a long time. Make sure its pure silk. Just cut a small 2x2 square per lb of soap, and put it in your soap when its traced. It will melt in your soap stir it in. The neem is really good for dry cracked skin. Both will make your soap a lot less drying.

I use more Olive oil in mine. I like the way it makes my skin feel.


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## BizzyB (Dec 10, 2010)

I'm a shea butter addict. Oh how I love it - in soap, lotions, creams, balms, and body butters. But it does get spendy to buy it in the first place and then have it shipped. So I have to balance things out with cheap soap.  We don't use commercial bar soap at all anymore -- way too drying -- but I do have a fair bit in storage. Might make a good barter item in tough times.

I have wanted to try the silk in soap -- will add that to my list.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

catsraven said:


> Hi BizzyB.
> If you want you can put in some silk and neem oil. The silk can be got at a fabric store. A 1/2 yard will last a long time. Make sure its pure silk. Just cut a small 2x2 square per lb of soap, and put it in your soap when its traced. It will melt in your soap stir it in. The neem is really good for dry cracked skin. Both will make your soap a lot less drying.
> 
> I use more Olive oil in mine. I like the way it makes my skin feel.


Thanks ... I have never heard of this ... live and learn.:2thumb:

I have a basic goat milk soap that I have used for years, may be time to look around at the different recipes.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Your welcome.
You can use Goats milk in any recipe. Goats milk is good for your skin too.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I love all these easy do-it-yourself soaps, I only ever make them at x-mas time for presents in gift baskets :dunno:

I don't think I personally have ever bought a bar of soap, because I get all of the 'free' ones from hotels and such that all of my friends goto

would it be worth it to melt them down as a base for a higher quality homemade soap?

for my personal use, I don't care as long as it works (& isn't toxic  )


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## BizzyB (Dec 10, 2010)

If you google search for "rebatch soap" you'll find videos, instructions, and recipes for using old soap to make 'new' soap. It's a good skill to have. But be warned, you won't really get a nice handmade-quality soap out of a commercial bar soap, because the two are fundamentally different. Commercial bar soap is more detergent than soap and, imo, more appropriately used on clothes and dishes than human skin. Handmade soap has turned me into a snob that way.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

BizzyB said:


> If you google search for "rebatch soap" you'll find videos, instructions, and recipes for using old soap to make 'new' soap. It's a good skill to have. But be warned, you won't really get a nice handmade-quality soap out of a commercial bar soap, because the two are fundamentally different. Commercial bar soap is more detergent than soap and, imo, more appropriately used on clothes and dishes than human skin. Handmade soap has turned me into a snob that way.


yeah, I'm usually pretty greasy, so I *need* the detergent


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

As most of you know from my postings, I like to make things from salvage and reuse what ever I can. I found a soap recipe that uses waste vegetable oil on youtube. I never saved the link and now I can't find it again, but I did write it down. I want to give it a shot this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

how about a recipe that uses all that glycerin seperated from the biodiesel


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

They are available, but I don't do bioD. I just run it straight. 
Here's the ratio:
1L WVO (Waste Vegitable Oil)
120g lye
400 ml water

Follow any basic soap making procedure. 

I have it mold right now. I hear you should leave it in the mold for a couple days then remove it. It gets more air and will cure faster.


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## SaskDame (Aug 27, 2010)

And long curing makes soap harder and gentler on the skin. Uncured is fine for regular laundry and utility cleaning, but about 3 months or more curing is much better for skin.


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

SaskDame said:


> And long curing makes soap harder and gentler on the skin. Uncured is fine for regular laundry and utility cleaning, but about 3 months or more curing is much better for skin.


If the soap mixture is boiled long enough, most of it will saponify in the pot. I boiled the last few batches of soap I made longer than needed and tested the ph level a few days later. The test strips indicated they were chemically neutral with a ph of 7.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

"Foxfire" has some great simple soap recipes, as for making my own I have a mountain of motel soaps that I am working my way through. When a small one gets smaller, I just stick it to the side of the next one.


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

Well, It's been a couple days and we popped it out of the molds (empty plastic containers) and cut it into bar size pieces to dry. The ends look dry, but the center is dark and very soft. I'll give a couple week to see how it turns our. I might add a little borax in the next batch. I hear it makes better suds. I just might my wife to try it if she doesn't find out it's made from the crud that builds up in my wvo filter bags. Talk about double recycling. I can make something useful from the waste that came from a waste product.


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