funnygirl Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I have been toying with the soap calc at soapcalc.com and have a question. After you plug in your recipe, it tells you the soap qualities. I am not sure what numbers I should be looking for. Is 50 like middle of the line? I want a nice firm soap, not hard as a rock, but not too soft. I want a great lather. I just need a little help knowing what the numbers mean so I can get an actual bar of soap, LOL! For example, I put in 100% coconut (not that I would want to use all coconut, but Im just trying to learn here) and these are the qualities I get:Hardness 79 Cleansing 67 Condition 10 Bubbly lath. 67 Creamy lath. 12 Iodine 10 INS 258 Looks like it would be fairly hard. Cleansing looks good and bubbles look good. I dont know what condition means. Doesnt look very creamy, and I dont know what values I should look for on Iodine. I also dont know what the INS value is. Blah! I just cant make since of this stuff. :undecided Can anyone explain it to me? I will be very grateful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovelyLathers Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 If you go to the top of the page you will see soap qualities click on that and it will explain the numbers. In the middle or so of the page it will tell you what numbers you should be shooting for. I printed it out so I had it handy when calculating the recipe. HTH. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 The numbers are just a guideline and not set in stone. In time, you will learn what numbers are more to you liking and what oils and butters will give you those numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I'd plug in a recipe I already have used, known and loved. Look at the numbers soapcalc yields. You can use those numbers as a guideline to create new recipes with similar qualities.I make recipes for special purposes, though. I make one kind of soap that's extremely high on conditioning values for folks with dry skin. I make one kind that's relatively low on conditioning but high on cleansing for folks with oily skin or who need to strip poison ivy oils off their skin, for example. Another bar is high on lathering qualities for all the lather nuts. lol Check out the ideal range of values for these numbers on soapcalc. You can always color outside the lines if you dare, too -- just be prepared for some surprises when you experiment! After I had been soaping for a while, I learned how to read these numbers, and also I pay attention to the fatty acid profile below that. I want my soaps, in general, to be well-balanced between conditioning fatty acids, lathering fatty acids, cleansing fatty acids, and fatty acids that contribute to bar hardness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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