michelleB Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I came up with this recipe last spring to use for a presentation in my college marketing class & it was a HUGE hit! So I made up tons more to give out through the holidays to friends & family. ANOTHER huge hit! (and they're so picky, it's infuriating!) Everybody loved this soap. Since I've always gotten such helpful tips & stuff from the peeps here, I figured I'd better do some giving back, starting with this recipe. :-) It's really easy to make & gives lots of creamy suds! I just hope you enjoy it.Here ya go:Shortening & Shea Sudsy Soap by MichelleBVegetable Shortening = 40%Coconut Oil = 16%PKO Flakes = 15%Castor Oil = 12%Rice Bran Oil = 10%Shea Butter = 7% (or sub with Mango butter, it's delish!)Additives I used for 2 lb batch:"Q" of Silk Fibers (I call it a "Q", it's a Q-tip amount)2 T. Sugar (dissolved in the milk prior to mixing w/Lye)1 tsp. Salt (dissolved in the milk prior to mixing w/Lye)Subs: If you don't have RBO, you could sub some Olive oil or omit it altogether and increase your other ingredients (maybe split the increase between the shea and pko). Just be sure you double-check your amounts through a good lye calculator.Superfat: I did a 4.5% superfat on this recipe because I used full Goat Milk as the flluid and didn't want the extra fat from the milk to interfere with my suds negatively. This way, I got a really creamy lather with a lot of bigger bubbles too, instead of just the creamy by itself. Hope that makes sense!If you decide to try this, I'd love to hear what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 looks super Michelle! I love soaps with shortening - a bit upset that Crisco is changing it's recipe (to eliminate the evil trans fats which taste so darned good LOL). Not sure how that will impact our recipes containing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitenaildesign Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I cant wait to try this, but I am going to use kokum butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleB Posted January 27, 2007 Author Share Posted January 27, 2007 Yep, I'll be eye-balling the results from the Crisco change cuz I just love using that in soaps! (and sometimes even in my deep fryer for FOOD! lol) I'm thinking somebody posted that Columbus Foods' veggie shortening is, and I guess still gonna be in the future, 100% hydrog soybean?? I dunno, I can't find that post. Hopefully I'm remembering correctly though. Jennie...please please please post your results if you use Kokum with this recipe. I'd just love to know about the differences that makes because that's one of the butters I didn't ever get around to trying out with this...yet. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruba Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thanks for the recipe... I will definately try it. OK now the $1 Mil stupid ?? What do the sugar and salt to in the soap. I did see this on the ingredients label using these, but didn't know what they DID in soap and why to use them?? Please, if you don't mind, let me know why??TIA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleB Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Hi Rachel!Not stupid questions at all. Really good ones actually. :-)I add sugar because I like to think it adds a little "sum-n sum-n" to the lather. I normally go 1 T. per pound of oils, disolved into whatever the fluid is (mixed REAL well) before adding the lye.I add salt because it appears to give me a slightly harder log of soap which allows me to handle the soap earlier for cutting & trimming. Opinions vary on whether the additional hardness is temporary or permanent & I don't know 100% for sure myself...but I can definitely tell a difference in those "whoops!" batches where I forgot to add the salt & had to wait an extra day or two before cutting because the log was too soft. If you think of it in terms of the salt bars & how quickly the higher amt of salt makes those babies get rock-hard, it makes sense that this works at least to a small degree.Best way to see is to try it both ways...with and without the additives. Compare and see if you can tell any measurable difference & if not, you can save yourself the trouble of adding that step into your soapmaking process. Either way, you'll have fun making soap! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruba Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thank you Michelle for taking the time to explain that to me. I think the salt thing makes sense in regards to comparing it to a salt bar. I am definitely going to try this recipe and will play with the additives too. It may be a little while since school just started up for me again (taking molecular biology) and I knw that this is going to be an intense coure...wwwaaahhh. But probably not as hard as my Chem class.Thanks again for sharing your recipe and the info. I really appreciate it:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitenaildesign Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I tried this recipe last night, so far so good. I did not end up using the goat milk BECAUSE I ruined it when I added the lye. That was a learning experience to make sure the goat milk is frozen first. The lye scorched the GM. Anyhoo, just used water w/ tussah silk, and forgot the sugar and salt. I did use kokum butter instead of shea. I hope the colors stick as I made it 85%lavender and 15% lemon sugar. Its still gelling, so hopfully tonight I can cut it and post the pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyT Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Ok here's my question. I have not got a lye calculator yet and the recipes I have used for soaps so far have just given me the amounts in ounces as opposed to percentage. Can you please convert this for me? I have got the calculator on my list of things to purch really soon and I'm hoping when I get it it won't be too difficult to use. Anyone have a recommendation for a good one? ThanksNancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 PM'd you Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heirloomoriginals Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 That looks awesome!!! I just printed it out. I will be subbing Sunflower for the RBO, just because I like sunflower. Can't wait to try this. I may end up ordering again from Columbus foods for the 100% Soybean shortening!Steph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idacandlelady Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I made this yesterday and it seems to be a very nice recipe.I used water instead of GM and Mango instead of shea. I do have one question though ( probably dumb). I have a bunch of the tussah silk from the co-op a while back and just now getting around to trying it. How do you dissolve it? I've heard to put it in with the lye water, but when I did this, it didn't seem to dissolve all the way. Could it be because my lye water was premixed, or would that have anything to do with it? I plan on trying this again with the GM as soon as I find the can I have and get it frozen. Thanks for the recipe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrown Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I made this yesterday and it seems to be a very nice recipe.I used water instead of GM and Mango instead of shea. I do have one question though ( probably dumb). I have a bunch of the tussah silk from the co-op a while back and just now getting around to trying it. How do you dissolve it? I've heard to put it in with the lye water, but when I did this, it didn't seem to dissolve all the way. Could it be because my lye water was premixed, or would that have anything to do with it? I plan on trying this again with the GM as soon as I find the can I have and get it frozen. Thanks for the recipe!I add the silk to the lye and water mixture immediately after they are put together. The heat helps to dissolve the silk. I also add my sugar and salt this way. The heat helps to dissolve these also. I have never had any undissolved particles left in my mixture. Hope this helps. By-the-way, thanks for bringing this recipe up again. I almost missed out on it. I am going to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If you have premixed lye it can take a looooong time for the silk to dissolve (the heat from the initial reaction helps a lot). If it's mostly dissolved I go ahead and use it - if not I either pull out the clump with a fork or pour it through the (stainless steel) strainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heirloomoriginals Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 This recipe is great! I think I will be using it from now on, making a few substitutions!Steph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Woman Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hi Michelle,I would like to your recipe. I do not have the silk fiber. Is it necessary to add silk fiber to this recipe? If so could you advise has to were to get silk fiber? I am fairly new to soaping and still searching for many items that you expert soapers have.TIA,Devil Woman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleB Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Hi Devil Woman!Go right ahead and make this without the silk! I got in the habit of adding silk fibers to my recipes a while back, but it's not necessary. It's just a personal preference for me. What really makes a soap is the combination of oils/butters and achieving the right balance of cleansing vs. conditioning. All the rest is just icing on the cake so to speak. Without the silk you'll still get pretty much the same effect, so go for it! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katshe Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 I would like to try my hand at making this soap but wondered if it is moisturizing or drying, You see hubby has way dry skin and it sounds like this soap recipe should be a good one for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherry Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Hi michelle I like to make this recipe but i don"t have PKO Flakes i only PO Or AK can i Sub ether one i am vey new to making soap andany information or advise is welcome thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Okay.. I soaped these yesterday. I used Goats milk, but forgot about the sugar and salt.. oh well.. I soaped Eucalyptus Spearmint, and NG's Orchid Rain. Both are awesome scents. They both behaved fabulously! I can't wait to use this soap! THank YOU!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I tried this recipe... made two batches with it... and I think I like it!!! It's two days old now, I tried a slice at the sink... and you should have seen the bubbles!! Wow!! Can you imagine the bubbles it will make after curing? LOL I had nice.... BIG bubbles. I didn't use silk... (I don't have any ), but I used the sugar and salt in my lye mixture. I scented it with Persimmon & Pomegrante in one batch, and Chamomile & Neroli in the other one. Smells wonderful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I finally soaped it will all the ingredients and this bar feels fantastic so far.. big bubbles and creamy lather.. love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latch Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 can you just use water instead of goatsmilk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 can you just use water instead of goatsmilk?That's what I did. Came out fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latch Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 another question on this, does the new crisco make a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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