Shortening & Shea Sudsy Soap Recipe

[CareBear]

no problem - and yes you can use powdered GM

[firegirl]

I just wanted to thank MichelleB again for this great recipe! This is the one recipe that I have been using the most.. It makes one fantastic bar of soap!

[EmpressC]

I just wanted to thank MichelleB again for this great recipe! This is the one recipe that I have been using the most.. It makes one fantastic bar of soap!

Ditto!!! I just used mine for the first time and it was...WOW! I have never had a soap feel like this. I gave out samples and am waiting for feedback, but I must say I thought it was fabulous. These were from my first try with GM and silk and I remember that I couldn't get the silk to melt so I ended up scooping it back out and tossing the sludge. However, this bar STILL feels so silky! I am in love with this recipe.

Now if I could just make soap that isn't fugly...

[8-GRAN-ONES]

I have been eyeing this recipe...for a while..

I ran it on the soap calc..

I have never used a soap calc..

I want to make 4 lb.

it shows water as 38% of oils..

Does that sound right..

If not could someone help me out.

You can PM or post here..

I would sooo... like to get this right the first time..

then it shows the lb..oz...and gms..below that..

[firegirl]

I make a 2# batch and I use the 38% as well. I do not have a good understanding of water discounting so I just put in the %'s and go with it. You will love this recipe.. outstanding to say the least!

[michelleB]

Hiya ladies!

Sorry I've been MIA for a few months, been having a personal crisis for a while now and well... had to have some time to myself to cope (and to follow my own advice from my sig line). I can't tell you how rewarding it is though to finally get up the "gumption" to jump back in here & check out my long-lost friends at this forum and find out that you've been playing with this recipe I posted a while back. I know it's just something we all do here, checking out each others recipes & stuff, but it makes me feel like maybe I left footprints here that mattered & I really needed that right now. :-)

So glad you're enjoying this recipe! This is still one that I make on a regular basis and it's one of my all-time favs. Feel free to sub out diff ingredients for what oils/butters you've got on hand. Just run through a lye calc to make sure your lye amount is adjusted according to your changes in oils.

I sometimes use this same recipe with coconut milk or buttermilk instead of goat milk and the results are just as creamy. For the buttermilk version, I like to also add 1 T. Honey ppo, warmed up & mixed in at trace. Yummay! By all means, play on! And lets see some pics! I luvs soap porn!

[deb12c]

I like to also add 1 T. Honey ppo, warmed up & mixed in at trace. Yummay! By all means, play on! And lets see some pics! I luvs soap porn!

What is Honey ppo?

[ladysj]

1 tbsp Honey per pound of oils.

[deb12c]

Thank you

[Soapgirl]

Will this work with the walmart shortening?

[izzy2]

I

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!

When you say you did a 4.5% superfat what does this mean?

Not sure if I read this right but do you have to freeze the goat's milk? If so, why?

[ladysj]

When you say you did a 4.5% superfat what does this mean?

Not sure if I read this right but do you have to freeze the goat's milk? If so, why?

Sorry I can't help of the superfat question but I have found that freezing the goats milk and slowing pouring the lye over the frozen goats milk I don't get that funky orange color. Here's a pic of my soap that I did this way it turned out great. I did add a little titanium oxide to it to get it whiter but even without the titanium it wasn't that brown color and after several weeks the color is still holding it didn't turn. HTH

It's scented Pearberry I still can't get the darn colors & swirls right

[Fire and Ice]

This soap will be my first recipe for soap but I will be using distilled water and not Goat's milk. I also will not be adding the salt or sugar to the mix. If kept in it very basic form, it should do nicely for a first soap. I just have to decide what to scent it with.

Fire:wink2:

[mystical_angel1219]

This soap will be my first recipe for soap but I will be using distilled water and not Goat's milk. I also will not be adding the salt or sugar to the mix. If kept in it very basic form, it should do nicely for a first soap. I just have to decide what to scent it with.

Fire:wink2:

This is a great recipe. I've tried it, and loved it.

I would add the sugar - it adds bubbles. The salt adds hardness.

Both very cheap components, but they do add good qualities to the finished product. Be sure and post a pic, soaping is so addictive, I tell you.

[Fire and Ice]

This is a great recipe. I've tried it, and loved it.

I would add the sugar - it adds bubbles. The salt adds hardness.

Both very cheap components, but they do add good qualities to the finished product. Be sure and post a pic, soaping is so addictive, I tell you.

Okay. I'll add the sugar and salt but avoid the GM as this will be my first batch of soap. Later I'll try this with GM as I have a friend who raises Nubian Goats for milk!

Fire

[CareBear]

Fire, I agree that gm is a bit advanced. This said, my third batch ever was a 3-layer one with half & half in each layer. Heated up like a mofo but I still have a bar that I LOVE.

Scent - mmmm what are our choices? WE do get to choose - right?

[Fire and Ice]

Fire, I agree that gm is a bit advanced. This said, my third batch ever was a 3-layer one with half & half in each layer. Heated up like a mofo but I still have a bar that I LOVE.

Scent - mmmm what are our choices? WE do get to choose - right?

Well I have over 70 scents

I'm probably going to go with OMH but I also have Grapefruit/Watermeon from Green Leaf that I've never even opened.

But then of course I also ordered Patchouli from Peaks to go in soap too. I ordered it Just for soap!

I have a good strong Lavender too but it's not an EO, just a F/O and I have no idea

if it will accelerate the way I know floral scents will!

Finally I could also add Mambo for men! I love the scent and it's from Green Leaf too. And finally I have Cool Water for women, Cool Water for Men and Indonesaian Teak!

Hmm, Lavender/ Patchouli?

The reason I ordered the Patchouli is because I'm aquainted with Ricky Skaggs son, Luke and he is a MAJOR Patch fan and begged me to make him candles and soap in Patch. He's coming back to our area in April so I have to make a straight Patchouli for HIM!

Fire

[pjb31apb]

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! :-)

What kind of salt are you using? Is it kosher salt or is it plain table salt? Does that even make a difference and should it be considered on the soap calculator?

[Debk]

I am going to have to try this one!! Sounds great! So you use all goat's milk and no water?

[heirloomoriginals]

Deb, I use 4 oz of water to dissolve my lye in and add the rest of the liquid as goats milk at a light trace!

Steph

[Sally]

Hi all,

I'm about to take some very small steps over to the dark side!!!

I'd like to start off with this recipe but I want to do it as HP in my crock pot, so can you please advise me....will it be ok to do this?

I can't get hold of PKO & I'm not sure I want to use palm oil at all in my soaps so what can I sub for it?

I don't have GM so I'll use water, if I HP this recipe do I need to add more water to make up for any evaporation in the cooking?

I want to scent it with E.O's, are there any to absolutely avoid?

I'm thinking of using lavender & petitgrain or patchouli to start off with. I'm not bothered if the e.o causes ash.

I've got so many gorgeous F.O's from U.S but it's difficult to use them in soap over here. Everything has to be safety assessed which costs a fair amount so I have to use E.U approved F.O or E.O if I want to sell the soap at some point.

I can still use skin safe f.o for me tho!

I can't tell you how excited I am to be giving this a go, my heads buzzing with ideas & I can't wait til the kids get off the puter so I can read up some more!

Thanks for your help.

Sally. :D

[Carriegsxr6]

I'd like to start off with this recipe but I want to do it as HP in my crock pot, so can you please advise me....will it be ok to do this?

YES You should be fine using this recipe doing HP

I can't get hold of PKO & I'm not sure I want to use palm oil at all in my soaps so what can I sub for it?

This is my delema as well. I dont have any Rice Bran Oil or PKO and regular Palm is not the same, it doesnt give you the cleansing bubbles as PKO does, so what I am going to to is up the coconut just a bit, now if I do that, it may be a little more drying then the PKO, so here is my new recipe to adjust. This will still have the same Iodine level/Hardness as the original recipe, but be a little more conditioning since I am also subbing Olive for the RBO.

Crisco 40%

Coconut Oil 25%

Castor Oil 7%

Olive Oil 20%

Shea Butter 8%

RUN THIS THROUGH THE LYE CALCULATOR TO FIND YOUR NEW LYE AMOUNT FOR THE NEW RECIPE

I don't have GM so I'll use water, if I HP this recipe do I need to add more water to make up for any evaporation in the cooking?

NO, just use the same amount of water as you would with milk. I am just going to use water too.

I want to scent it with E.O's, are there any to absolutely avoid?

I'm thinking of using lavender & petitgrain or patchouli to start off with. I'm not bothered if the e.o causes ash.

Those EOs are safe to use. I usually dont use more than 1oz of EO or FO per pound of soaping oils used.

[Sally]

Thanks Carrie, thats all very helpful.

I have RBO & I'm trying to find some coconut oil locally which isn't proving very easy. However I can order some & just have to do something else til it arrives.

Now I have more of an understanding about the qualities of the oils I'll play with soapcalc & see what I come up with.

Lots to learn but I'm loving the challenge.

Sally.

[ladysj]

You can get it at Wally World as an in a pinch source until you get some ordered. However, IMO by the time I pay for shipping it's a little cheaper or pretty close to the same price picking up at Wally World. HTH

[Sally]

LOL thanks Sandra, I wish I could get it at Wally World....but I'm in Scotland.

Am busily pricing things up just now to get an order in this w.e so when I do get it I'll be good to go.

I'll just have to get on with some candles in the meantime... the wax fairies have finally moved out & i got things working right again :D

Sally.