Help formulating a soap batch?

[Angel91805]

So, I'm been plugging numbers in all morning and figured I'd ask the experts before I start snatching at my hair....

I made a batch of HP this past weekend and it's a little drying on my hands. In a nutshell the recipe was:

Castor 10%

Coconut 20%

Lard 30%

Shea butter 20%

Soybean oil 10%

Olive 10%

5% superfat

Soap calc spit out these numbers:

Hardness: 41

Cleansing 14

Condition 55

Bubbly 23

Creamy 36

Iodine 61

INS 143

I like the bubbly and creamy. Now, which number should go up for a more moisterizing bar? The Condition? I've snapped in all sorts of different stuff this morning and can't seem to get anything above 58. GRRRR. What's a good number for a hard, bubbly, non-drying bar?? Yes, I know, I want it all. LOL.

When I find who started this soap addiction of mine, I might just slap her. <sigh>

Thanks!

Donna

[thecandlespastore]

The conditioning number should go up and to achieve that you are going to want to cut down on your coconut and up your olive oil. Maybe even cut down on the lard and up the castor as well. I find that even hot processed soap needs a good 4 weeks to cure as well, soap gets better with age and the properties you are looking for are not always apparent in a freshly made batch.

Or you could make a bastile with 90% olive and 10% castor.

[Carriegsxr6]

If you only want to stick with these oils then:

eliminate some of the hard oils (like the lard) , and replace them with more soft oils.

either split the soybean and olive to 15% each and lower the lard to 20%

OR

use 30% olive oil and get rid of the soybean.

conditioning 58 is actually pretty good

here are your new numbers.....

Castor Oil 10%

Coconut 20%

Lard 20%

Olive Pomace 15%

Soybean 15%

Shea Butter 20%

Hardness: 38

Cleansing 14

Condition 59

Bubbly 23

Creamy 33

Iodine 66

INS 137

[RobinInOR]

Bunny's put a nice "how to develop a formula" in the tutorials section

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3164

That might give you some hints.

[Crafty1_AJ]

You have 70% hard oils in your formula, so you can spare some of those. I'd drop 10% of the lard and replace with olive. Olive is high in oleic, which contributes to conditioning.

[Jo Ann]

do we have to have 50% hard oils? what if we only have say 30%.....gosh i think i may finally be ready and then wham...there is a new thing i haven't a clue about.

besides the coconut, what is the best, in one's opinion, for other hard oils.

heck, and i wanted to make soap tomorrow, now i know i will have to go on a hard oil search.

[CareBear]

Jo Ann, it's just a guideline...

[Jo Ann]

i realize some of the hard oils do the cleansing but what about lard, crisco, ect. what do these do to the soap itself. is it just a cheaper source of oil? at this time i was planning to use olive, canola, and coconut oil. with emphasis mainly on olive and canola.

so you have a suggestion for another hard oil? and if i don't use a solid oil in the crockpot version, then when do i know to continue on with the soap making process...i don't remember seeing a temp, but will read again.

[mystical_angel1219]

Palm Kernel oil and Palm oil are hard oils.