shea butter

[Jo Ann]

i only have 5 ounces of shea butter. and i was gonna put it in a 1.8 batch of soap. is this enough to make a difference. the original recipe had called for 9 ounces and 10.5 of coconut oil (which i think is a bit much cleansing) so here is what i came up with:

shea butter 17.5 %

OO 32.5

Lard 30

coconut 20

this is for a test cp batch and lard was not in the original ingrediants

what do yinz all think?

[CareBear]

goodness, I personally would keep the shea at about 5%. do you have any other oils?

[Jo Ann]

the original recipe called for 9 ounces of shea butter. and i only had 5

here was the original

10.5 of CO and OO

9 of shea

ok, i have store brand crisco cuz it had less ingredients, canola, safflower, grapeseed, hazelnut sweet almond (these are food grade) and then i have avovado, glycerin and castor.

sheese its a freaking blizzard outside

[Jo Ann]

those are ounce measurements not percentage

[Carriegsxr6]

i would only do shea up to 10%, otherwise it takes away from the bubbles IMO.

coconut 25%

shea 10%

OO 40%

lard 25%

[NNK]

I have experimented with shea to up to 20%, and it seemed to me that 10-15% is the best range. enough to make a difference, but not enough to kill your bubbles. the original recipe you posted must have been some kind of experiment. you are going to be more then fine with 17%, and you will most likely feel the difference at 10% or so.

[topofmurrayhill]

Can we revisit this topic for a moment?

I've used shea butter in a handful of recipes, but I would just like to understand the ingredient a little better.

Generally speaking, the recommended usage rate for shea butter seems pretty low. I run into a lot of recommendations from both soapers and suppliers to use only about 5%. But then there are also suggestions that the effects aren't noticeable until you use 10% or more.

Would anyone like to weigh in on this or elaborate on what they said? Apart from cost, what are the considerations in using lower vs. higher proportions of shea butter in a CP recipe? Is 5% vs. 0% very noticeable? Is there more goodness or any downside to using 10% or 15%?

[Scented]

Have only used up to 10%, so do I notice a difference in a recipe with it or without? Yes. I find the bar a little harder, a little creamier. Closer to 10% I found it harder to get the bubbles that I just flat like. Bar was still fine, but wasn't what I wanted.

Aside from label appeal and costs, that's the only difference I've noted, other than a higher amount can make a bar a little tacky, but so can many things.

[mystical_angel1219]

Shea butter is definitely a bubble killer~ in my experience.

I did a "winter" bar with 50% for personal use. The other part of the formulation was mostly hard oils and OO. The bar came out hard, and after a really long cure, it does feel great on the skin. But using this for a basic recipe would be cost prohibitive and require a lengthly turn around time.

I did the same with mango and cocoa butter. The only one that I really thought was exceptional was the last recipe, that had shea, cocoa butter and mango @ 20%, total.

I usually superfat at 5%-10%. I've gone as high as 25% and the only difference was creamier lather and less bubbles. I've since did a few trial recipes with no butters, and honestly, there is little difference in the moisturizing properties, IMO. For a non-soaper, I believe the difference could not be detected.

[CareBear]

Actually I do a lovely soap with 75% coconut oil and 25% shea, superfatted at 10-15% and love it.

[crazycacti]

learning curve here-so when you use shea (or other butters)-you add it and melt it with your solids? add it when you add the liquids? or wait until the lye has been added and headed towards trace?

when do you add butters?

TIA--have been meaning to ask since wanting to experiment!!

[Tall Blonde]

A year or 2 ago I made a 55% shea bar. Can't remember what else was in it though. I remember it was really hard and the people I gave it to loved it. Now I'll have to try it again just to see how it turns out!

[cindym]

I use shea up to 5 percent in a lot of bars but you can honestly make a great moistuizing bar of soap without shea or any other butters. i've made many and they have all been well received.

[kidsngarden]

I really don't like shea in soap too much. I have bars with shea at about 5% and it's really all about label appeal. I Think Carebears 25% shea to 75% CO is just like a salt bar and the bubble-less shea is counteracted buy the CO so it evens out?

There are so many less expensive oils to use in soap that will give a WONDERFUL bar! I adore animal fats in soap, while I do make some all veggie bars a bar with a generous amount of lard is my first pick.

I like to save expensive oils for leave on applications like lotions or even scrubs. I cringe when I see a soap recipe with EMU in it! I wonder how someone can afford that and it the wonderful Emu qualities can possibly be used to thier full potential after saponification? I mean really, what's left? Cost aside I just wonder what the point would be in using oils with such healing properties.

My two cents,

Bethany

[Scented]

That's a good question Bethany, but it's about that label appeal and some people are convinced some of the properties stay. I'm not, but I can't get it through the customer's head that emu sticks around completely.

Guess if a bar were tested out we could know some of the answer.

[topofmurrayhill]

I adore animal fats in soap, while I do make some all veggie bars a bar with a generous amount of lard is my first pick.

Hi Bethany. If lard was, let's say, simply subbed for palm in a recipe, do you feel it would make better soap? How do you think it might differ?

[CareBear]

Bethany, I'm not sure what you mean about it being like a salt bar.

But the 75/25 is very nice at a 5% SF too - just that I have very dry skin so I up the superfat on most recipes for myself.

My salt bars I leave at 5% SF.

[Carrie]

I think she means that, just like a salt bar, there is an ingredient that inhibits bubbles and lather. In the salt bar, it's the salt and in your bar its the shea. The high coconut content counter-balances the whole thing and you still get bubbles.

[Fire and Ice]

Joanne, just so you know, there is a huge butter and oil CO-OP going on right now in the Co-op section of the boards!!!! The suppier is Columbus Foods~ Soapers Choice and the prices on oils and butters are excellent because we are buying in huge bulk! Go have a look! The prices can't be beat!

Fire;)

[cindym]

Top , lard makes a great soap. I think it makes a harder bar , I just tend to like the overall qualities using lard better. I have also become an non palm user because of the enviornmnet.

[Tall Blonde]

I like to save expensive oils for leave on applications like lotions or even scrubs. I cringe when I see a soap recipe with EMU in it! I wonder how someone can afford that and it the wonderful Emu qualities can possibly be used to thier full potential after saponification? I mean really, what's left? Cost aside I just wonder what the point would be in using oils with such healing properties.

My two cents,

Bethany

I agree with you. I'm loathe to use my hempseed butter and avo butter in soap because it seems like such a waste. I'd rather use it in lotions and stuff like that. Not too long ago I made some soap and accidentally put corn oil in twice (ended up 20 oz corn instead of 10!) It's actually turned out to be my favorite! The feel of the bar is soft and the lather feels really soft and creamy. Now I'm just watching it for DOS. I may try that again!