Newbie Here..Soap Drying???

[Nik]

Ok, so I took the CP plunge and made my first batch of Goat's Milk Soap two days ago using:

• 45% Soybean
  
• 30% Coconut
  
• 15% Canola
  
• 5% Castor
  
• 5% Shea Butter

The liquid was 12 oz of water and 12oz of Meyenberg Goats Milk -

Everything seemed to go by the book..it traced properly, it went through it's gel stage, I didn't insulate, and I also had it in the fridge for the first 16 hours or so. After about 30 hours, I un-molded, cut, and trimmed the bars, I decided to "test" the soap for conditioning, there is sooo much hype about Goat's Milk and it's moisturizing properties, I was dying:drool: to try! My hands were as dry as the sahara by the time I was finished washing them.:embarasse My question is: Is this something that gets better over time? As it cures? Is it normal for the soap to be drying a couple of days or so after you made it?

I was hoping some of the pro's out there could help! Any assistance is appreciated! Thanks a lot!

[Vio]

What was the total oils in ounces? How much lye did you use? I was going to run it through soap calc just to see. I'm still learning and love to run soapcalc, and I'm sure the pros would need that info anyway once they happen upon this thread. I think? LOL

[Nik]

Your right, I forgot I left that out! Soapcalc is still kinda tricky for me:tongue2: thanks for reminding me!

I used 64 oz of oils (a 4 pound batch) & 9.08oz of Lye

[Vio]

And you did the 5% default superfat on soapcalc? Just asking for anyone who might need to know. LOL Getting ready for dinner and will run it at the 5 and see what I get.

Edit: Ran it and it looks like you used the right water and lye amount to me but I have no idea about anything to do with goat's milk. Could just be the oils are drying. That, you have to hear from the people who know their oils. I don't know that stuff yet. Off to eat my chinese food. LOL

[CareBear]

Did you do a tongue/zap test?

And are you confident of the accuracy of your scale? And that you measured correctly and didn't forget an oil?

your recipe works out just fine from what I saw in soapcalc.com (it's about the 5% SF).

You say it gelled but also that you put it in the fridge, which is something usually done to prevent gel. If it did gel it should be pretty much fine by now in most cases - if it didn't gel it can take a few days IME.

I'd say give it another week and see.

[Carriegsxr6]

I would say you used too much coconut, drop your coconut to 25%. Also you may need to add some plam or lard, it will bring up the moisturizing a lot and make the bar more creamy

[Nik]

Thanks a lot guys for all of your help! I am NOT confident in the accuracy of my scale! I was using a spring scale, soooo I bought a good digital one this morning! So I will try again. I will also drop the amount of coconut oil as suggested as well!

Wish me luck! And thanks again for your help:cheesy2:

[CareBear]

oooh yea, I'd def think it was the scale. ZAP test it!

I personally do fine with 30% CO, and I think that recipe is plenty "conditioning" due to your soy & canola, but folks have different skin types.

[Meridith]

2 days is not a lot of time to let your soap cure. Soap gets milder as it cures. Give it more time and try it again. You might be pleasantly surprised.

[Nik]

I had my sister do the zap test! LOL And yes, after weighing out my ingredients on the DIGITAL scale, I realized I used toooo much of everything! I will see how the next batch turns out!

[Brat]

I personally wouldn't trust the results of a CP soap that wasn't sitting for a month. Just me though! Good luck!

[Louise]

Soybean oil doesn't add much quality to soap and is used mainly as an inexpensive filler. You would do better to lower it to no more than 20% and add olive oil at 25%. Higher amounts than 20% of soybean oil will make your soaps softer and also more prone to rancidity. HTH

[Meridith]

I had my sister do the zap test! LOL And yes, after weighing out my ingredients on the DIGITAL scale, I realized I used toooo much of everything! I will see how the next batch turns out!

You still need to give your soap more time before you decide it is not any good. As I said before, soap needs time to cure and 2 days is not always enough time to be able to determine how a soap is. Also, while the soap calc numbers are great to use as a guideline, you might find that you like numbers different from what the soap calc recommends or what others like. You might find that 30% coconut oil is not too drying for you. You might find it is. The soap calc numbers are just a recommendation and are not set in stone. In time, you will be able to determine what numbers you like in your soap and you will see how different those numbers can be compared to another soaper's number. .