How many oils do you soap with?

[Firefly]

Just a curiousity question. My favourite soap recipe uses 8 oils and sometimes 9. I've been tweaking my recipe lately and every blue moon I make a 3 or 4 oil soap recipe. I love my current recipe but it takes time measuring out 8 oils.

Do the majority of your use an 3 oil recipe or a larger one? Do you find that more oils or less oils makes your soap better?

[Grannyscandles]

I use more than 3 all the time. I must have coconut, palm and olive but I usually add castor too because it helps with lather. I ADORE macadamia, cocoa butter and shea. SO most of my soaps have 4 at least.

[LuminousBoutique]

I dont use palm so my soaps are variations on a basic 7 oil recipe I love.. which is Coconut, Olive, Sweet Almond, Shea, Cocoa, Castor and Soybean.

If someone wants a non-soybean soap (allergies) I've done some with canola, grapeseed, apricot kernel... I play around with all kinds of oils but my basic bar is the 7 oils above and it tends to work for everyone unless they want something special.

I also make lard soaps sometimes, but I generally dont sell them unless someone requests it. My shop is vegan so I hate having to make a special note that this *DOES* have lard in it.

One of my favorite recipes to this day is a coconut, canola, oilve, castor. I adore the bars I made with that recipe years ago. It was 30% canola and no DOS, even now... THREE years later! But I never sold those bars and wouldnt produce them for sale now.. too unreliable. Funny how that works though!!

Edited July 12, 2010 by LuminousBoutique

[singleyellowrose]

Mine are simple.

Olive, Lard, PKO & CB

[Kitn]

I use 7 oils in my basic recipe.

[sudsnstuff]

I finally got brave enough to try my own recipe and so far I am liking it. It has 7 oils. Almond, Avocado, castor, coconut, olive, shea butter, palm kernel

Just a simple tip for you that I learned. I bought some plastic pitchers with tops and when I measure out oils for a batch I will measure out a bunch at a time. I am so messy and end up so greasy that it is easier for me to just get that way once for about 5 or 6 soaps. I just line them up and when I have one oil I will measure it out for all the pitchers and then start over again.

Just put your lids on and you are ready to go when you are ready to make a batch. It takes some time in the beginning but it is nice to be able to make a quick batch when I don't have a ton of time because the oils are ready.

Dawn

www.sudsnstuff.etsy.com

[Scented]

I use 8, but will sometimes use 10. Depends if I'm into doing two butters or saving a little on olive oil.

[CareBear]

Most of the time I use two. But my fave is Quiet Girl's which has more.

[Lorrie]

I have anywhere from 3 to 8 in my soaps. My favorite is actually the 3 oil recipe especially when I change out the additives:)

[Firefly]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Dawn,

Great idea about the measuring out ahead of time. I've yet to try master batching but I think that would solve my problem except that I don't keep my bar size consistent but could have to master batches one for one size bar and one for the other. It would make life so much easier.

I did though after 8 years stop using a thermometer for my CP soaps and that makes life easier for sure.

[singleyellowrose]

I masterbatch my oils. Then i weigh out what I need for each soap into a bucket. I mark the bucket with the oz in it. If it's for a particular scent, I will mark that as well and any additions that I have already added to the bucket.

[8-GRAN-ONES]

i have about 3 recipes that i really like..i use 4 to 8 oils..

and i am always looking and figureing how to make my recipe better..