HappySoaper Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I've been making cp soap for a few months now. I absolutely LOVE the bars, but they just don't seem to last long enough. The recipe is about 25% coconut, 70% olive, and 5% castor. I usually let the bars cure for about 6 weeks before showering with them. Should they cure longer with that amount of olive? Are there oils that I can add that will result in a longer lasting bar? Please excuse me if this is a question that's been covered before. I did a search and didn't come up with much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soycrazy Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 How long are they lasting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappySoaper Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Between my husband and I, we go through a 4 oz bar a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soycrazy Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Wow! Mine usually last a month or more sometimes a few weeks depending on the recipe. What do you superfat at? Looking at your numbers I think you need to add in a harder oil like palm. Your bar doesn't look that hard and it's melting faster esp with the 70% olive in there. I could be wrong though I've only been soaping for 5 years now so maybe a more experienced soaper can chime in since I never had this problem I'm hoping someone can help you, because I would hate for my soap to only last that long that's a bummer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I would let them cure for a lot longer than 6 weeks. For 70% Olive Oil content I would probably go for a minimum of 6 months cure before I used them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappySoaper Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 They are actually pretty hard, but they disappear quickly. I think adding some palm oil is what I'll do. I've been considering that anyway. Thanks for the input ladies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 What you basically have is a bastile soap. That much OO will always create a faster wearing bar. The addition of castor will contribute to the quick wear.If you're willing to sacrifice a bit if the conditioning properties of the OO, you an increase the durability of the bar using harder soaping oils. Palm, shea, mango and cocoa butter are all good candidates.When you run your formula through the SAP calculator, keep an eye on the hardness number. that number has nothing to do with how hard the cured bar will get, but rather how quickly the bar will wear. The lower the number, the faster the wear rate as you've experienced with your formula's hardness calculation of 32. Anyone who makes pure OO soap knows that they cure to be hard enough to pound nails (especially when using discounted water), though the Hardness number on SoapCalc is very low (17).there's no 'magic number' to target for hardness. I will bet that as you tinker with your formula and find combinations that get your hardness calculation above 40 you will begin to notice a difference in wear rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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