Some more Newbie questions :blush I've been playing with the Walmart recipe and really like it, but it is a bit drying for my skin is there anything I can add or change to make it more moisturizing? I've been studying recipes but all the what oil/butter/fat does what is so confusing...it makes my head hurt! Also, are there any good books or websites that you can recommend - I want to stick with goats milk soaps. Thanks!
How long has your soap been made before you use it? If it fresh out of the mold it will be irritating - I prefer a good six week cure for hardness and lather, but try a slice of a new recipe after a week. You can up the superfat by a percent or two. Shea butter is a nice addition. Or maybe you have a sensitivity to coconut oil?
Some people are sensitive to coconut oil and find it drying. But like Bethany suggested, if this is fresh soap don't pass a verdict on it until it's fully cured. If you still find it drying try lowering the CO and adding in some shea. I like the millersoap.com website for lots of info. But nothing beats being able to get advice from seasoned soapers.
This perfect timing ---how much shea butter do you add and what do you do you cut back on? Half cococut oil and shea butter? thanks Carolyn
Now, remember if you take out CO you will have less bubbles! I would try lowering the CO by 5% at a time. If you are adding in shea and are not concerned about how much CO you are using I would sub the shea in for some of the lard.
Do we have the list of soaping characterisits of oils on this site? And this is what the wallmart recipe is for. After you have made it a few times, try to tweak it to make a better bar. Keeping your hard butters to soft oils ratio in the bar is key though. If you want to add some shea which is a butter than sub out lard, which is a butter. If you subtract out some coconut oil to make your bar cheaper, use safflower oil (one of the harder oils) or? Vicki
Thanks ladies - I'd not thought about the CO possibly irritating my skin or the fact that it makes all the bubbles - no one else in my family has had a problem with the soap. I like the idea of making changes slowly and tracking my changes. I probably also need to wait until it's fully cured and decide then if I like it LOL! Vicki - I've just been researching on the internet but most soaping sites are WAY over my head right now - especially when they go into all the technical terms and percentages :blush . Most of the time I feel like I've jumped into the middle and can't find the beginning info that I need, if that makes any sense. There isn't a list of soaping characteristics that I can find on this site - just information buried within recipe threads that I'm trying to understand. I think it would be WONDERFUL if a list would be added for us confused newbies Oh, and thanks for the ratio swap out info - that makes total sense...now.
Ok it is on the soapnuts.com site, in the oil properties link. Someone post it here and Barb can put it into a sticky, it is wonderful info. Vicki
