Home made shaving soap

[charles_r]

I'm not quite sure about the lard! I don't think i've ever seen a shaving soap with lard in it. I found a thread where someone bought an artisan soap with lard, and it seems it wasn't great (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/114747-Lard-rather-than-tallow). One thing you could do is go see a local butcher and just get some beef fat and render it yourself. Some will even give it away for free.

For the lye, if you don't have KOH, the soap might turn out great with NaOH or be a disaster but you'll have fun trying it. I think you might end up with a very high quality bath soap so whatever you try it won't be wasted. Where are you from? If you're from the US, there are quite a few sites you can get the KOH from. I would offer to send you enough for a batch, but being from Canada, i'm not sure a caustic product would make it through customs.

 

[HollyGates]

@parihart -
Awesome idea on making single component soaps and combining them! Its excellent to have someone approaching this from a chemical formulation perspective. I also like the idea of doing fully saponified components and adding the superfat oil as an unsaponified ingredient. Thanks for posting your work.

 

[parihart]

@HollyGates- Yes it makes screening and formulating easier. It allows for using higher quality oils for the superfat. I got the idea from an old soap manual, that used a mortar and pestel for the mixing. The food processor isn't perfect, but does a decent job.
@Oxygen- Using only NaOH will give you a harder bar than a blend with KOH and NaOH- It will take a little more time and work to build the lather. I've done lard (pork fat) and even bacon grease before- I didn't notice any lather issues, but I also run a higher concentration of stearic. The greater the saturated fats in a soap the more volume and density of lather. I included pics below to hopefully demonstrate.

I am waiting on some new oils and materials to arrive before I try to do a video showing the food processor method.
Below is the pics of lathers made with individual oil soaps. This was done a while ago when I was shy of tallow. It shows the density of the lathers based on the individual oils. The lathers are built with varying quantities of soap using a cheap $5 badger brush off ebay. (Using the brush, I used the lather from the individual soaps to wash my face and get an idea of skin feel and slickness.)
Note: that castor oil needs a greater sample quanity to generate lather and even then it is not very creamy.

They are in different color bowls and broken down as follows:
Castor soap, blue bowl 0.5g of soap
Coconut soap, burgundy bowl 0.25g of soap
Stearic soap, Orange bowl 0.25g of soap
Shea soap, Lime green bowl, 0.25g soap
Orange CUP, Composite soap 0.1g (Soap composition: 40% Coconut, 40%Shea, 10% Stearic, 4%Castor, Superfat: 6% Jojoba Oil)
The composite soap makes a great creamy lather, great post shave feel, FAIR cushion density(I started using more stearic acid after this formula to increase the cushion density) , okay shave- wasn't the best, but not bad.

 

[HollyGates]

Well, after about 4 weeks I gave my soap a try (recipe in previous post in this thread - essentially charles_r 's listed recipe with palm in place of tallow, with kaolin and peppermint). I tasted it first and didn't seem to get any zing on my tongue.

Remember my only point of comparison is Tom's of Maine peppermint shave cream. I loved the lather the soap made; it was much thicker and denser than what I typically get with the Tom's and it was if anything quicker to form. I needed to use WAY more water than I do with the Tom's. It was also more lubricating when my razor was on my face than I am used to, which was great.

Only problem was that it was rather irritating, especially in nicks and cuts (I'm new to wet shaving and straights, so unfortunately there are plenty of those). Also, after being on my face for the ~40 minutes it takes me to do a barely acceptable shave, it feels kind of stingy. I find myself hesitant to slather on the lather for the second pass since I know its not going to feel nice. Putting the second coat of Tom's on is soothing.

I'm thinking it probably needs more time to cure, or maybe I messed it up in measuring or mixing. In any case maybe there are still some hydroxide molecules hanging around to attack my flesh. Didn't melt my face off or anything, but it surely needs some improvement. For now I'm back to the Tom's, but as I use it I am wishing it had the superior physical properties of the homebrew puck. I'll likely try the homemade soap once a week to see if it improves with age, and make up a second batch to see if I can do better the second time.

@parihart - thanks for posting those pics! Excellent data!

 

[BentonClay]

In any case maybe there are still some hydroxide molecules hanging around to attack my flesh. Didn't melt my face off or anything, but it surely needs some improvement.

You could rebatch the soap and add more stearic acid. May I suggest finding an objective way to test the Ph. The old chemistry texts advocate dissolving a bit of the soap in a test tube and adding phenolphthalein. If the color indicates alkalinity they suggest incorporating more stearic acid into the soap and re-testing at 15 minute intervals until it tests neutral (or whatever your goal is). (Never add the phenolphthalein mixture back into the soap!)

 

[Soapmaker 6]

Brand new user here. I've been surfing the internet looking for good shaving soap tips and recipes. I stumbled onto this thread and I must say it is by far the most informative. I actually registered with this site a moment ago just so that I could post.

I have read the first page or two of this thread and I will continue to read through the rest later. Personally I am looking for a better shaving bar recipe than the one I made a few weeks ago. I'd like to have one that myself and other women can use to shave their legs with (without the brush, of course), so I'm guessing I would need two different kinds of recipes ? Or would the same recipe produce a texture that could be used in a cup with a brush, as well as used by itself without a cup or brush?

Since I haven't read all the posts yet, I don't know whether someone has already come up with a fabulous recipe that everyone agrees is a keeper. If so, I will be very happy to learn it. If not, I guess I will be hanging around this thread in the future as I watch what unfolds

BTW, the recipe I used a few weeks ago was this one: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/shaving-soap-recipe.html. I've already tried it on my legs, even though it hasn't cured enough for me to know yet how good it is. I suspect it could use some tweaking though.

Thanks!

PS - I noticed someone mentioned lard above. I've made regular cold process soap (not shaving soap) with lard before and it was excellent. I've gotten as many (or more) compliments on my lard soap than on my other cold process soaps that do not contain lard. I don't use it much anymore because some of my friends freak out about the word 'lard' when they see it on a label.

 

[charles_r]

Well, after about 4 weeks I gave my soap a try (recipe in previous post in this thread - essentially charles_r 's listed recipe with palm in place of tallow, with kaolin and peppermint). I tasted it first and didn't seem to get any zing on my tongue.

Remember my only point of comparison is Tom's of Maine peppermint shave cream. I loved the lather the soap made; it was much thicker and denser than what I typically get with the Tom's and it was if anything quicker to form. I needed to use WAY more water than I do with the Tom's. It was also more lubricating when my razor was on my face than I am used to, which was great.

Only problem was that it was rather irritating, especially in nicks and cuts (I'm new to wet shaving and straights, so unfortunately there are plenty of those). Also, after being on my face for the ~40 minutes it takes me to do a barely acceptable shave, it feels kind of stingy. I find myself hesitant to slather on the lather for the second pass since I know its not going to feel nice. Putting the second coat of Tom's on is soothing.

I'm thinking it probably needs more time to cure, or maybe I messed it up in measuring or mixing. In any case maybe there are still some hydroxide molecules hanging around to attack my flesh. Didn't melt my face off or anything, but it surely needs some improvement. For now I'm back to the Tom's, but as I use it I am wishing it had the superior physical properties of the homebrew puck. I'll likely try the homemade soap once a week to see if it improves with age, and make up a second batch to see if I can do better the second time.

@parihart - thanks for posting those pics! Excellent data!

A few things could at play here... maybe you didn't measure your lye correctly. You're doing this by weight with a digital scale, correct? It could also be like you said it needs to cure a bit longer. How did you make it? cold or hot process? How long did you let it cure? Too much fragrance can also be tingly on the skin. I could guide you to a few fragrance calculators on the web.

 

[charles_r]

Since I haven't read all the posts yet, I don't know whether someone has already come up with a fabulous recipe that everyone agrees is a keeper. If so, I will be very happy to learn it. If not, I guess I will be hanging around this thread in the future as I watch what unfolds

BTW, the recipe I used a few weeks ago was this one: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/shaving-soap-recipe.html. I've already tried it on my legs, even though it hasn't cured enough for me to know yet how good it is. I suspect it could use some tweaking though.

PS - I noticed someone mentioned lard above. I've made regular cold process soap (not shaving soap) with lard before and it was excellent. I've gotten as many (or more) compliments on my lard soap than on my other cold process soaps that do not contain lard. I don't use it much anymore because some of my friends freak out about the word 'lard' when they see it on a label.

I had a look at your recipe. What you made basically is a high quality bath soap. Olive oil will pretty much render the soap useless for shaving (the lather won't be stable). There is a misconception out there that only adding clay will give you a shaving soap. Clay is a great additive, but you need a good shaving soap to start with. Try the basic recipe I posted somewhere in this thread. The one that uses both type of lyes. When that works out OK, you can have fun changing the recipe to your liking (the one i'm selling is not the same as the original one posted here). Lard could be worth a shot instead of tallow or palm. Keep in mind I have NO IDEA how it would turn out I don't think anyone here has tried to make shaving soap with lard yet.

The soap you made is not lost.. let it cure 6 weeks and it'll make an absolutely great bath soap, especially with that sweet almond oil and coloidal oatmeal.

Have fun

 

[Soapmaker 6]

Thanks, Charles_R! I will search through the pages on this thread and find your soap recipe. I'm sure it will give me a better start than the first one I tried.

 

[Soapmaker 6]

Is this the recipe you're referring to?

Beef Tallow 165g (33%)
Stearic Acid 165g (33%)
Coconut Oil 100g (20%)
Castor Oil 70g (14%)

Lye
Sodium Hydroxide (NAOH) 25.2g
Potassium Hydroxie (KOH) 65.6g
Distilled/Purified Water 180g
This is a 35% NaOH to 65% KOH ratio in snowdrift farm's calculator

 

[charles_r]

Yup.. that's the one. Post #26. Just something you show know about the recipe. The soaps won't be as hard as the recipe you tried when you unmold it. you could even wait an extra day before you remove the mold, and a day or two more before you try to cut it into bars or rounds. If you cold process, let it cure for 6 weeks. Four weeks is safe but you'll get a better soap if you wait a bit longer. If you hot process the soap, it's safe immediately, but somewhat milder and more enjoyable if you give it a week or two to cure.

 

[Soapmaker 6]

Thank you so much, Charles. I will definitely let the bars sit for an extra day or so before unmolding. Great tip.

I've not yet tried Hot Process soapmaking, so I'll be doing this as Cold Process. I ordered Stearic Acid on Wednesday, but I don't have any idea where to get Beef Tallow, so I'll have to figure that one out. Also, I've never worked with Potassium Hydroxie (KOH) so I'll have to figure out where to get it and read up on how to use it.

So you think this recipe would be a good one for me to start with? And it would work as a bar for ladies, as well as a brush & mug soap for gentlemen? Thank you so very much for helping.

 

[charles_r]

Potassium hydroxide is more or less the same as Sodium Hydroxide. What I usually do is measure the lyes separately, add the Sodium to my water, let it cool down just a bit then add the potassium hydroxide. You could add both at the same type but it tends to get a bit hotter than sodium hydoxide alone.

For tallow, you could render your own. Or try to find a restaurant supply shop.. they will usually either sell it as Tallow, or Beef Shortening. The difference mainly is that the "shortening" is deodorized. No beefy scent in your soaps! I would just make sure no other oils are added to it (Canola for example).

 

[Fortitudo Dei]

I have read the first page or two of this thread and I will continue to read through the rest later. Personally I am looking for a better shaving bar recipe than the one I made a few weeks ago. I'd like to have one that myself and other women can use to shave their legs with (without the brush, of course).....

I disagree. I've never understood why women think shaving brushes are only for men. Though a woman's body hair is a bit different to male facial hair, the role of the brush (to create the lather, to lift the individual hairs and to keep them hydrated) is the same regardless. I recently gave my wife one of my old shaving brushes to use when shaving her legs and she commented what a huge difference it made. Just rubbing soap onto the body part then shaving it off won't lift the individual hairs and the shave won't be anywhere near as close or so comfortable. It seems a shame that none of the current crop of brush manufacturers have caught onto this and made a brush specifically for the female market (a pink handle would be good for starters). The same goes for new DE razors. Gillette used to make several DE razors for women but none of the current makers do (though the Merkur 23C would seem to me to have the right geometry for a women's razor - it just needs to be marketed correctly).

BTW, the recipe I used a few weeks ago was this one: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/shaving-soap-recipe.html. I've already tried it on my legs, even though it hasn't cured enough for me to know yet how good it is. I suspect it could use some tweaking though.

Yup - that's a bath soap recipe though if you were to simply rub in on then shave it off without using a brush, then to be honest, any old soap will do (though as mentioned, the shave won't be very good)

 

[charles_r]

eShave actually makes pink brushes and razors for women. The LORD L6 is a good DE razor for women because of the long handle (but then again it's not marketed as such). .Soaps with scents for women or unisex are probably easier to find. Half of the scents I make are pretty much unisex, and I'd have a hard time imagining any human being not being able to find a scent they like at Mama Bear's.

My wife uses a DE for her legs and my best friend's wife swears by my shaving soap. She "cheats" every once and a while with a cartridge razor, and it usually shows (blemishes/bumps).

 

[RootbeerRockabilly]

While reading this I recognized that pariharts shaving soap looked like it made the best lather. Can you get a lather as thick as that by just using Tallow, Stearic-acid, Castoroil and Coconutoil with lets say 60% KOH and 40% NaOH?????

 

[mharris127]

Soap should not burn and sting if it gets into scrapes or nicks, period. It sounds like your soap was lye-heavy. I would check your lye calculator and make sure your scale is accurate.

It could be your fragrance oils as well. Tabac burns a stings if I get it in a nick until I air it out for a month or so. Of course since you are using lye to make a soap make sure it is saponified correctly or you could get a lot more than just stinging on a nick! Lye is the same thing I use to clean out my drain pipes in my house, it is very caustic and if too much gets on your skin you could be in for a heap of trouble!!!!!

 

[diamondtim]

I had a look at your recipe. What you made basically is a high quality bath soap. Olive oil will pretty much render the soap useless for shaving (the lather won't be stable). There is a misconception out there that only adding clay will give you a shaving soap. Clay is a great additive, but you need a good shaving soap to start with. Try the basic recipe I posted somewhere in this thread. The one that uses both type of lyes. When that works out OK, you can have fun changing the recipe to your liking (the one i'm selling is not the same as the original one posted here). Lard could be worth a shot instead of tallow or palm. Keep in mind I have NO IDEA how it would turn out I don't think anyone here has tried to make shaving soap with lard yet.

The soap you made is not lost.. let it cure 6 weeks and it'll make an absolutely great bath soap, especially with that sweet almond oil and coloidal oatmeal.

Have fun

I've made shaving soap with lard and it worked well enough, but the lather is not yet what I'm looking for. My next one will incorporate beef tallow, cocoanut oil and both types of lye.

 

[RootbeerRockabilly]

I've made shaving soap with lard and it worked well enough, but the lather is not yet what I'm looking for. My next one will incorporate beef tallow, cocoanut oil and both types of lye.

I did so too. Is your lather also to foamy (hope it's the right word for it -I'm German). Mine makes much larger bubbles than it should and it leaves a bad scent on the brush after washing it out

 

[diamondtim]

I did so too. Is your lather also to foamy (hope it's the right word for it -I'm German). Mine makes much larger bubbles than it should and it leaves a bad scent on the brush after washing it out

My lather bubbles are too large when my brush is too wet. I shake most of the water out of my brush and then I get a richer lather. The smell may have come from overheating the lard. Also, your English is far better than my German.