Homemade Shaving Soap - An Illustrated Guide to a Test Batch - LONG POST

[JBLA]

I've been reading up on this soap making stuff and everyone says once you use the crockpot for soap making you don't want to use it to make food. I don't think the misses would like that.

Woohoo! I might use 2 tbsp of glycerin per lb rather than just one. (At least, that's one of the adjustments I'm contemplating for the next batch, but it's your soap to play with, so add/subtract as you feel inclined.)

 

[JoshInCA]

Subscribed. I don't know anything about soap-making outside of what you wrote and a half-hour spent noodling around on soapcalc and one other site whose name I've forgotten, but I'm very tempted by the idea of making my own. The key, for me, would be that the soap would have to be as good as or better than low- to mid-priced "store-bought" shaving soaps.

JBLA, it sounds like your soap's shave-ability was fairly good or better for both you and your friend... Any update you would care to post on how it turned out, or on recipe changes you're thinking of making, I'm sure would be read with great interest.

Thanks again!

 

[Arcadies]

This is very interesting, not something I'd get involved with but interesting none the less. Chemicals and I do not mix, I've had several bad experiences, starting with my first around age 10 that involved a chemistry set, dark purple mixtures, explosions and my fathers freshly painted white garage door. I couldn't sit down for 2 days.

 

[Barto]

I don't know anything about soap-making outside of what you wrote and a half-hour spent noodling around on soapcalc and one other site whose name I've forgotten, but I'm very tempted by the idea of making my own. The key, for me, would be that the soap would have to be as good as or better than low- to mid-priced "store-bought" shaving soaps.

That's exactly what I thought when I got into it. INMHO JBLA did it right. If I may suggest, do your research and make a few bath soaps through the hot process method. Once you feel comfortable with it, start on your shaving soaps. It's nice shaving with a custom made soap exactly the way you want it.

 

[bridger berdel]

is it ok to use stainless steel pots/stirrers etc or will this lead to problems with the base chemicals?

 

[Barto]

is it ok to use stainless steel pots/stirrers etc or will this lead to problems with the base chemicals?

Stay away from metals like cast iron, aluminum, zinc, brass, chrome, etc. Use heat safe plastic to stir your lye solution. I use a plastic pitcher and spatula, then mix it in a ceramic crock pot.

Lye is the problem because it is a strong alkali, opposite of acid. It will react with metals and can produce hydrogen. Also, when you mix lye and water it gets hot real fast and can break glass containers. I have had lye solutions shoot from room temperature to 200 degrees within a couple minutes. The other chemicals are just heated oils and fats and are benign. I know this isn't a soap making forum; so, I have kept it short. But, for your safety, make sure you read more about the soap making process and lye safety before you try this.

 

[coolbus18]

Super post !! Thanks for the share of the process. Amazing what"yes I can" , can accomplish.

 

[bridger berdel]

where do you source your materials? coconut oil is pretty much a grocery store item, but stearic acid? do i look for soap making supplies in the yellow pages or are these things to ask for at a drug store or what?

 

[JBLA]

@joshinca - I'm probably going to add another tbsp of glycerin to the next batch, but overall I'm pretty please with the shaveability of the soap so far.

@bridger berdel - I like Mountain Rose Herbs, as their stuff seems to be fairly sustainably sourced / organic / etc., but you can google for "stearic acid for sale" and find a range of suppliers.

Everyone - thanks for the positivity and feedback here.

 

[Songwind]

@woodnufc - You're correct, there is less coconut oil than water in this soap recipe. (I used a 30% lye/water solution, and based my calculations on that.) I thought that was a little unusual myself, but that was the way the soap I was working from had it listed, so that's what I went with.

Since the cure time is mostly about dropping the water (once saponification is complete), is the amount of water you start with that crucial?

 

[Songwind]

@joshinca - I'm probably going to add another tbsp of glycerin to the next batch, but overall I'm pretty please with the shaveability of the soap so far.

@bridger berdel - I like Mountain Rose Herbs, as their stuff seems to be fairly sustainably sourced / organic / etc., but you can google for "stearic acid for sale" and find a range of suppliers.

Everyone - thanks for the positivity and feedback here.

Where did you get your KOH? There's actually a soap supplier in my state, but it looks like they only sell NaOH.

 

[JBLA]

@songwind - you can play with the amount of water, but the general rule of thumb that I use is to have a 30% lye/water solution. This may be a moot point for hot process soapmaking, since the heat should ensure saponification, but I've generally gotten pretty favorable soaps with that rule, so I haven't played with it much. That said, using KOH does give a softer soap, so maybe looking into the water levels would be warranted. In terms of finding KOH, essentialdepot.com has been the source I use (although strangely, you may be able to find it cheaper from their ebay site with free shipping, than buying it directly off their website). GOOD LUCK! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[gruntedshaves]

heart this thread. Ive been looking into soap making.

 

[JBLA]

Update: So I've been using this soap for a couple of weeks now, and found that it works fairly well (much better than a well regarded name brand tube of shaving cream I had on hand), and I've given out some samples to friends. Some of them, including a guy with the thickest beard of anybody I know, agreed with my assessment, and thought it was great, and that the lather was excellent. Unfortunately, a couple of other people found it a tad harsh.

(This is why I haven't offered samples to you all yet. Not wanting to be the basis of another "worst soap in the history of the world" threads, I figured I'd test it on some friends and colleagues first (in addition to myself).)

Being a little concerned about the harshness complaints, and not really wanting to rely on the accuracy of the "zap test" going forward if I decided to scale up my soapmaking, I ordered some laboratory grade Macherey-Nagel pH test strips.

They came in the mail today.

Per the instructions from the nice people at Soap Impressions, "If this is your first experience using high grade pH strips, don't be surprised to find your soap testing out at a pH that's closer to 10, rather than the 7-8 you're used to seeing. A pH range of 9.5-10.5 is normal for soap."

So I followed their instructions, and it looks like those who complained were correct. This batch IS slightly harsh, with a pH of about 11.

View attachment 315524

Onward!

The next batch, which I'll be making in a couple of days, will involve a couple of changes.

1. A longer cooking time, to ensure that all of the lye is properly saponified.

2. Additional superfatting (to about 5% instead of 3%), to make sure there's plenty of oil available.

3. Additional glycerin to improve the moisturizing qualities.

4. Last, and most importantly, proper pH testing instead of the "zap test."

Further bulletins as events warrant.

I'm glad to see so many people are enjoying this thread. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

[Sullybob]

Thanks for posting the latest update. I'm just following along so that when or if I try my hand at soap making I can use your instructions.

 

[Songwind]

Thanks for the updates. I'm enjoying following along. It's also making me impatient to buy a crock pot, etc. Must wait until next payday.

 

[mharris127]

The problem with using that much coconut oil is that saponification coconut oil is one of the most drying soap ingredients. To make a shave soap with that high a percentage of saponified coconut oil that doesn't seriously dry out the skin would require either significant superfatting or the addition of moisturizers such as Shea butter, etc.

That would make it an excellent soap for those with naturally oily skin on their face. I am about retirement age and still get whiteheads and pimples on my face if I don't wash it after every shave (which the leftover lather works great for).

I look forward to seeing your next batch posted here, JBLA. I would also be willing to test it for you if you need that service. The hobbyist forum would also be an excellent way to test the waters on your own soap making business if it gets that far, I think the fee is $100 a year but also comes with expanded PM capacity (so you can take orders using the PM syatem) as well as rights to advertise on B&B.

 

[mharris127]

By purchase a crockpot, do you mean "borrow" the misses and hope she doesn't miss it? Because that's what I'm planning on doing

I would only suggest this if you have a straitjacket to put on her when she finds out and starts steaming at the ears. It is always fun to see the wife wriggle around helplessly in one of those.

 

[JBLA]

@mharris - I'll let everyone know when samples are available. I think I'll probably sigh up as a hobbyist before too long. I want to make sure my group of guinea pig friends approve of the recipe before I start shipping it out to others, but once I get the recipe down, you all will be the first to know.

 

[Jack Beck]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php/63689-JBLAThis is so cool
Thanks for taking the time to post this.
I might have to give soap making a try.
Jack Beck