The aim is to get a very high cream with quite a high bubble level. This gives a lather like shaving foam in its smoothness, slip and robustness (it doesn't collapse) without the chemicals and irritants.
Many recipes on line that I have checked have low conditioning. The information I had read on using Castor oil caused me to use it at a far lower ratio until recently and I think this is one of the problems that people have trying to make a recipe that has high cream and bubble and keep the conditioning level in range.
By using either 1/2 or 1/3 Potassium Hydroxide in your lye mix (with the standard Caustic Soda) the soap can be softened off so that problem is solved if you want to use it in a pot with a shaving brush.
I have been able to get the conditioning level up by using Abyssinian Oil in #1 Recipe.
#2 Recipe without the Abyssinian Oil, is also very good and maybe the lather difference is undiscernible
I suggest you pay for a good brush, I got a cheaper hogs bristle brush and the bristles keep falling out (you can see the brush is a little empty in the middle).
This lather will hold its peak even as it dries out.
One caution I must give is that it will come to trace extremely quickly and it would be possible for the lye not to be mixed in properly. To try and avoid any heavy lye lumps I would increase the water content for a minute extra blending time and hot process it as it will loosen up so you can stir/blend it well. If you cant blend it, just cook it longer and stir, this will make sure the lye is saponified and you will see the batter take a sheen and begin to go a little translucent.
#1 Shaving Soap Recipe -The Best (for pot/container)
100gm Coconut Oil
180gm Beef Tallow
130gm Castor Oil
35gm Abyssinian Oil
55gm Stearic Acid
total 500gm
KOH 53gm (1/2)
NaOH 34gm (1/2)
Water 380gm (see recommendation)
25gm Oil for Super Fat. Add at trace.
(your choice, I use home made Calendula Oil made with Olive oil for its skin healing benefits - this is why I add it last)
30 gm Essential oil of your choice. Add after cooking soap not before. Note the recommendation
Measure out the lyes and mix together into the water.
To use Stearic Acid, melt in a pot before adding to your oils.
I hot processed this and ladled it into a log mould (I didn't have my pots ready). When it was cool I cut it and pressed it into the pot for use (it is soft enough to do this easily). Because of the speed of trace I would only hot process this soap.
For detailed instructions on soap making go to Natural Soap Making Instructions Tuesday 6 October 2015
Recommendation
*You may have to increase the essential oils and use one or part of a blend that has a strong fresh smell, as the stearic acid is quite hard to cover and a standard amount of EO will be lost in it. I ended up using Tea Tree Oil in with Cypress and Juniper as the Cedarwood disappeared into the background smell. You could also try Rosemary or Lemongrass/Lemon Myrtle etc to brighten up the scent.
*Use colloidal copper citrate for the water content. Especially because this soap is softer and wont dry, it could be more prone to mould. Copper is a strong anti fungal/viral/bacterial and used in conjunction with essential oils that also have anti fungal/bacterial qualities I am confident that a preservative would not be needed (Better to do smaller quantities than use dubious chemicals to give longer shelf life)
Added benefits of the copper is that wrinkles and general skin aging problems will improve along with melanin. I would be surprised if it didn't improve acne problems.
See my blog on Using Copper Citrate Thursday 13 July 2017.
Characteristics (Soapcalc.com)
Hardness 46 (not relevant using mixed lye)
Cleansing 16 (very good)
Conditioning 48 (good)
Bubbly 40 (excellent)
Creamy 60 (excellent)
Shaving Bar Soap
You can make this into a hard bar soap. It would still lather up (not like a brush) just wetting the bar and rubbing it on the face and using your hand and a little water.
Use the recipe above for oils water etc but change the lye to:
73gm NaOH (lye) and don't use any KOH
Don't forget the additional 25gm oil for Super Fat.
#2 Shaving Soap - 2nd Best (no Abyssinian Oil for cost and convenience)
25gm Stearic Acid
125gm Castor Oil
75gm Coconut Oil
275gm Beef Tallow
Total 500gm
37gm NaOH (1/2)
56gm KOH (1/2)
25gm Oil for SF to be added at trace.
Soap Bar Quality (Soapcalc.com)
Hardness 49
Cleansing 14
Conditioning 48
Bubbles 37
Cream 57
To make this a hard bar use
72gm NaOH for the lye content. Don't use any KOH.
To Lather
Using the brush and soap bowl/pot, put a little hot water into the pot so the soap will soften. Wet the brush with hot water and use the brush to pick up the soap. It should be thin like soapy water, not lumps of soap and it will need a little brushing to get this.
Wet your skin with hot water so the skin and bristles soften. Brush soap onto skin and work the lather up on the skin. If its not working so well repeat the first stage, wetting the soap and picking more up in your brush. Water is the key to a good lather.
With the bar soap. Wet the soap with hot water and then wet your skin with hot water. Rub soap directly onto the skin. You may need to wet the soap again. Use water on your hand to work up a lather. You will need to keep putting water on to work up a lather.
A lather will not form if you don't use enough water. These recipes lather very well but wont if you don't get the water into it.