Shaving Soap Recipe - Best lather

I have made a number of shaving soap recipes with mixed results.  I have tried the high oil content, the clay etc but nothing came close to the high Castor Oil and Stearic Acid recipes.

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.

Paralytic Tick Remedy

Cheap and effective..Iodine.
See Remedies and Alternative Therapies for full details and other options.

Making Natural Soap To Reduce Wrinkles, Grey Hair and More.

All it takes is a special ingredient in your natural soap recipe and it is possible to get an ant- ageing effect in your soap.  I am getting positive results from this.
What is it?  Colloidal Copper Citrate.  Use this for your lye water or add it to your natural liquid soap.
See my blog on "Using Colloidal Copper in Natural Soap" July 13 2017.
Because pollutants, illnesses, excess stress and or poor diet you may not get the results desired but it will work for some.

Using Colloidal Copper in Natural Soap - Amazing

I have been using a scalp formula shampoo recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAEXU5V1z3w by herbalist Tony Pantelleresco.  Because of the ingredient, colloidal copper citrate, I thought this may be good for dandruff but didn't consider the other purported benefits.
The other benefits have surprised me and I am now planning further soap ideas.

Ingredients are:
Natural liquid soap 500ml
Coffee (strong) - for increased hair roots for strength. 50ml
Colloidal copper citrate for restoring original hair colour for those who are greying ++. 50ml
Rosemary oil 10-20 drops

Because I knew copper to be antifungal and used in gardening the possibility of being an antidandruf caught my attention.

Copper, Coffee and Rosemary are nootropic (improves communication between neurons) and Tony said it may make you feel better.  This was the first thing I noticed.  After 6 weeks I realised that I was very clear in my mind and felt very positive even though at the time I was invalided with a back injury.

Then I noticed that the new hair growth in my grey areas was coming through dark....like it used to be in distant history.  Teasing my daughter I asked if she noticed anything different and she positively stated that I didn't have so many wrinkles on my face and that my spotty old ladies skin was clearing up (I am on the wrong side of 50).  This was a shock especially when my husband agreed and said I did look younger. My surprise is due to my natural scepticism to beauty, and miracle products.

Researching more on copper I found that it has all of these properties.
Restores natural hair colour by reversing the peroxides naturally produced by the body in the oxidation process.  This will not work for everyone as there are other factors involved.
Reduces wrinkles by strengthening collagen - and other connective tissue. Used in beauty and anti-aging creams.
Restores melanin improving natural sun resistance.
Improves mental function by improving neuron communication.
Reduces inflammation (good for arthritis), as well as being antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral.
Experimentation on tumours and skin cancers were positive.

Toxicity:  There is a lot written about toxicity and also fear mongering. I am satisfied that used properly there is no problem as it seems the poisoning cases were in industrial settings. Also problems have occurred in the presence of low Zinc levels.  Currently it is thought that up to 25% of the population actually lack copper which causes many health problems - some very serious.
Copper is an essential element = we need copper.
 I am always interested in historical use of products and found copper has a long positive history and many aspects of these are supported by modern medicine.
In no way is it the Roman lead cup issue (or US water supply). Used in soap my recommendation would be not to eat a bar of soap a day or drink your shampoo and you should be fine.
Should you be concerned here is a link that is interesting.
http://copperalliance.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Copper-and-Human-Health-Safety.pdf

To make your own colloidal copper citrate, its simple but takes time. Watch the video on the link given.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojyqdZUQcws&t=517s

I can only see positives for its use in all my soaps and will be using it in my bar soap as well.  This would strengthen the antibacterial / viral/ fungal properties in conjunction with essential oils used, in a natural way.  I am not driven to look 20 again but consider the beauty aspects of it, positive side effects.

Because of my preference for goat milk soap as a shampoo bar, I will probably reduce the goat milk to 50% and increase the overall "water" content and just allow it to dry longer.  If I can get a stronger colloidal copper I can reduce this amount and increase the goat milk.

Black African Soap Recipe

 I was interested to know the comparison of a standard potash salt bar and the African black soap as the reported benefits sounded like that of any well made potash soap.

After testing it, I am confident that my original suspicions were correct and that a standard potash soap is more convenient for the same results.  Except for supporting cottage industry in Africa, the mess in the soap holder due to the dark colour and the lack of extra benefit makes it undesirable.

Full Story
Original Black African Soap is made from palm oil, coconut oil and salt.  The major difference from other soaps is the lye used.  Plantain skins and/or Cocoa pods are burnt and the ash is used to make the lye.  It is favoured for its gentle cleansing and healing properties.

Many natural soap makers shortcut the process by buying a bag of "Black African" soap ash and add it into their standard natural soap batter except it is often Caustic Soda lye not Potash lye.

I have made a variation of African Black soap.  I made a potash (Potassium Hydroxide)salt bar in contrast to soda ash (Sodium Hydroxide) as this is the lye you get when using ash.  I took a shortcut here and using potash flakes but added roasted banana ash.  Plantain is a starchy banana used for cooking which I don't have.  I roasted a stem of small banana's and some leaf to charcoal and powdered it in my kitchen blender to add into the soap batter.  I am not concerned about the difference as banana has a lot of nutrient.

To preserve the vitamins I deviated from tradition and blended banana leaf to a fibrous paste and percolated water through it and also drained and saved banana sap from an entire stem to use.

Banana leaves are not eaten because of the fibre but food is often cooked in it and the goodness from the leaf does enter the food.  It is used for skin conditions with success. Ayurvedic medicine has a long list of uses for the entire banana plant and fruit.

Traditionally no scent's would be added but I did add a little Neem essential oil.  Neem is excellent for skin and may other uses but I find its odour unattractive.

I added a little clay, as I have heard an African soap maker say the colour comes from dirt.  I can understand that there would be dirt in the ash when it is gathered up. This has desirable properties for skin also.

I used a ratio of 15% Himalayan fine ground salt dissolved it in my water (leaf percolate).  Not all of it dissolved which I was fine with.

I used some of the leaf percolated water into the charcoal so I could add into the batter more easily. I used the rest of the leaf water and sap as my lye water but once the lye dissolved it began to thicken like soap batter come to trace. I quickly added it to the oils and blended adding the charcoal and Neem Oil.  It was thickening quicker than I was comfortable with and mixed in another good splash of water before pouring it into the moulds.

The soap heated up more than a standard potash salt bar which I think may be from the natural sugars in the sap and leaf juice.

The pH dropped under 8 on the second day.

It is very dark and I may have used too much charcoal. It's bubble and creamy but does have a very little bit of gritty feeling and some tiny bits of charcoal can be seen on your skin before rinsing off.  Charcoal has has health benefits and we will see how this works.

I used my Palm Oil, Potassium Hydroxide hard bar soap recipe.
About 1/2 cup of dry banana charcoal.
1 teaspoon Red Aussie Clay

I will update as the soap matures and my friends use and review it.
Six Months later... After using this soap myself and getting reviews from friends who used it I am confident to conclude that my original suspicion is correct and that Black African soap is no more beneficial than a natural potash bar of soap.  The negative aspects of BA soap make it undesirable to use.  Being black it is prone to leaving a mess in the soap holder and using plantain ash no better than using skin friendly essential oils.

I did enjoy sitting by my fire poking at it to get the banana ash but that as for soap its inconvenient.
Except for supporting cottage industries from Africa I see no particular benefit to using a more convenient firmer lighter coloured potash soap.

Understanding SAP Values and Superfatting

Saponification value is the required amount of lye needed to saponify 1000gm of oil.  This is to change fatty acids it to a glycerol and salt of the acid that is in that particular oil = Soap.

Recently I was trying to find the saponification value for Carauba Wax.  I found that it was between 81-95.  I was looking for a number that was more like 0.1 -0.09 so it confused me and took a lot of searching for the answer, till I found one web site that explained it was per 1000gm of oil and is for Potassium Hydroxide (potash).

www.fromnaturewithlove.com/resources/sapon.asp
(They also have a comprehensive chart with SAP values for oils.)

To get it for Sodium Hydroxide (hard bar) you have to divide this number by 1.4025.    This will now be the NaOH needed for 1000gm,  To get it to your lye/gram oil ratio just divide it by 1402.5 . Now you can then multiply for each gram of oil.

Remember that there are seasonal and geographical differences in Oil saponification values and also the strength of the lye whether NaOH or KOH may vary slightly according to manufacturer.  This is one of the reasons soap makers recommend having a super fat (excess oil) of approximately 5%.

There is also a reasonable possibility that the Olive oil you use is not pure regardless of the label.  Even experts can't tell the difference by taste or appearance.  If Canola oil was used to dilute the Olive Oil this would result in a 2 gram difference in lye needed for 1000gm of Oil.  While this isn't much, combined with the other possible variations it could tip the lye balance over if you don't have a moderate super fat.

Yes the superfat is probably the main culprit for the build up in your sink.  It's the price to pay for moisturised skin.

Happy soaping

Honey Natural Handmade Soap - Tips and Recipe.

Honey is a wonderful ingredient in natural soap and with a few precautions you can get a lovely bar soap with all of honey's benefits.

My first attempts were not so successful as the honey separated and settled to the bottom of the mould.  Finally I found a comment that advised reducing the water content in the batter.

Instead of using the default water content Soapcalc lye calculator uses (38%) I use 33% and separate a small portion of that to add to the honey to thin it out before I add that to the soap batter at trace.

Be aware that honey or any type of sugar ingredient (including milks) will increase the temperature of the soap batter.  If you insulate your mould the temperature could get too high and cause the soap to erupt.  Normally I stop the gel phase by refrigerating or freezing the soap for about 12 hours though this is not necessary if you wish it to gel depending on your room temperature.

I have recently been successful in making a honey soap that has twice the recommended level of honey to use as a shampoo bar soap for dandruff problems.  I am hoping this eliminates the need to massage honey into the scalp (a very effective anti-dandruff) an hour prior to washing as it is a little inconvenient.

I made this soap harder than normal.  This caused it to have a lower conditioning level which I compensated with a higher superfat (free oils).  I also added  salt at 5% oil weight in a brine solution.  This adds to hardness and also I like using salt for its natural preservative characteristics as well as its benefits to the skin. ( Be aware that table salt has some nasty additives as free flow agents etc.  I like to use pink Himalayan fine ground rock salt but unrefined Sea Salt is good as well with all the other minerals salt was meant to have, still in it.)

I also used individual moulds (a silicon muffin tray) and put it in the freezer over night.  I could feel the increased temperature very soon after putting the batter in the mould, so I didn't waste any time getting it into the freezer.

A log mould will allow the batter to hold the heat and though I am sure it will be fine in the freezer.  If it was a standard honey content (1/2 the amount) I would use a fridge.  This may be fine but I would be a bit nervous about it.

I have read comments by cosmetic producers that salt should never be used on the head.  They obviously didn't live near the ocean and never sweat.  Salt is excellent for many skin problems.

A high honey content soap.

Beef Tallow      225gm
Castor Oil          60gm
Coconut Oil      215gm

Lye (NaOH)    78 gm(1% Superfat)
Water             150gm
Honey             30 - 40gm (2 Tablespoons)
Essential Oil   20gm    (Because I am hoping this will be good for dandruff I used Tea Tree Oil)
Coconut Oil    50gm    (To bring the superfat up to 11%.  I prefer to use Coconut oil for a larger superfat as it has a better shelf life than Beef Tallow,- your choice)

Use enough salt to dissolve in the water for the lye.  4% or less of the oil weight might be fine.
This is not a salt bar as there are no crystals in the soap but would be called a brine bar.  Increasing the salt content will decrease the bubbles and cream.

The reason I make this hard is because of the high honey content; I don't want the soap to go "soggy".

 Smells great.

The second time I made this, I spontaneously thought to add some milk powder into the honey mix adding it at trace.  Don't try this.  The heat got away on me very quickly going very orange then dark brown and the mix separated in the moulds - like curds and whey.  The next day I cooked and and remoulded it.  I'm expecting that the milk burnt and will be able to tell soon by the smell.  It gets a vomit type odour.  If it is I'll just store it away somewhere till that passes.  The milk may have no benefit after that but the soap does work fine and the EO smell comes back OK after a few months.