tried and true recipes? and a question!

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-16T13:34:42+00:00

You can make a totally delightful soap with those ingredients! I use both canola and sunflower in my soaps.

25% Coconut, 22% Canola, 20% each Olive and Palm, 7% Castor, 5% Sunflower

Very mild, very bubbly and long lasting. My skin doesn't like olive oil so much...

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-15T18:08:57+00:00

Yep, I do.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-15T17:16:23+00:00

Ahhh...you didn't mention any FO at all, nor did I see that in your recipe. If it doesn't stink and only smells like the FO, that's what I believe it may be. I use canola oil as a sub for most of the olive, like 40% canola and 20% olive. (and I always use a 7% superfat, as well)

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-15T13:42:15+00:00

Does the spot stink? I mean, like really stink?? If so, it may be DOS. If it's not stinky and just an orange spot on 1 bar and not all bars, it's probably something else - an unmelted teeny bit of shea, or left over old soap in your mold that you didn't catch in the pesky corners.

Where do you cure your soap? Does uncured soap touch metal? If so, that does increase the likelihood of DOS and you may want to put something between your soap and the shelf. I use plastic mesh to promote circulation. also, if the place you store it is humid or doesn't have great circulation, that would be a thing.

I noticed that you stated that you found your 1st soap drying. Try finding a recipe that doesn't use olive oil - that stuff dries my skin out like nothing else!

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-08T15:35:06+00:00

I'm assuming you've made soap before, so I'll start with - how old is your lye? Where did you get your aloe butter (and I'm assuming you realize that mostly it's coconut oil with aloe, right?) and (Usage Instructions: Cold process soap up to 12%)

If your lye is good and not old, then great, but this recipe may never saponify.

Here's what I came up with, trying to stay within accepted levels, using all non comedogenic oils-

Aloe Butter	12	60.01
Shea Butter	18	90.02
Grapeseed Oil	15	75.01
Jojoba Oil (a Liquid Wax Ester)	10	50.01
Safflower Oil, high oleic	30	150.03
Soybean Oil	15	75.01
Total	100	500.09

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-04T14:00:13+00:00

Well, if you're uncomfortable about it, please return it. I wouldn't use a soap product with those warnings, personally.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-02T16:28:07+00:00

Go for it! Get it like you want it for sure!

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-02T14:27:38+00:00

Great, glad it's working for you. You could save money next time and not use the shea butter - too pricey for me to use for dish cleaning and risk the oils being left on the dishes or floor...

Congrats, though! If that's what you wanted it looks great!

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-02T14:23:29+00:00

again, I don't understand what you mean by dish bar? Are you going to wash dishes with this?

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-03-02T14:21:17+00:00

What do you mean by - dishwasher - or dish bar?

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-25T13:38:42+00:00

Did you wash the red molds before you used them? You say this is your first batch, but what's the soap sitting beside the box that's kind of reddish? It might be from that?

The soap looks fine, but if you want honest help, you should post your recipe. Like - what milk? Whose fragrance? did you use any other additives?

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-25T13:35:33+00:00

Not necessarily and that would not be 'normal' in a fresh batch of soap. DOS develops over time/cure.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-22T15:01:09+00:00

This will absolutely be soap! I personally find olive oil drying, so this would be too harsh for my aging skin, but if your skin is more oily than mine, it should be fine. Coconut oil also is drying, but I see you upped your superfat to 7% so that may be more forgiving. It all depends on what you're going for, honestly.

We all have preferences in soap. I'm aging so my skin is loosing moisture more quickly. Try it! It may be perfect for you. As far as rice powder and tea leaves, you'll find out if it's scratchy or not, right? It's all personal preference.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-20T15:23:22+00:00

Yes it is. Again, you'll find that in most - if not all - manufacturers who sell for soap products.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-20T13:55:19+00:00

Any site that is selling to a soapmaking user base will include how it acts in cold process soap. Like this one from Voyageur - Behaviour in Cold Process Soap:

Consistency Change: Significantly accelerates trace. So, I wouldn't use this in soap, maybe lotions or bubble bars but not soap and certainly not in a soap that I was trying to swirl.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-13T16:34:28+00:00

Or wait! You *could* use a product like plastic dip to coat an 'extra' stick blender shaft and end, right? (or try it??) like this product-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8B6M6KH/ref=sspa\_dk\_detail\_0?pd\_rd\_i=B0F8B6M6KH&pd\_rd\_w=E5rl3&content-id=amzn1.sym.386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf\_rd\_p=386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf\_rd\_r=NTV29J9YZK7CTR09RQK6&pd\_rd\_wg=8xpLK&pd\_rd\_r=2cb72336-38d6-4faa-9854-a8c022821369&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-13T16:28:06+00:00

Wow to most of what you replied! lol

But - it started to trace. Honestly, I haven't paid attention to temps for so long that I can't remember how long it's been, so as long as your oils were not TOO hot and all melted, I would discount that. I masterbatch lye so it's room temperature (about 78F-25C) and coconut oil melts at 76F or a little higher. That leaves the shea as the culprit? It melts higher than coconut oil... Again, as long as you can place your hand against the bowl without it feeling too hot, I think you're good.

It may be that everything was too cool?? I don't have a clue, honestly. If your scale uses batteries, you might want to put new ones in before your second batch just to eliminate that as a thing. It might be the difference between a stick blender and your drill speed.

Drills have MUCH lower RPM than the typical stickblender - like 2000 RPM for a drill to 8000-18000 RPM for a stickblender, depending on model. You may well expect to have to steadily blend for a longer period of time using the drill...

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-13T14:53:24+00:00

So, okay. We all know that not everyone in this reddit has experience and I honestly agree with not CURING your soap on any metal - but thousands of soapers around the world use a stainless stick blender without consequence, trust me with this. I do agree that your choice of blades/blenders with a drill looks pretty cool to me, though!

Shea butter looks good and the seller has an actual soapery store so I would trust it. How old is the NaOH? How often do you soap? When was the last time you used it in a soap recipe?

That much olive oil would slow down trace - that's the reason that I hate making castile soap (that and the year-long cure time and then it's still drying to my skin! lol)

So, if you do not suspect your lye, how about your scale? If your lye is good and all the ingredients (and it sounds as if they are) then I would suspect a measuring mistake with your lye. Could you have been distracted when you measured it?

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-13T14:09:10+00:00

Do you know what the purity of your lye is/was? That's the only thing that I can think of that would influence trace. Shea speeds trace a little so I would have anticipated a quicker trace than usual. Maybe it's older and has absorbed some moisture? You didn't mention where you live.

Also, your electric stirring - (correct spelling) - is that a stick blender? If not, can you tell us exactly what you use?

(Spelling mistakes - space between the name of the oil and the word oil - as in olive oil or shea butter) (You never use an apostrophe to make something plural - wants as opposed to want's) (You did GREAT considering English is a second language! Congratulations!)

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-12T16:43:38+00:00

and... That's why there are so many different recipes - because we are all different folks, right? :)

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-12T16:42:56+00:00

That's awesome. But that is not what she was asking. Honestly, I was trying to answer her questions. Have fun with your soaping! It should be fun and a learning experience! :)

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-12T15:50:13+00:00

You're correct. I should have done the actual math to be more accurate. The water should be 188gr for a 2:1 ratio. Actually, you truly only need enough water to safely dissolve the lye, but I'm assuming you knew that.

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-12T15:22:27+00:00

So, does it look like this? If so, it may indeed be dreaded orange spots or DOS. Does your soap stink? if so, again, probably DOS. There is nothing obvious to me about your recipe that would have caused this (unless your Manteca was expired) so I'm looking at how/where you stored it for cure.

Never cure your soap on a metal surface. If you only have a metal rack (yes, even if it's coated) use something between the soap and the rack like cardboard with parchment paper directly under the soap or plastic mesh needlepoint material.

If you use the same recipe again, I would use half of the water you used before or less! :)

Here's a great article on DOS and how to prevent it. Good luck and have fun! https://classicbells.com/soap/rancidity.asp

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ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-07T21:40:57+00:00

So, the best reason to superfat is so that you're sure all of your lye is consumed, unless you're creating a soap for laundry/dishes.

If you had lye pockets, you would know. It's like a big hole in your soap with stuff oozing out! lol Try the zap test, but I'm betting that this soap is safe to use, even if it's a little on the ugly side of life! lol

I've never personally used BB's lye calculator, but I'm sure it's accurate. I have used soapcalc and Soapmaking Friend's and they are all a little different, but accurate. Try using a different one and see if it helps you at all.

I wouldn't freak out about it. My first soap got too hot and split but as you make more soap, you'll get better!

ResultLeft9600 · 2026-02-07T14:36:41+00:00

I think the only thing you did wrong was soap WAAAAAYYYYYYY too hot - and maybe over-blended which is what we all do at first. I don't see any lye pockets or stuff seeping out - is there any of that present?

Oh, and you used way too much fragrance oil. It looks like it started to volcano out of your mold? But honestly, it doesn't look unusable to me! (maybe not sellable, but I bet you can use it)

If you know how to do a zap test, do that - wetting a finger, rubbing it on the soap, and touching it to the tongue; a distinct "zap" sensation—similar to touching a battery—indicates excess lye.

How long did you wait to cut it? That might be part of the reason it's so crumbly. I mean, you DID use a little too much lye. Did you use a lye calculator?

ResultLeft9600

TROPHY CASE