Creating my First Recipe

[JamesAmber]

Hello all,

New here and started using the calculator to build up a recipe base after spending the last few weeks reading and researching as much as possible.
Was looking to try and create a recipe for a soap that was kind to sensitive skin, but also wouldn't wear away too quickly; factoring in the cost of ingredients relatively local to me.

In the end I think I have ended up settling on this, so going to be ordering supplies to make a batch and test it.
If I've understood things correctly, then I believe that keeping the linoleic acid rate low is important to prevent soap scum, and that palmitic acid helps to create lather, while oleic acid helps with moisture.

I have also added sugar to the recipe (dissolved in water before lye solution added) at rate of 6g sugar for 1500g oils, as I read that this helps with creating lather and hoping that it will do a little bit of lifting for the bubbles.

Then I've also added in 22g of colloidal oats (for 750g oils) which I'm going to mix into 50% of the batter which is made more pale with 3g of Titanium Dioxide (as I think some of the oils will cause it to yellow otherwise).
For the other 50% batter, I've included 6g activated charcoal (for the other 750g oils), and was debating whether to add fine salt to this half but I'm not entirely sure if that would suit the overall purpose of trying to create a bar that's gentle on the skin - maybe I might look at trying to incorporate honey.

Does the properties % and the acid ratios look okay to any veteran soap maker? It's my first attempt at trying to create my own recipe so I'm expecting I may have made a couple of mistakes, but overall hoping that it is looking good!

 

[Yooper]

Can’t see the recipe so can’t really say much about it.
Those numbers are guidelines, but really not that crucial at all. What is important is the ingredients.
For instance, I make a 100% coconut oil salt bar superfatted to 25%. Those numbers are absolutely terrible for it!


Yet, it is a rich nourishing and conditioning bar that leaves my skin smooth and supple, not the least bit drying. The lather is rich and creamy, and the bars last forever.

The guidelines are a good way to get a bit of an idea what that ingredient may help bring to the soap, but definitely not the most important part of the story.

And keep in mind, those guidelines shown don’t include additives like oats, goat’s milk, etc.

Most beginners should start simpler and make a good solid proven recipe, as each thing you add as additives, colors, etc, and more oils means more things to complicate the process and more can go wrong. But if you want to make your own recipe, of course you should do that but even then think much simpler. Some of the best recipes may only have 3 different oils, for example.