Dry skin after Castile type liquid soap

[Mike365]

Hello, I´m brand new to soap making and this forum. I have made a few batches of LS from a recipe I found on the net. It's very cleaning and lathers great, but leaves the hands a bit dry afterward. It's based on coconut oil (74 %), olive oil (22 %), hemp oil (2,7%), and jojoba oil (1,3%). Plus I add a bit of glycerine to the water. Any suggestion on how that can be fixed without it going opaque?

 

[Abdullah]

Hello, I´m brand new to soap making and this forum. I have made a few batches of LS from a recipe I found on the net. It's very cleaning and lathers great, but leaves the hands a bit dry afterward. It's based on coconut oil (74 %), olive oil (22 %), hemp oil (2,7%), and jojoba oil (1,3%). Plus I add a bit of glycerine to the water. Any suggestion on how that can be fixed without it going opaque?

You may need to increase the superfat up to 15% (at least) , since coconut oil 74%.

 

[Mike365]

Thanks, good tip, didn't think of that! Do you think that can affect the transparency of the finished product? I have read that increasing the superfat can do that. I guess I just have to try.

What is your input about adding other oils, like shea butter?

 

[ChemicalPyros]

Hello @Mike365,

I would suggest that you modify your recipe as following:
- Olive oil - 74%
- Coconut Oil - 22%
- Hemp Oil - 2.7%
- Jojoba Oil - 1.3%

I usually do not recommend superfatting, but if you wish just leave the Jojoba oil out of the lye calculation and use it as an external superfatting agent since it is not really an oil but a wax, it will improve the sensorials and actually moisturize the skin.

As for the transparency, usually polyols (glycerin, propylene glycol, glucose, fructose, table sugar, ...) improve it independently from the oil composition. So you want to experiment with those additives.

 

[Mike365]

Thanks for the advice @ChemicalPyros! I will leave the jojoba oil out of the lye calculation to start with and take it from there. If the formula goes opaque I will go on to your next advice. Thanks again for sharing, I will keep you guys posted.

 

[Davali]

Late to the party, but I agree with @ChemicalPyros that you don't want a high SF for your LS. It will simply separate out of the solution, unless you use an emulsifier such as PS80 to prevent that.

 

[Mike365]

Thanks for confirming @Davali. Emulsifiers are new to me, better do some read up on the topic.

 

[smcarroll2020]

Hi. when you type ingredients into the calculator, what properties does it say? when i put your formula into the recipe calculator, you can see cleansing is high, with very high lauric acid - very cleansing, but also very drying. I'd decrease the amount of coconut and increase your soft oils. the soft oils like olive or hemp will increase the conditioning aspect of it.

If you want to increase creamy foam, I'd consider adding castor oil, which the skin also loves.
your formula:


revised formula. decrease coconut oil, increase soft oils (olive, hemp) and add a little castor oil

 

[smcarroll2020]

you can see in the revised formula it's bubbly, its creamy and it's conditioning. don't let the cleansing in the red fool you. this puppy will still clean. you could always eliminate 5% castor oil and up the coconut oil if you're worried about cleansing. Personally, i think castor oil is skin magic, so i always put some in my formulations lol

 

[Mike365]

Thanks for your reply. You are right I also get the same properties. I have tried to decrease the amount of coconut oil and increased olive oil, but the solution went cloudy. Maybe it was too much, I will give your tip about castor oil a try.

 

[smcarroll2020]

ah. if clarity is your focus, then stearic and palmitic acids might be the cause. higher amount can cause cloudiness. Aslo, are you adding any essential oils after the ls has finished? without a solubilizer, e.o. can cause cloudiness. One other thought, you might want to explore adding sugar or sorbitol to increase clarity

 

[Mike365]

Thanks again. Yes, clarity is important, but so is a softness to the skin. I am adding essential oils, but that's done when diluting the paste. The LS paste goes opaque in the heating process. I got some castor oil now and will give that a try.

 

[JadeEiden]

The same experience here with that soap