# Tweaking my recipe



## oh2bejoy (May 20, 2010)

Hello all-- 

I'm not asking for any trade secrets or anything, but just some advice, please.....a couple of people have commented that my goat's milk and lard soap is drying (most people don't find it this way, though). I am afraid that a whole segment of friends who have not tried my soap may not buy it because a couple of people have said that it is drying. My formula is basically this: 

Goat's milk 
coconut oil 30% 
lard 30% 
Olive/canola blend 30% 
shea or cocoa butter 5% 
castor oil 5% 

and i also throw in some almond oil during the hot process cook.... 

How do I make my soap less drying and more conditioning while keeping a hard bar? 

Also, one of my closest friends told me she didn't want any bars made with lard. I LOVE my lard soap! And I LOVE goat's milk soap!!!! We live in California, so the whole crunchy granola movement is pretty strong...I do want to keep my trendy friends, so today I have started to make vegan-friendly soaps by excluding the lard and the goat's milk, but I find that all vegetable oil soap is drying for my skin.... 

Any suggestions for making a hard, conditioning bar without using lard or goat's milk? 

Thanks so much.....I appreciate any and all advice! 

Joy


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I would use less coconut, for one. You can use palm oil instead of lard (run through a calculator) though some will not like it because of the effect palm harvesting has on the habitat of orangutans, though you can get sustainably farmed palm from Columbus Foods. Why do you use an olive/canola blend? I would use olive and sunflower or safflower instead (it won't make it harder, I just don't care for canola). In other words, drop the coconut some and sub palm for lard, increasing that to make up for the drop in coconut. And of course, run it through a calculator. 

And your friend that does not like lard, how does she feel about tallow? That's awesome in soap (though still an animal fat, namely, from beef). Is the issue that your friends have with animal products having to do with how the animals are treated? If so, then if it is your goats and you treat them well, then maybe they won't have an issue with milk. And sometimes, people don't want lard because it just sounds yucky. It is certainly NOT the lard in your soap that is drying, if your soap is actually drying.


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I keep my coconut oil % low - never over 20%. Castor Oil is very high in conditioning so is the Olive Oil. I also like a combo of shea and cocoa. cocoa helps with hardening. Do keep in mind that I am VERY new at this. How much goat milk do you use? Any water? What is your super fat %?


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I have 30% coconut in my recipe and it's not drying in the least. I also make coconut/shea butter bars with 98% coconut. They are very moisturizing. So my big question is, what are you supefatting at? A recipe wouldn't mean diddily if your superfat was set at 0.


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

What do you superfat at?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's how you make a recipe. Start with the soap calculator and put in the walmart recipe. Now move your lard to oils, what is your numbers for conditioning and moisturising? Can you move your oils higher and your butters lower and keep those same good numbers? That is the trick in all of this. We also have the Characteristics of Butters and Oils on here, or google it, it shows you how there is no difference in olive oil or sunflower oil except label appeal and price 

You can make a few bars that are vegan, I do...you can make some 100% olive oil soap, I do. You can have your normal good recipe that most folks love, I do. And you can up your Shea to 30% for some luxury soaps and even charge more. (Here Betty I made you this special bar just for you and your creepy dry skin  Your line should include all of the above including unscented and uncolored. But don't go changing anything for 2 people. If I only made soap my sister liked it would all be fruity and white (she hates any soap that leaves color on her soap dish), my bars are to big, the edges are to sharp, if I had let her get to me I wouldn't be soaping, and I love her to death! You have to take criticism with a huge grain of salt. Vicki


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I found that I didn't like the looks of disgust some people made when reading "lard" on my ingredient list. I have to be honest, so I just took it out. No more problem. I also use a lot of coconut oil and the soap is not drying. Why are you doing hot process? Have you tried the cold process? I ONLY make goats milk soaps. The whole point of me making soap is to have a legal outlet to market the milk from our small herd. Sure, I've been going to do a vegan line, but so far have not, and do not worry about it. My "specialty" is goats milk soaps. That's what I make. I am to please the majority, and find that I can do that by not using animal fats but no way would I leave out the goats milk in more than a couple of bars. 

Vicki, I get the same critisims about my bars. "Too big", "too sharp"...and then I get compliments too, "SO BIG!" "A GREAT value!" "Not small like most of the goats milk soaps!" It just depends on the person. Some will like it, some will not.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I too make ONLY goat milk soaps now. I tried adding a vegan soap but it was a slow seller and I really am wanting to promote the goat and use up my milk so I discontinued that line. I also make lard soaps as well as soaps with palm (all veggie oils) and tallow. Something for everyone I guess. I even make my salt bars with milk adn I use 100% milk for the liquid in all of them.


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## Jenny M (Nov 21, 2009)

I love lard soap but couldn't give it away around here. And anyway, like Vicki told me years ago, it lasts too long. Your customers only buy a couple of bars a year instead of a dozen. I do a vegan soap using aloe juice instead of milk. I don't sell that much but keep it on hand. I'm like everyone else - my specialty is goat milk soap & that's what people want. Plus good veggie oils. Shea's my thing. My labels say " Goat Milk & Shea Soap".


Jenny


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Thankfully, I can sell soaps with animal fats (my favorite uses both tallow and lard and has been compared favorably to Zum!) around here, because they are wonderful soaps...but you are right about them lasting a long time! I had one friend that I gave a bar of soap to back in Feb or something who just used it up last month! She thought that was wonderful, but I said, "Hmmm...from a retail standpoint, I really ought to make them to be used up faster than that!" (She is now selling my bars in her store.) I also do a couple of different veggie soaps (one with palm and mango butter and one that is mostly olive oil)...oh, and my salt bar which is 100% coconut with a high superfat.


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