# Twiking Recipes



## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

I'm a newbie soaper for less than a year. I am having the best fun making soap. I've been using the Walmart
Recipe and a simple veg. shortening, olive, coconut recipe. Now I want to step it up a notch and use some other oils to fashion a recipe of my own. What should I start with and how? I know I have to run everything through a soap calc etc. I guess my question is I want to start slow with minimal expense until I get a recipe that wows me and I can call my own. Can anyone give me suggestions where to start and what oils would be better to start experimenting with?
Thanks,
Vicki in NC


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

Have you played around with www.soapcalc.com ?

It is a wonderful place to start!

Sara


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Sara,
No I haven't. Do I just start plugging different types of oils? Or are there better oils than others. 

Vicki in NC


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

Of course there are opinions... everyone will tell you something different. 

Personally, I don't like lard and couldn't sell soap with lard in it while others love it and report excellent sales. Soybean oil is another that I won't soap.

What oils can you find locally? Are you opposed to ordering your soaping oils and butters?

Playing with a recipe is a personal thing. I love my recipe now but it took some tweaking to get exactly what I wanted. 

Sara


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Sara,

I live 20 miles from the nearest grocery store and/or Walmart. I can get soybean shortening, lard, olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, hazelnut oil all locally in the grocery stores here. 
I am not opposed to ordering my butters and oils from somewhere. 

Vicki in NC


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

Cool 

Although you can purchase many oils locally you may find it cheaper to order from www.soaperschoice.com

With all the local oils you mentioned you should be able to really play with your recipe.  My favorite in soap is unrefined shea butter. I also love Sunflower and Safflower. Coconut oil is a must.

What characteristics do you want to add to your recipe? Plug your current recipe into soapcalc and then add/sub out different oils to see what it does for your recipe.

Sara


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

I would like to have a hard bar with lots of lather and that makes your skin feel clean and moisturized and like silk with no dry or tight feeling without feeling greasy.

Vicki in NC


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

This is just plain simple I use lard and it sells fine for me tho I do make an all veggie too. I take the Walmart recipe then I think it is 50oz lard can't remember but I take out x amount and sub in that x amount with shea butter /coco butter
then I take the sunflower oil and take x amount out of it and sub in the x amount with olive /grapeseed /hemp /almond or what ever or some of ea. then run thru my lye calc. Just remember from my experience don't try using lots of EO with lots of oils. I do the same with my milk exchanging it with the water or part of, or using aloe vera juice in place of the water. always going back to the calc to ck on


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Thanks Sara and Sondra! 

Vicki in NC


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

also you can in turn sub out the lard for veggie shorten but still run thru calc


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

Sondra said:


> also you can in turn sub out the lard for veggie shorten but still run thru calc


Yes, but you will end up with a much softer bar.

Sara


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Well but Sara isn't an all veggie bar softer anyway? course I use coco butter in mine which helps in hardening I thing. at least somewhat. I am no expert on any of this so it is always a trial and error (lots of error on my part)


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

I was commenting on the subbing of vegetable shortening for lard. Vicki mentioned that she wants a hard bar of soap. Subbing the shortening for lard will create a much softer bar than what she is looking for.

While I LOVE cocoa butter in soap... I hate working with it! It makes a really hard and lovely bar though. 

Sara


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

OK just wondering thanks


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## BearKat0205 (Feb 16, 2011)

I the oil from soaperschioce good quality?


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## SimplyE (Jan 15, 2010)

BearKat0205 said:


> I the oil from soaperschioce good quality?


YES!!! They are the cheapest around too! Shipping is what sucks for me with them, but that is where I order almost all of my oils...except for some specialty that they don't have.


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