Thread: making soap

I just read the wiki on soap... Im a bit confused.

What are the simplest ingredients shaving soap can be made from.

I`m talking soap without a scent.. just raw soap.

What would have been used historically before anything exotic would have been imported.

Lye soap?
Oils, (historic would be tallow) lye and water.
Miller's Homemade Soap Page is great for beginners.

It is fun and if you calculate carefully you can even use your first bars.
It is a million times more difficult to develop a recipe that is supposed to DO something special though.
Like a shaving soap for example.

If you're out for shaving soaps, better look for a good natural melt
and pour base and do it like our member Jockeys.
Its also lots of fun.

Okay so I had a look at soap bases... there seems to be lots of goatsmilk soap around, shaving soap base was harder to find...

I dont like the idea of scents and chemicals.

So shaving soap base. doesnt need anything adding to it?
other than scent. which is optional.

Oh it does probably but I'm a lye soaper, so I'm at my wit's end here.

Hi, New on board here, I've been reading posts for a loooong looong time without posting myself....today is the day I start.I started straight rasor shaving about 20 years ago with my grandad old jaguar 6/8...stopped for a few years as I was not finding a way to have it honed.
I've been making my soap quite a few years now, based on the recipie of this site:
MMS - Lye Calculator
I basically use my old frying oil that I filter properly and acumulate...when I have a few liters I go for it...it is a day work, need good protection (using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is not without risks) but the result is a soap that doesnt smell the bad smell of oils and is extremely pleasant to use as full of glycerine (depending of the quantity of NaOH you put) I've been wondering for a while what it would be like to use it as shaving soap...I tried making lather with it and it requires a lot more work than the creams I use (palmolive & la toja) I never get to use it for shaving though ...actually as I always have a good reason not to (one is the need of beeing presentable after shaving & no to give a bad reputation to straight rasors having scars ) but I'm getting everyday closer of the test.

I read tonight, the first soap was made using lard, and the lye was extracted from burnt embers..ashes...

I wonder what the simplest thing you could add to that to make it into shaving soap would be.

Just late night thinking.

5:22am... I should go to bed...

i think some people use borax?

hashes in water is a possibility....but complicates the process a lot (control of concentration of prducts....) I think it is hard enough at lest at the beginning with proper NaOH....
I had a go this morning at shaving with my own soap for the first pass WTG and ...well...
I have before putting the lather on my face allways do a little massage with baby oil (very good value here about 2€ for 1/2 liter) so I can't really say the pure effect of the lather from my soap...
what I noticed is: really not a lot of lather stays it all disapears in one or 2 minutes forcing me to apply 3 times during the process (1 Pass takes about 3 minutes for me), and, it seems that my hair where not cut as near the skin as they used to be when shaving with cream...the contact of the blade to the skin was good but I think it is mainly due to the oil.
my tool: filarmonica 14 rescaled
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3156/cerisier1.jpg
I've done the ATG pass with lather based on cream to have the usual finish (no risk taken)

Well after some more reading... turns out the ingredients to turn normal soap into shaving soap are Caster oil and Bentonite Clay..

Link to instructions.
Shaving Soap Recipe - Cold Process Shaving Soap - Olive Oil Soap from Scratch

borax would from the offset seem a pretty harsh thing to put on your face..

@nounou- So is that virgin olive oil? cos thats what I use... Ive never saved the excess to see how it sets after being cooked... cos that would be great. I like the idea of recycling things.

That lye calculator will come in handy..


Whats the difference between..
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
Potassium Hydroxide (KOH)

Potassium Hydroxide is weaker and requires more water.
Its for cream soap.
You need Sodium Hydroxide.
Watch out for the difference when you calculate.