Thread: Who Sells Lye?

Sue,

Those are great resources. Keep in mind though, he's making soaps for shaving. I've found that very few soap recipes I've tried are good for shaving.

Where do you get your superfatted coconut oil?

Most good shaving soap recipes I've tried usually have castor oil in it for that creamy texture in the lather.

Ouch. You are So Right! I am talking bath soaps.......

Superfatting simply means that you take a lye discount which will add an extra percentage of oil vs the lye/water combination. I have soft sensitive skin and using superfatted soaps allows me to skip using lotions, but keeps me squeeky clean. I find most soap recipes dry me out. Superfatting just means there is more oil in the soap, any oil....

Castor oil is definately the oil to add for a shaving soap. It offers immense lubricating and lathering to a soap and changes a soap from a bath soap to a shaving soap.

www.the-sage.com also has an awesome soap forum and is wonderful to learn from. I think it is one of the better soaping forums out there. Maybe this is a better question for the forum. I am more of a glycerin soap addict I have to admit,12 step program and all!! The Sage offers a wonderful shaving soap recipe... http://www.the-sage.com/recipes/reci...Display&id=115
Bentonite clay is what gives the slip to shaving soap. Most of these products are available from the sage also.... except the lye and the olive oil. I like using aloe butter also.....

Happy Soaping!!!

Sue

OOh I never knew that. I'm going to have to read up on superfatting then. Thanks

I feel I need to warn you guys to be very, very careful if you are going to embark on soaping expeditions.. I would not shave with a straight razor without advise and cautionary procedures, my legs would be in ribbons. Same with Lye Soap.... it can be very dangerous. Use rubber gloves and a full face plastic shield, both can be bought at a hardware store. Do NOT work with children around... OK, off my soapbox....

But, DO... Weigh, weigh, weigh... Everything. You will need a scale that weighs down to grams and has a tare measurement on it. Put your pot on the scale and hit your tare to zero out. Zero out every time after adding an ingredient. This is the best and easiest way of doing things. Soap ingredients go by weight no volumn. Quality ingredients are key!


Your first batch might not work out... you can rebatch or use it for laundry soap. Don't worry about it. How was your first shave with a straight razor after all?

Use the online calculator at www.the-sage.com to get your perfect oil mix and oil/lye mix.... It is like having grandma looking over your shoulder and lending a helping hand.

Did I mention using rubber gloves and a plastic face shield at all times when working with lye. Lye will burn holes in your skin and blind you if you are not careful. Soap making is a science. Make sure you know what you are doing before you start to have fun....

Sorry if I sound like an old lady.....

Bear Hugs,

Sue
www.bear-haven.com

Thanks for the info and advice, mamabear No worries, I homebrew competitively so I have very accurate scales and I'm used to weighing things out very precisely. I was also a secondary water chemist while I was in the navy and I'm well aware of the hazards of random chemicals and I *promise* I will be careful but it never hurts to hear cautionary advice and words again heh.

I'm also extremely anal about *research research research* before I embark on anything. I read absolutely everything I can find and spend a lot of time researching before I go off and jump in the deep end. I ask tons of questions and pick anyone's brains that I can until I'm comfortable with at least a basic understanding and then I start experimenting. I've got friends who just jump in there and try new complicated stuff without even reading up on it and I've seen some of their "experiments" go horribly awry, lol. I don't fool myself into thinking that research is as good as actual experience, but it does sure help flatten the learning curve a little bit.

You mentioned that any grocery store should have coconut oil but I haven't found it whenever I've looked. Is it someplace other than with the cooking oils? Maybe I'm just not looking in the right area!

-- Gary F.

Yes, for some reason they keep the coconut oil in a different place.. I can't remember where that place is tho..... old age is setting in, but ask and you shall recieve! Well, at the grocery store anyway.....lol

I am a home brewer too!!!! OMG, I have a bottle of imperial stout going right now!

Bear Hugs!

Sue

Originally Posted by Mama Bear

I am a home brewer too!!!! OMG, I have a bottle of imperial stout going right now!

Oooh, RIS! I just finished up a rye IPA that's got quite the kick to it and I put down a batch of cream ale yesterday for hot weather drinking We'll have to arrange a beer swap!

-- Gary F.

I have only been doing this 6 months. and you are competitive.. uh, uh no way... The cream sounds to DIE for tho and I have never tasted a rye IPA... What I have now is blueberry and honey, apple nut and honey and lime pale ales... imperial stout and a jack daniels whiskey stout that kicks yer butt! My beer guru even raises his own honey and the honey is to die for... the blueberry honey almost tastes like a mead.... mmm mmm mmmmmmmm

Sue

What is RIS????

Bear Hugs.

RIS is "Russian Imperial Stout" (the full name of that imperial stout). That's a big big big tasty beer, tough to brew well too. If you're brewing those you've got NOTHING to be ashamed of I've seen those kick old codger experienced brewers firmly in the butt.

Edit: Bit of brewing history, RIS's were originally brewed as super high strength stouts for export to the baltic regions (russian imperial courts). Same deal with Baltic porters. The brewed them super high strength so they'd survive the shipping. IPA's were a similar development, heavily hopped and brewed higher strength to survive the sea voyage to India.

-- Gary F.