Andy's Shaving Soap
Notes:
Please follow the video for all the detail, but here are the basic steps:
- Melt oils/fats/wax together in a soap making jug (polypropylene plastic) or gently on the stovetop. Just heat them until melted, about 60°C/140°F will be enough.
- Prepare the lye solution. Gently pour the sodium hydroxide into the water and dissolve. Make sure you are wearing your PPE! (goggles and gloves minimum). Set aside somewhere safe.
- Weigh bentonite clay and essential oils (if using, both are optional) into separate containers ready to use.
- Prepare moulds. If using silicone moulds, make sure you have something rigid (cutting board etc.) underneath to make them easy to move once the soap is poured.
- When ready, make the soap!
- Add the clay to the melted fats/oils and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Add essential oils and mix through.
- Gently pour the lye solution into the oil mixture and whisk until you reach a light to medium trace.
- Pour the soap into the mould, cover and move somewhere safe where it can rest for 18-24 hours. I place mine in my insulated cooler but on a table with cardboard and a blanket over the top would also be fine.
- Unmould the soap when it has set and is nice and hard.
- Cure the soap somewhere cool and dry for 4 weeks.
- Make sure you pH test your soap before you test it out or give it to others!
- Created:10/03/2025
- Last Updated:10/03/2025
- Views:118
Recipe Totals
| Liquid Required | 237.21 g |
| NaOH Weight at 99 % Purity | 94.88 g |
| Oil Weight | 680 g |
| Fragrance Weight | 20.4 g |
| Super Fat | 7 % |
| Total Batch Weight | 1052.49 g |
| Lye Concentration | 28.57 % |
| Liquid : Lye Ratio | 2.5:1 |
| Saturated : Unsaturated | 79:21 |
Recipe Properties
| Property | % | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Bubbly Lather | 29 | 14 - 46 |
| Cleansing | 20 | 12 - 22 |
| Condition | 17 | 44 - 69 |
| Hardness | 79 | 29 - 54 |
| Longevity | 59 | 25 - 50 |
| Creamy Lather | 68 | 16 - 48 |
| Iodine | 17 | 41 - 70 |
| Ins | 199 | 136 - 165 |
Fatty Acids %
| Lauric | 14 |
| Myristic | 6 |
| Palmitic | 12 |
| Stearic | 48 |
| Ricinoleic | 9 |
| Oleic | 6 |
| Linoleic | 1 |
| Linolenic | 0 |
Liquid and NaOH
| Liquid Required | 237.21 g |
| NaOH Weight at 99 % Purity | 94.88 g |
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
| Oil | % | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| Soybean, fully hydrogenated (soy wax) | 50 | 340 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 30 | 204 |
| Cocoa Butter | 10 | 68 |
| Castor Oil | 10 | 68 |
| Total | 100 | 680 |
Custom Additives
| Add at trace | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kaolin Clay | 20 g | 20 g |
Liquids
Fragrances(3% of oil weight)
| Eucalyptus | 0 | 10 g | |
| Cedarwood EO | 0 | 10 g | |
| Total | 0 null | 20 g |
Additional Ingredients
Graph: Recipe Properties %
Graph: Fatty Acids %
Ingredients
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