shower time question ?

[renovation]

what do you use as soap ?

[Napoleon54]

I make my own soap! I use the cold process method... mix oils with lye, put the batter in a mold overnight, cut into bars, let it cure a month before use. Like in Fight Club, but no liposuction clinic raids. My standard recipe is olive, almond, coconut oils and cocoa butter. I use mostly essential oils for scent. Some of my favorite scents are rosemary+peppermint, patchouli+peppermint, sandalwood+vanilla, lemongrass, lavender+balsam. It's a great hobby, especially for a chemist. I've been making for ~6yrs.

[kimchicowboy]

kiehl's has the man soap that has an oatmeal exfoliant. i like it a lot.

[Prngr44]

I make my own soap! I use the cold process method... mix oils with lye, put the batter in a mold overnight, cut into bars, let it cure a month before use. Like in Fight Club, but no liposuction clinic raids. My standard recipe is olive, almond, coconut oils and cocoa butter. I use mostly essential oils for scent. Some of my favorite scents are rosemary+peppermint, patchouli+peppermint, sandalwood+vanilla, lemongrass, lavender+balsam. It's a great hobby, especially for a chemist. I've been making for ~6yrs.

That's pretty cool! Do you make your own "recipes" or follow already published ones? (I assume there's recipes out there for that sort of thing?)

[attgig]

kiehl's has the man soap that has an oatmeal exfoliant. i like it a lot.

that stuff is expensive!

[guiseppewv]

I use Nivea men's face wash and Lever 2000.

[kimchicowboy]

that stuff is expensive!
it's pricey, but dude, last forever

[Napoleon54]

That's pretty cool! Do you make your own "recipes" or follow already published ones? (I assume there's recipes out there for that sort of thing?)

:) Mostly my own recipes. I experiment a lot with different oils in different proportions. Coconut oil is a good example. It is a good cleanser and gives bubbles, but too much of it makes the soap drying (less moisturizing). I've found that 10% is optimal in my standard recipe. The cocoa butter is very moisturizing and that helps to balance it out. So if I were to make soap without cocoa butter, I'd probably cut back on the coconut. It's all a balance. I've used a lot of different oils... shea butter, castor oil, palm oil, avocado oil, etc, and they all have their own unique properties. I've also rendered my own tallow from deer fat, which makes amazing soap, but some people are turned off by that (animal product) so I don't use it much. That's unfortunate, because regular old lard is inexpensive and makes fantastic soap.

I also do a lot with exfoliants... oatmeal, poppy seeds, pumice, tea leaves, raspberry leaves, rose petals, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, etc.

Then there are an infinite combination of scents. Most of the soap I make has some combination essential oils (natural, plant-derived scents). Then there's the entirely different category of fragrance oils, which are synthetics (mostly made in New Jersey). You can get practically any kind of fragrance you can think of, there are literally thousands of them on the market. Anything from fresh cut grass to a knock-off of your girl's favorite perfume. There are a few designer fragrance knock-offs that I use... stuff like Drakkar (from Guy Laroche), Green Irish Tweed (House of Creed), Love Spell (Victoria's Secret), Lempicka (Lolita), etc. But most of what I like best is some impromptu combo of essential oils.

[Maarchk]

Dude, that's really cool Napoleon!

I just use my bar of dove. And I am not that 'old fashioned'!

[chrissy]

:) Mostly my own recipes. I experiment a lot with different oils in different proportions. Coconut oil is a good example. It is a good cleanser and gives bubbles, but too much of it makes the soap drying (less moisturizing). I've found that 10% is optimal in my standard recipe. The cocoa butter is very moisturizing and that helps to balance it out. So if I were to make soap without cocoa butter, I'd probably cut back on the coconut. It's all a balance. I've used a lot of different oils... shea butter, castor oil, palm oil, avocado oil, etc, and they all have their own unique properties. I've also rendered my own tallow from deer fat, which makes amazing soap, but some people are turned off by that (animal product) so I don't use it much. That's unfortunate, because regular old lard is inexpensive and makes fantastic soap.

I also do a lot with exfoliants... oatmeal, poppy seeds, pumice, tea leaves, raspberry leaves, rose petals, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, etc.

Then there are an infinite combination of scents. Most of the soap I make has some combination essential oils (natural, plant-derived scents). Then there's the entirely different category of fragrance oils, which are synthetics (mostly made in New Jersey). You can get practically any kind of fragrance you can think of, there are literally thousands of them on the market. Anything from fresh cut grass to a knock-off of your girl's favorite perfume. There are a few designer fragrance knock-offs that I use... stuff like Drakkar (from Guy Laroche), Green Irish Tweed (House of Creed), Love Spell (Victoria's Secret), Lempicka (Lolita), etc. But most of what I like best is some impromptu combo of essential oils.


do you sell on etsy.com? :)

[Prngr44]

How hard is it to start doing it yourself?

[Napoleon54]

do you sell on etsy.com? :)Hmm, nope, don't do any selling, just keep myself and friends and family in good supply. It makes great gifts! :winkie:
How hard is it to start doing it yourself?Not too difficult, it can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. You should be able to find a book on soap making in the craft section of any medium sized book store. Finding a source of lye is the hardest part. It used to be carried in most grocery stores as a drain cleaner, but that's not too common any more. I get mine online. Lye is extremely caustic, so caution is needed in using it. It is best to use a digital scale for all measurements so that ingredients are in the right proportion. Use too much lye, the soap could give you a chemical burn. All soap recipes should have an excess of oil built in to ensure that no lye remains in the finished soap. :cool:

[Showtime]

I make my own soap! I use the cold process method... mix oils with lye, put the batter in a mold overnight, cut into bars, let it cure a month before use. Like in Fight Club, but no liposuction clinic raids. My standard recipe is olive, almond, coconut oils and cocoa butter. I use mostly essential oils for scent. Some of my favorite scents are rosemary+peppermint, patchouli+peppermint, sandalwood+vanilla, lemongrass, lavender+balsam. It's a great hobby, especially for a chemist. I've been making for ~6yrs.

nice. how hard is it to make? the ex and i used to buy that all natural without the lipo remains from soaptopia. we liked the peppermint too.

edit: saw you answered already. thx.

[Nija]

I use a traditional bar. I use a neutragena wash for my face & dial for my feet.
I think my wife buys dove.

She, in addition to the bar soap, also uses a liquid soap.