Home Made Soap - cast your vote!

Hi guys. Seeing as vetiver and bay rum were tied, I decided to go with vetiver, simply because it requires less expensive essential oils. Anyway, keep tuned. If i think it lathers well i may even post a youtube link etc.
 
Ok guys, chemicals arrived and the first batch got made today. The colour is a bit grey and boring, but I guess nobody cares about that (at least for now). it made lather just fine, but it didn't explode with lather like i want. Giving it a day or two to firm up (even though its already a really hard soap) and then ill give it a try. scent is vetiver with a bit of wood and pepper - very earthy and woody, watch a tiny bit of peppery spice. Will sort you out some pics tomorrow, as well as make another batch with some changes to try and sort the lather issue. Ill keep you posted!

Ta

The trench
 
Good going, by the sound of it!

I know from when I used to make car wax, a light tweak here and there can do a lot more than expected for the overall outcome. If you can scale down and make a number of variations on a theme with slight adjustments here and there, you'll fast get the hang of exactly what properties you want to keep, want more of and want less of.
 
wazza said:
Bay rum or almond is my vote
Click to expand...

Wazza, unfortunately the decision has already been made! Thanks for getting involved all the same though!

Hopefully Ill get pics tomorrow!

Pjgh, I know what you mean. I was going to make a few more changes all at once in my excitement, but i soon came back to reality and realised that small changes are the way forward.

Ta guys.

Trench
 
Ok gents, here's an update.

Went back to the soap I made yesterday. It lathered superbly this time! Not sure wether it was because I used the main block compared to some small off its or if it was the fact I used my omega 49 instead of my badger brushes or that it was better after it sat for a while, but I had mountains of lather and while it wasn't the best shave ever, it was a lot better than some soaps from named brands I've had! Just made a second batch as described above and I'll wait probably till the weekend and see if I can do some form of video for you all (comment if you're interested in that)

Enjoy the pics.

The trench.

One more pic.
 

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I'm not too keen on vetiver etc myself. I prefer fresher scents, so im not really the best person to judge. I think I put a bit too much wood scent in, I need to let the vetiver come through a little more. I made a boohoo with my second batch. Used bergamot eo but put it in too early and now most of the scent has been boiled out I think. Doh! Mind you, lessons learned and all that!
 
Well I couldn't resist but pull the second batch out. Only been in the mold an hour but is already (almost) rock solid. Lots of lovely lather. Enough to shave my whole head, my cheeks (on my face of course) and neck, fill my beard with lather, and then build an amazing lather in my hand. If you start dry you can keep adding water but by bit and it just eats it and grows! Post shave feels pretty good too. Will leave it a few days to really firm up and get some pics back.
 
Hi again gents!
So i've hit a bit of a wall...
Ive just tested batch number 4, and every single one gives what i would call a great lather. With number 4, I am happy. However, the one thing i can't get my head around is getting the lather to stop breaking down after approximately 5 minutes. it doesn't bother me personally, but I would imagine it might bother you guys. So, my question is - how long do you think is acceptable before your lather starts to break down?
 
Ok guys - another update

Batch 5 just got made and had its first use. I think i've cracked it.

This batch is much much better. Absolutely instant exploding lather that doesn't break down after a few minutes. It is also a lot thicker in general, although I cant really closely monitor how much water I'm using with each lather created in an accurate way.

The shave was good and the post shave is brilliant - my skin feels really nourished!

Its silly really as I messed around with all the batches changing god knows what, only to realise that the level of superfatting i was using (about 12%) is way too much for a shaving soap. Brought it down to 3% and BOOM!

Once again, I will let it stand for a few days, maybe a week if I can, and get back to you. Pending a good review at that point ill make a large batch.

For the guys that have already helped me with this project, please PM me now if you want some sent to you (as long as you are in the UK, I can't afford sending to the USA etc). Your hard work and help should mean that you get first test before anyone else!

By the way - just to make sure you're aware - this is a tallow soap and is not organic yet, so vegans and organic users etc might want to take a miss with his right now.

Thanks

The trench
 
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