Almost got a full gel this time, which felt nice.

The olive oil was marinating with shredded lemon peels for a week prior to processing, so it got a really strong natural lemon aroma. Hoping it holds up once done curing. :)

Apart from that, no additives.

  • @[email protected]English
    8•8 days ago

    How much olive oil is needed for a batch like this? Is there any benefits of using olive oil compared to coconut?

    • @DeestanOP
      10•8 days ago

      This was 640 grams of olive oil, 160 grams coconut oil. (Roughly close to 640/160ml or 24/6 ounces.)

      According to people who make a lot of soap, olive oil is gentler for the skin. A soap type called “Castille soap” is 100% olive oil and makes a silky, some say slimy, lather with no foam.

      Coconut oil adds hardness and nice foam to the soap, so I’m hoping to catch the best of both effects with this one.

      • merde alors
        3•7 days ago

        when i give my 100% olive oil soaps to friends, some complain about the lack of foam. They may think that—even when they know it’s not true—it doesn’t clean because it doesn’t foam 🤷

        what do you mean by “hardness” though?

        • @DeestanOP
          1•7 days ago

          Hardness I am not sure how much matters or whether I understand it, really. Allegedly pure olive oil soap take longer to be solid enough to use?

          I made a batch of pure olive oil soap before this, so it will be interesting to see if I notice any difference in hardness.

          First test using some flakes from the mold, shows that it foams a lot better with the 20% coconut oil. :)

        • merde alors
          2•7 days ago

          it is simple.

          • just be careful with caustic soda (hand and eye protection? air the room while mixing it with water)
          • don’t use utensils made from materials that react to it (steel, glass and wood are safe to use. if you work with glass, choose those that can take the heat)