Making, Cutting, and Testing a Shaving Soap made with Lanolin

[@mad45678]

Kevin, I so enjoy your process!! you are detailed, thoughtful and you have a very knowledgeable base of research. Years ago I took lots of chemistry labs, and then I was a nurse for years, sometimes research oriented. So, I appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. THEN, you are not afraid to experiment, share all your details and then we all see together the outcome! You help me experiment and feel better about my own fledgling foray into soaping! and, you are darling!

[@ozymndius]

Thanks so much for the nice comments, glad I could help!

[@cynthiascott503]

You are one of my best go-to resources Kevin. You do just such a great job of explaining and giving the rationale for things. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!

[@ozymndius]

+Cynthia Scott Thanks, that's very nice of you to say! Glad you find the videos helpful.

[@marilyn1228]

Kevin...I appreciate all your videos and knowledge that you pass along. Thank you!

[@SelahArtisanSoaps]

Thanks Kevin Great tips especially adding everything to lye for one time mixing! Looks great!

[@ozymndius]

Thanks

[@Denise-Snow]

Another great video Kevin, thanks!

[@ozymndius]

Denise Snow thanks!

[@Bearprints1]

Great video Kevin. I find the 2 hardest soaps to formulate for me are a shaving soap and a shampoo bar. Took me years, plus a whole bunch of different recipes, to get a shampoo bar I like, I am still in the process of trying to get a good shaving bar. Your lather looks great on both of yours.

[@ozymndius]

Margo Long Yeah, I feel like I continue to tweak mine. I have one formula I've used for more than a yeah...than I read about adding lanolin and...well, there ya go :)

[@doecreekgirl191]

Thank you for another great vid, always enjoy & always learn something valuable. Keep sharing. Keep caring. Sending you lots of love and well wishes, Dee

[@ozymndius]

+doecreekgirl1 Thanks very much!

[@Akis_101]

Impressive! I wish I had a friend making shaving soap to provide me .... great video man !

[@ozymndius]

+akis had thanks!

[@andromedarr]

I like hot process much better (especially for shaving soaps) because it is not important how fast they trace, you can choose superfat and more delicate ingredients (Milk, fragrance, sugars) can be added after the cook - saving them from the lye. Also - i can test the soap much quicker, analysing what i did wrong etc. My first shaving soap (first soap ever) came out wonderful :)

[@ozymndius]

Congratz!

[@georgiecandles4592]

Hi Kevin, my mum used lanolin for all sorts of things when we were kids, probably as it was widely available way back then and was also added to lots of lotions and creams. ! I always find the last bar of a batch (made for our household) is better than the first. I make two kinds of shaving soap, the difference being calamine powder in the female version....two reasons, 1 it makes the soap pink so everyone knows it is MINE, second I think it helps with calming the skin, (I use Zinc oxide as well in my shaving soaps) but that is a subjective thing I am sure! I have never made a cream soap that is not for shaving so maybe a video on that (subtle hint of course) would be interesting :)

[@laurak8152]

Sounds like a great question for the awesome Kevin Dunn!

[@beverlywilson3562]

great video...

[@ozymndius]

+Beverly Wilson thanks!

[@d2dcannabisauctions517]

Is the Dual-Lye because of the separate stearic acid? If you just use hard oils/butters that are high in stearic acid can you just stick with NAOH? Don't really understand the dual-lye. Thanks.

[@ozymndius]

There are people out there who say you don't need dual lye to make a shaving soap...some folks just make a cold process soap and add clay and call it a shaving soap. I personally don't agree with that and think a true shaving soap requires both lyes. It's possible to try a formula that doesn't include seperate stearic acid but I'm doubtful you'll get a long lasting, thick, and stable lather using only oils/butters high in stearic acid...but it might be possible. Including Potassium Hydroxide will make a slightly softer soap and the Sodium Hydroxide will give it enough body for it to form a hard bar. The resulting potassium stearate is much more soluble in water than sodium stearate which means the properties of the stearic acid (principally a very dense creamy lather) can be fully utilized.

[@Gorkilein]

KOH just makes fluid soap while NaOH makes hard bars. So mixing it makes softer bars or depending on the percentage soft soap. I'll add both in my first shaving soap because I want to easily take soap off without hundreds of whips. Just by now not sure about the ratio to get the consistency I want.

[@karenwalters2007]

Thank you Kevin always love your videos so informative you should do classes online are you a teacher???? your very good You save me a lot of time and work thank you. 👏🏾❤️

[@gudrunkristinajansson1544]

Hi Kevin, I'm so glad you always bring up these issues many of us have questions about. What happens with the soap when it matures (not the first inital weeks of curing)? There must be an alteration of the molecular structure. Is it in the salt or the glycerin molecule or maybe both? I've thinking a lot of this and it's so irritating that I can't get the answers. My experience is that only 'good' soap matures to the better eventhough many soapers say all soap do so. I don't beleive it has anything to do with the reduction in water content. Sigh, so many questions and no chemist in sight LOL. I would love a chemist to do some analyses after six, tvelve, eighten months and so on, wouldn't you? Sorry I wasn't to any help but I know there are clever people out there that will bring us some answers. We keep on asking ;·)))) Kristina

[@ozymndius]

Gudrun Kristina Jansson Exactly Gundrun!

[@tiendaforense]

beautiful video Kevin, what about bentonite o some other clay, have you used them? happy 2020

[@handworks2024]

Could you put your links to your sites where you sell your men's soaps. Thanks and great job!

[@ozymndius]

HandWorks Artisan Soaps Here ya go: www.devinelydesignedproducts.com/

[@yolis905]

Hi Kevin. It looks great I am going to try it! Where did you purchase the round soap dish? Thank you

[@handinodino1823]

hii kevin, nice video, how long that soap could stand in storing without any using,

[@ozymndius]

soap can last indefinitely

[@RoseOriginals]

I'm thinking it's a lot like castile where the lather improves with age. Like you said the one you were using was a year old. Let this recipe cure for a while and see what happens. That is the hardest part. UGH! Thanks again for sharing your experiments!

[@eyeinorange]

Thanks Kevin. I also make my shaving soap with lanoline. I am doing one right now. So I wathched your video between stirring.. ;) This time a hot process, due to the amount of stearic acid and eo's that will cause 'soap on a stick'.

[@ozymndius]

Carola Ruijsch van Dugteren I know that feeling :)

[@countryhorseluvr]

can you make a regular dual lye soap? just wondering. i mean one you dont necessarily use for shaving. just inquisitive. thx

[@ozymndius]

Sure, depending on you ratio of KOH / NaOH you will probably end up with a softer soap that may not last as long in the shower. You could make a cream soap which is more like a paste. But shaving soap is still soap!

[@floridatamar]

Hi Kevin, I have been wanting to add lanolin to my shave soap but was concerned about its heat sensitivity. Since I am using stearic, with a high melting point, I wasn't sure when/how to add the lanolin (since it should be kept cooler). I see you included the lanolin with your other base oils, but didn't this mean it was at too high a temperature? I am not being critical, but just want to understand. Maybe I am confused about what you did.

[@ozymndius]

The problem is the stearic acid which requires a really high heat. What elements in the lanolin are you concerned about that would make the lanolin less effective? Lanolin is stable at room temp, it doesn't need to be refrigerated and at the end of the day it is a fat like other fats...heating them (within reason) doesn't destroy them. But I am certainly no lanolin expert.

[@lisaromero9282]

I just made a shaving soap and it's very popular with my clients but it's not using potassium hydroxide. What's the difference adding the potassium hydroxide than with sodium hydroxide alone? And how come you don't use to bentonite Clay in this recipe? I thot that is what gives the slip to the shaving bar? Oh my...so much to learn still.

[@ozymndius]

Lisa Romero A lot of serious shavers, who typically buy really expensive blades, say that the addition of clay dulls their fancy blades and don't consider the clay necessary (some wouldn't even consider it a shaving soap at all). They prefer that the "slip" come from the formula itself. The addition of the Potassium Hydroxide will make your soap softer (which depending on what you are going for - say more of a paste versus a hard puck is necessary). But the KOH will produce potassium salts (as opposed to the sodium salts from NaOH) and is much more soluble in water which contributes to a very dense creamy lather...which is prized. But that's not to say you can't make a great shaving soap that is popular...different folks like different things.

[@johnwachter6975]

Interesting video, do you sell your soap you make?

[@ozymndius]

+John Wachter Yes, I do: www.devinelydesignedproducts.com/

[@littlestevee]

Hi there! Thanks for the fantastic video! We found bay rum essential oil. Is that the same as the bay rum you are using?

[@ozymndius]

Bay Rum is a fragrance oil, there's no bay rum essential oil...do you mean Bay Laurel essential oil? Bay Rum and Bay Laurel are not the same thing, Bay Rum is a synthetic fragrance oil that smells like bay usually mixed with other aromas (depending on who makes it) like orange, vanilla, allspice, cloves, patchouli and pine while Bay Laurel essential oil has an aroma of bay. Hope that helps.

[@littlestevee]

Hello Kevin, thank you for the response! It turns out, we have Bay, West Indies Pimenta Racemosa Aromatherapy Pure Essential Oil. We bought it from a website here in Thailand that said it was "Bay Rum". It was the only site that we could find that had "Bay rum". The joys of on-line shopping :) This is our first go at shaving soap and a bunch of the ingredients were imported and a little expensive so we want to make sure we have everything before we get started. Do you recommend we don't use this stuff? We can probably find other fragrances. Thanks again!

[@easyengrave1649]

Did it get better with age? How long until it was best?

[@ozymndius]

I think all shaving soaps (really all cream soaps that have a combination of KOH and NaOH) improve with age. I actually like a really long cure for them, like 3-6 months but you could certainly use them after the typical 4--6 week cold process cure.

[@theunnamedd]

Hello Kevin, thank for the nice shaving soap videos. I wonder how you calculated the amount of glycerin for this recipe ? Did you calculate it according to the weight of the oils ? looks like you added %4.. Thanks

[@ozymndius]

+theunnamed I replaced a portion of the total amount of water with glycerin. As for why I used that amount...no rhyme or reason really, I just wanted to add a small amount of glycerin to this recipe.

[@theunnamedd]

Thanks for the reply. Just curious, what if we add extra glycerin without substracting the water ? Or can we add the glycerin after saponification like we do by superfatting ?

[@ozymndius]

Could you add more glycerin...sure, you would be lowering your overall lye percentage and making a softer soap that would need longer curing time...just like if you were to add additional water. It might make the batter more fluid and allow you more time to work with it. Not sure why you would want to add the glycerin later...what would you be trying to achieve? Glycerin doesn't saponify the way oils do...again, it would be the same as adding water or other liquids later in the process.

[@theunnamedd]

+Kevin Devine Thank you for the explanation, I didn't have a specific reason to add the glycerin later, I was just thinking it would be easy and accurate after the saponificiation by mixing it with my superfat. But can be added in the first place as you said. I'm gonna give a try tomorrow. Thanks.

[@98270360]

I have a article saved on how to calculate how much glycerin your recipe will make. Good to add glycerin when there is a high Stearic acid content since it doesn't create Glycerin. I think what would be valuable to know is how much glycerin a shaving soap should have or at least a range to be in. Then you can really fine tune a recipe without having to make and wait and spend a bunch of money and time to test a ingredient like this.

[@KentonPatron]

Hi - sweet video. I am on the verge of starting to make my own soaps for shaving and of course for sale.... can you tell me why the titanium oxide? Is that purely fro coloring reasons?

[@ozymndius]

Yes, just for the color.

[@humbertovigil6622]

do you sell your shaving soaps? or give out samples? would love to try some!

[@ozymndius]

I only sell my shaving soap as part of my men's gift set...I think there is only 1 in stock currently. www.devinelydesignedproducts.com/mens-gift-set.html

[@SierraSpartical]

Safflower oil is pure vitamin e from what I understand. Do you know what your vitamin e is made out of?

[@ozymndius]

Sierra Spartical While Safflower oil is high in vitamin e, it isn't "pure vitamin e". My vitamin e is from lotioncrafters, you can read about it here: www.lotioncrafter.com/mixed-tocopherols-t50-natural-vitamin-e.html

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

Do you sell your soaps Kevin?

[@ozymndius]

I used to but closed my online shop a little over a year ago...I'm really just a hobby soaper and maintaining the business side was just too much work.

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

Ok! Shame though....

[@la1163]

Kevin you're so cute.😘

[@ozymndius]

Pickles0711awww shucks :)

[@7slaper]

IME all soaps improve over time (if they don't develop DOS); didn't you ever come by a "forgotten" bar of soap? It performs amazingly better than how you remembered it to: denser lather and seemingly "milder", though the pH doesn't change. I'm not a huge fan of the famous cream soap - very time consuming too. Back to the shaving soap: lanolin has a lot of unsaponifiables and helps making a hard bar. IMHO vit E is a waste when added to CP soap, and especially if you add it to your lye water it sadly will be destroyed instantly. Perhaps silk would be a nice additive. I think re-formulating is what soapmakers do. LOL (Even if you are extremely happy with a certain soap.) Keep up the good work! I always enjoy your videos. :)

[@ozymndius]

Corry Helmond Thanks very much for the comments!

[@tfogler7649]

+Kevin Devine I would just like to add my 2 cents on the vitamin E. From my experience, I think everyone's mileage may vary, but I use it in all my soaps - adding it to my oils before the lye. I know some people say that it's a waste and/or gets destroyed, but I don't find that to be the case for me. I made 2 separate batches of my favorite recipe, 1 with and 1 without vit E. What I have found for me, is the soaps with it, feel more humectant and I can feel the difference on my skin. Not sure if this part matters or not, but I live in a sweltering humid climate plus I have fair, sensitive, mature skin and I use non-GMO vitamin E. I don't have a science degree, but that's been my personal experience with the E. Thank you for sharing your soaping with us. You're passion is apparent, you have a real easy way about you which is nice to see, your talented, and I really like watching your videos. Stay awesome! :)

[@Gorkilein]

Same what I thought... When adding stuff add to oils to protect it from the lye and stuff like vitamins (I doubt it makes sense at all) after all has been mixed to protect it. At least what I would do.

[@johnwoodruff1878]

You need to fix your lighting.

[@ozymndius]

Thanks for the feedback