2 New Master Batch Oil Recipes: 1 for Soap, 1 for Shampoo Bars

Soap Master Batch Oils #4:

I’m tweaking my Master Batch Oils #3 recipe (April 29, 2016 Blog) to take advantage of some lovely Sunflower Seed Oil I have acquired. I’m not a huge fan of Olive oil, as it discolors the soap yellow, which messes with my colors, so I use it sparingly. I prefer Avocado oil, because the oil I get is a neutral color. I like the properties of both, which is why I include them.

I always incorporate an extract for it’s valuable attributes, and this time I added Chamomile, which is soothing to skin.

I kept the same percentage of certain oils & butters: 25% Coconut oil, 25% Palm (oil & kernel) and 10% butters for the added hardness and beneficial elements. The rest of the oils I mix & match with ones that I like the best.

I prefer a large variety of oils, as they provide so many good things for your skin. Here’s some information I have found on each ingredient:

• Apricot Kernel Oil: High linoleic & oleic acids; readily absorbed into the skin; conditioning; good for sensitive, dry & mature skin; helps relieve eczema itch.
• Avocado Oil: Rich in Vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E; healing, moisturizing & conditioning; helps heal flaky skin, psoriasis & eczema; used to treat sun damaged skin.
• Castor Oil: A humectant – draws moisture to skin/hair; creates lots of lather; (accelerates trace when over 5%).
• Chamomile Extract: Helps to reduce redness and is soothing on inflamed & sunburned skin. It is innately instilled with healing, anti-oxidant, cleansing, & moisturizing properties; protects skin from free radical damage (chief contributor to premature aging).
• Cocoa Butter: Contains natural antioxidants; retains & restores moisture; rich in Vitamin E; helps to soothe, hydrate, & balance skin; provides collagen, which assists with wrinkles & other signs of aging.
• Coconut Oil: Moisturizing & easily absorbed in the skin; has high cleansing power; contains a lot of medium chain triglycerides; almost 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil is the 12-carbon Lauric Acid. (The lauric acid can kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi.)
• Hazelnut Oil: Highly unsaturated and very rapidly absorbed into the skin. It not only contains high concentrations of B vitamins, but is also rich in antioxidants such as Vitamin E and plant phenolics. It also contains a number of minerals, and oleic acid and linoleic acid, which are fatty acids that are essential in our biochemistry. The antioxidant effect of Vitamin E is very effective in helping to regenerate skin cells, and overcome the effects of aging such as premature wrinkling, and is highly moisturizing.
• Olive Oil: High levels of Oleic acid; mild, creamy lather with rich feel. Prevents the loss of skin’s natural moisture; helps keep skin soft, supple, and younger looking. Good for sensitive skin.
• Palm Kernel Flakes: Makes for an exceptionally hard bar; adds sheen to soap; (I found it accelerates trace at higher percentages.)
• Palm Oil: Makes a hard bar of soap that produces a rich, creamy lather. As a natural skin care product, tocotrienols (vitamin E found in palm oil) help neutralize free radicals in the skin generated by ultraviolet rays, thus protect against UV related damage and skin aging. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that will prevent collagen damage, fine lines and wrinkles, and cellular damage.
• Shea Butter: Emollient, softening & moisturizing; it is a super luxe additive, with anti-inflammatory properties. A superb moisturizer, with exceptional healing properties for the skin. Vitamin A may improve blemishes, wrinkles, eczema and dermatitis. Also helps with skin allergies, insect bites, & sunburn.
• Sunflower Seed Oil: High in Linoleic & Oleic essential fatty acids; high Vitamin E; high unsaturated fatty acids – leaves oily feel on skin; good alternative to Olive Oil; conditioning lather. (Linoleic acid helps repair skin’s barrier mechanisms and helps prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL).  Oleic acid softens & moisturizes skin; and phytosterols reduce inflammation and itching as well as TEWL. All of this immproves skin health.)
• Sodium Lactate: Makes a harder, longer lasting bar of soap. It is derived from the natural fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets, and is the sodium salt of lactic acid. It is found in our skin’s natural moisturizing factor, and it’s a very effective humectant. It has been found to improve the barrier properties of skin (in studies, there is a decrease in the trans epidermal water loss, which is a good thing). It is believed to stimulate ceramide synthesis in the skin, and it increases the plasticity of skin. It also acts as a mild AHA, which can help reduce “the look of fine lines and wrinkles” – 1.5 times more effective than glycerin.

 

Master Batching:

My brain thinks in ounces, but I measure in grams for more precise calculations. I always have percentages, for customizing the recipe to any size.

Bulk Oils & Butters waiting to be combined into Master Batch Oils.

 

Soap Master Batch Oils #4 Recipe:

Recipe: 600 oz oils/ 31.25 lb (Makes 45 lbs/720 oz of soap):
5%        Apricot Kernel Oil        30 oz      850 grams
10%      Avocado Oil                   60 oz     1701 grams
5%        Castor Oil                       30 oz      850 grams
5%        Cocoa Butter                 30 oz      850 grams
25%      Coconut Oil                 150 oz    4252 grams
5%        Hazelnut Oil                  30 oz      850 grams
5%        Olive Oil                         30 oz       850 grams
5%        Palm Kernel Flakes    30 oz       850 grams
20%      Palm Oil                      120 oz     3402 grams
5%        Shea Butter Refined  30 oz        850 grams
10%      Sunflower Seed Oil    60 oz      1701 grams        Total oils: 17,006 grams
Chamomile Extract                   6 oz        170 grams (in Oils)

When ready to use, a smaller recipe looks like this:

Recipe: 100 oz oils (Makes 9 lbs – 142 oz of soap):
5%        Apricot Kernel Oil       5 oz        142 grams
10%      Avocado Oil                 10 oz        283 grams
5%        Castor Oil                       5 oz        142 grams
5%        Cocoa Butter                 5 oz        142 grams
25%      Coconut Oil                 25 oz        709 grams
5%        Hazelnut Oil                  5 oz        142 grams
5%        Olive Oil                          5 oz        142 grams
5%        Palm Kernel Flakes     5 oz         142 grams
20%     Palm Oil                        20 oz        567 grams
5%        Shea Butter Refined    5 oz        142 grams
10%     Sunflower Oil               10 oz        283 grams        Total oils: 2836 grams
Chamomile Extract                   1 oz         28 grams (in Oils)

5%        Lye                14.19 oz    402 grams
5oz/15% disc    Distilled Water        28 oz        794 grams
Sodium Lactate 2 TBSP (1 tsp/lb oils)    28+ grams (into Lye water at 130 degrees/less)

I made a slightly bigger batch this time (600 oz of oils instead of the usual 500 oz). But I pushed the boundary on this and may go back to 500 oz next time. (The bucket was so full, it was hard to stir really well.)

After melting each oil & butter and mixing them together thoroughly, I divided the batch into five, 1 gallon jugs of 120 oz each. The mixing bucket was so big and heavy, that I ladled out the oil mixture into a measuring bowl on a scale. I then poured it from the bowl through a funnel into the jugs. I measured each one at 120.5 oz to allow for some dripping or spilling, as well as oil that will adhere to the sides of the jug when using.

Five 120 oz jugs of Master Batch Oils for Soap. (I also added the date on the labels.)

I then froze three of them and put the other two in my soaping fridge. (I freeze my bulk oils, so that they will stay fresher longer and stop the aging process – therefore extending the shelf life).

When I want to do some soaping, I will put a jug in the fridge or on the counter to defrost, then heat it in the microwave, instead of waiting hours for the heat belt to warm the entire bucket. I feel like this may be less stress on the oils from the cycles of heating & cooling that they would go through in a large bucket.

With this method, I can make any size batch of soap I want, just measure out my oils and run them through the Soap Calculator for the correct amount of lye and liquids.

This master batching took me 3 hours. It would have taken less time if all my bulk oils were completely defrosted and if I didn’t measure out each jug – but I try to be as accurate as possible – it helps me keep track of things.

 

Shampoo Bars Master Batch Oils #1:

One of the first things I started making when I was learning about CP soap was Shampoo bars. Have you ever read all the horrible ingredients in commercial shampoo? I wanted to get away from all those chemicals. Plus the lather is wonderful, the bars are long lasting, I feel like I have shinier, fuller hair.

Some of the must haves in shampoo bars for me:

• Caster oil creates great lather. It is a humectant, which draws moisture to skin/hair.
• Coconut oil and palm oil provide cleansing and a fluffy lather, plus adds to the hardness of the bar.
• Nettle Extract improves the appearance of hair, is said to help prevent oily hair & dandruff, and helps prevent frizziness; leaving hair feeling nice & refreshed.
• DL Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) is super moisturizing to hair; creates extra sheen and shine, and is also known to help improve hair structure. It builds a thin moisture film on the surface of the hair (film former) and makes it shine without oil or greasiness. In addition, it can penetrate the cuticle and bring moisture to the cortex. This improves the manageability and pliability of hair, and it is better able to cope with brushing, wind, and other non-hair friendly things. Finally, it can give hair more body.

The thing about Shampoo bars is that they have a LOT of Castor oil – which causes havoc when making the soap, as the Castor oil really accelerates trace above 5%. I use LabColors for more liquid and usually don’t do a water discount. But the key to a successful batch of bars (that took me long time to figure out) is to hand stir the lye water into the oils, which really slows down tracing.

 

Master Batching:

Once again, I measured in grams for more precise calculations. I include ounces, which is how my brain thinks, and I always have percentages, for customizing the recipe to any size.

Recipe: 400 oz oils (Makes 588 oz/36 lbs soap):
5%        Apricot Kernel Oil     20 oz          567 grams
10%      Avocado Oil                 40 oz        1134 grams
20%     Castor Oil                     80 oz       2268 grams
5%        Cocoa Butter               20 oz         567 grams
20%     Coconut Oil                 80 oz        2268 grams
5%        Hazelnut Oil               20 oz          567 grams
5%        Palm Kernel Flakes  20 oz          567 grams
20%     Palm Oil                       80 oz        2268 grams
10%      Sunflower Seed Oil  40 oz          1134 grams    Total oils: 11,340 grams
Nettle Extract                            6 oz          170 grams (in Oils)

When ready to use, a smaller recipe looks like this:

Recipe: 50 oz oils (Makes 73 oz soap/ 4.5 lbs):
5%        Apricot Kernel Oil   2.5 oz          71 grams
10%      Avocado Oil                  5 oz        142 grams
20%      Castor Oil                   10 oz        283 grams
5%        Cocoa Butter             2.5 oz          71 grams
20%      Coconut Oil                10 oz     283 grams
5%        Hazelnut Oil              2.5 oz          71 grams
20%      Palm Oil                      10 oz        283 grams
5%        Palm Kernel Flakes 2.5 oz          71 grams
10%      Sunflower Seed Oil     5 oz        142 grams    Total oils: 1417 grams

4%        Lye                             7.08 oz        201 grams
0 disc  Distilled Water        16.5 oz       468 grams
Nettle Extract                          1.5 oz      42 grams (in Oils)

DL-Panthenol                         1.5 oz        42 grams (add to Lye water when soaping)
Sodium Lactate 2 TBSP (1 tsp/lb oils)  14 grams (into Lye water at 130 degrees/less)

 

The process for master batching was the same as for the regular soap above, but it only took me 2 hours. I used less variety of oils, and by now they were all defrosted.

Since I typically make a batch of shampoo bars with 50 oz of oils, I divided these into 100.5 oz per jug (the extra half ounce was to allow for any oils stuck in the bottle, as well as drips & spills).

Four 100 oz jugs of Shampoo Master Batch Oils.

 

Just like the Soap Master Batch Oils, I put these in the freezer until needed, to extend the shelf life of the oils.

After making these batches, I have run out of many oils & butters, as well as freezer space!