http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/pdf/soapoils.pdf
Typical Bar Soap Recipe Values:
Hardness 29 to 54
Cleansing 12 to 22
Conditioning 44 to 69
Bubbly lather 14 to 46
Creamy lather 16 to 48
Soap is made by the chemical reaction that occurs when mixing fatty
acids, lye (NaOH for bar soap, KOH for liquid soap), and water. Lye
acts as the chemical emulsifier that bonds fatty acids with water
molecules by generating heat. This process is called saponification.
Soap cannot be made without lye.
Each soaping oil/butter has its own fatty acid composition, and
these fatty acids provide finished soap with important
characteristics. The following are the most common fatty acids
found in soaping oils/butters along with the qualities they provide in
a finished bar of soap.
Lauric Acid: Provides hardness, cleansing, and bubbly lather.
Linoleic Acid: Provides conditioning
Myristic Acid: Provides hardness, cleansing, and bubbly lather.
Oleic Acid: Provides conditioning.
Palmitic Acid: Provides hardness and a creamy lather.
Ricinoleic Acid: Provides conditioning, bubbly lather, and a creamy
lather.
Stearic Acid: Provides hardness and a creamy lather.
Each soaping oil/butter has a unique saponification value (the
number of milligrams of lye required to saponify 1 gram of the
specified oil/butter).
In order to create a quality bar of soap, it is necessary to find a
balance between hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly lather,
and creamy lather. This usually involves using a combination of
oils/butters in your soap recipe. A typical bar soap recipe calls for
38% water content, and a 5% superfat (the percentage of oils that
do not saponifiy).
