# Palm Kernel Oil Flakes



## SoapSap (Feb 19, 2015)

I would like to know more about the positives and negatives of using Palm Kernel Oil Flakes in my Cold  Process Soap.  I have not seen anything on the forum about it. I have a few pound of this and would like to know if I can use it in place of Palm Oil, or if just how much can I use percentage wise. Does it have the same properties as Palm Oil.  Thanks much.


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## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2015)

I think it is closer to coconut oil.

PKOF has a high cleansing, palm oil has a very low cleansing number.




SoapSap said:


> I would like to know more about the positives and negatives of using Palm Kernel Oil Flakes in my Cold  Process Soap.  I have not seen anything on the forum about it. I have a few pound of this and would like to know if I can use it in place of Palm Oil, or if just how much can I use percentage wise. Does it have the same properties as Palm Oil.  Thanks much.


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## TRBeck (Feb 19, 2015)

It is not a good sub for palm oil; it is a perfectly acceptable substitute for coconut. Slightly more cleansing and bubbly, so you may have to adjust your recipe slightly, but it is quite high in myristic and lauric acid.


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## pamielynn (Feb 19, 2015)

For some reason, I don't feel like it gives that "squeaky clean" feeling as coconut does. I make a bar for sensitive skin and sub PKO for coconut. My sensitive people seem to love it. The downside is that it's a bit more expensive than coconut.

But, yes, it is not a sub for palm oil.


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## shunt2011 (Feb 19, 2015)

It's a substitute for CO but I use it in conjunction with CO and love the combination. Do not use it as a sub for palm as they are two totally different animals. It's actually slightly less cleansing and less bubbly but only slightly and more conditioning by numbers.


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## Cindy2428 (Feb 19, 2015)

I like to sub as part of my coconut oil when I have a recipe with mostly soft oils. It adds extra hardness for me.


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## PinkCupcake (Feb 19, 2015)

I like using PKO in addition to coconut. My basic recipe is really slow to trace, being high in lard and olive, and the PKO helps it trace more quickly. It also makes my bars hard & bubbly.


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## kumudini (Mar 13, 2015)

*PKOF not same as PKO*

The PKO is I think similar to CO and could be substituted for CO, but if you sub the flakes for CO, the soap calc gives the resulting characteristics as overly hard and overly cleansing (way above the ideal range). I use the flakes but in tiny amounts like 2-3% to recipes with mostly soft oils to make the bars harder.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Mar 13, 2015)

There was a thread on page one here where we talked a little about it http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=52649


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## kumudini (Mar 13, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> There was a thread on page one here where we talked a little about it http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=52649



Thank you TEG, for linking that thread. But the question of this thread was about PKOF and I didn't see it addressed directly. In fact I came across this one because I searched PKOF Specifically to see if anyone discussed its merits and demerits in soap. I like using it as I use more soft oils than hard oils and butter and I want my soaps to be hard enough. my soaps seem fine after a proper cure. But I wanted to know if it is accepted well in the hand made soap world.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Mar 13, 2015)

It's an extension on the replacement theme, coming from the other side of the coin.


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