Castille Soap - repalcing Olive oil with Sunflower

[Astro]

Everyone, including me, is very happy with the Castille recipe I have but I would like to sell my soaps and, unfortunately, the majority of the population in South Africa cannot afford to pay the prices for an almost pure Olive Oil soap. So I have tried to replace the Olive Oil with Sunflower Oil using SoapCalc to make a similar soap but cheaper and I seem to have managed to come close in most of the values by adjusting the coconut oil content.
I am not sure about the values at the bottom of soapcalc in the Bar qualities

Here I have the 2 recipes next to each other, with the Sunflower having a much higher Iodine factor and the Oleic and linoleic values are reversed. Will this recipe work or am I heading for disaster? And, if it will work, are there curing times or other things that I need to factor into my process - I intend to do both HP and CP using this recipe if I get the OK.

 

[szaza]

I wouldn't use that amount of regular sunflower oil. If you look at the fatty acid profile, you see that linoleic acid is really high with sunflower oil, which makes it more likely to go rancid. Since this kind of soap needs a long cure, it's likely to go rancid before you can use it, which would be a big disappointment.
You could try to use high oleic sunflower oil (sunflower oil for frying, on the label the mono-unsaturated fatty acids should be the highest, but be sure it doesn't have any additives) and see how you like it. In my experience the lather is a bit less abundant with sunflower than with olive, though I also find it a bit less drying and it traces really really slowly.
Lastly, if you want to sell, be sure to have enough experience under your belt. You need to know how your recipe behaves in the long run. Be absolutely sure it doesn't go rancid even in bad storing conditions and is pleasant to use even without a soap saver etc (high oleic recipes tend to get a bit slimy and don't last very long if they don't have a long enough cure)
Good luck! And if you don't find high oleic sunflower oil, let us know and we'll help you find an alternative

 

[Anstarx]

Agree with szaza as sunflower can go racid easier. If you want your soap to be more affordable and stay stable, maybe consider adding other cheaper oils that you can source locally, or animal fats like lard and tallow?

 

[shunt2011]

Also, neither one of those are Castile. Castile is 100% OO. What you’ve got is Bastille. As for how much sunflower oil it will depend on if it’s regular or HO. I suggest you try it and see how you like it and how it lasts. Their going to need a good long cure then you’re going to want to watch them long term to see if they develop DOS. I don’t use liquid oils above 30-35% in most recipes.

 

[Astro]

Also, neither one of those are Castile. Castile is 100% OO. What you’ve got is Bastille.

I knew the sunflower isn't Castille, but the OO recipe claimed it was - thanks for clarifying It makes much more sense .

As for how much sunflower oil it will depend on if it’s regular or HO. I suggest you try it and see how you like it and how it lasts. Their going to need a good long cure then you’re going to want to watch them long term to see if they develop DOS. I don’t use liquid oils above 30-35% in most recipes.

I have been reading up on oleic and linoleic and it appears my sunflower is definitely not HO. I think the best solution is to go back to the drawing board. I hope I understand correctly - the best soap will be High Oleic and low linoleic in the recipe?

Agree with szaza as sunflower can go racid easier. If you want your soap to be more affordable and stay stable, maybe consider adding other cheaper oils that you can source locally, or animal fats like lard and tallow?

Is Palm Oil stable, more precisely a solid vegetable Oil (Palm Fruit and Palm Kernel) - I haven't been able to find lard or tallow here so options are making my own or buying online which then makes it more expensive than OO.

 

[szaza]

A recommendation I've often seen is keeping linoleic+linolenic under 15%.

Lots of people here use palm(kernel) oil. Palm is high in palmitic/stearic, contributing to hardness, longevity of the soap and creamy lather, while palm kernel oils is higher in the short chain fatty acids like lauric and myristic contributing to bubbly lather and hardness, but not longevity (much like coconut oil, which it can be subbed for)

Hope this helps!

 

[Anstarx]

I use palm from 10% up t0 30% in my recipes. It adds hardness and is quite stable and mild, however, testing will still be needed.
Also, if you can get palm then you likely can also get palm kernel which is a cleaning oil. You can use that to create a more cleansing soap. For a shower soap I'd use palm kernel in 15%-30%.