Cookeen experiment

[nframe]

This might be of interest to UK soapers.

I wanted to try soaping with Cookeen (which is a refined vegetable fat) because you can buy it in the supermarket and it is very cheap. Grayceworks (thank you very much) wrote "Based on this, and the following fatty acid profile chart... I'm inclined to think it's palm shortening. Has a nearly identical fatty acid profile, all the other cooking oils are very different". She suggested using the SAP value of Palm oil so I thought that I would do an experiment.

I made two small batches, which were identical except that one had Cookeen and the other one had Palm oil. I used the SAP value of Palm oil for Cookeen.

The recipe was:
Castor oil 5%
Coconut oil 21%
Olive oil 41%
Palm oil/Cookeen 33%.

I used a nasty-looking soap that I grated to make a sort of layer of confetti soap. As I said both recipes were identical and they both behaved equally well. The following day I took them out of the mould and they looked both the same, again. I immediately washed my hands with the end bits and, if anything, the Cookeen one had more bubbles.

I attach photos for you to see. The Cookeen soap has a crinckle cut (this is my little mnemonic to remember which is which :grin. Obviously, it is too soon to know for sure but I have a good feeling about this. I'll report again in a month's time when they have cured a bit.

The first two photos are the Cookeen soap and the other two are the Palm oil one.

 

[Obsidian]

Looks like it made a nice soap and the colors are lovely. I wonder if you could email the cookeen company and ask what kind of oils it contains? Just so you'd know for sure.

 

[jenneelk]

Nice if u have a cheaper option there!

Not to rain on the bubble parade, because I hate doing that. But I always seem to get more bubbles with my wavy cut bars. :/
Maybe someone else will come along and tell me I'm wrong and bring the parade back?
IMO it's due to the friction and space getting air in there and causing more.
Idk.. I'm likely wrong. Just something to think about since u are doing this for testing and all is the same but that.

 

[Obsidian]

Not to rain on the bubble parade, because I hate doing that. But I always seem to get more bubbles with my wavy cut bars. :/
Maybe someone else will come along and tell me I'm wrong and bring the parade back?

You're not the first person to mention this recently. I've never really paid any attention but I should test the theory.

 

[jenneelk]

I actually believe it's quite true and not incorrect but I never like to press my opinions too strongly. Kwim?
I do wave cut a good amount and always notice tons of bubbles even when it's the same recipe as I always use. It works the same with M&P I think. Although I don't do much M&P.. Just not a big fan of it and how it feels after showering. Likely my recipes suck. Lol

 

[Susie]

Crinkle cut has more surface area, so it makes perfect sense that it has more lather.

 

[nframe]

Looks like it made a nice soap and the colors are lovely. I wonder if you could email the cookeen company and ask what kind of oils it contains? Just so you'd know for sure.

I did that a long time ago but they refuse to say what oils are in their product. That is why I had never used it until now.

As for the bubbles, maybe the crinckle cut is the reason. I never thought about it before. So, take what I said about the bubbles with a pinch of salt...

 

[doriettefarm]

Interesting experiment and info about the lather difference on wavy-cut vs straight-cut soap. Now I must have a wavy cutter . . . thanks for enabling me guys!

 

[Barquentine]

If you really find it has a good price advantage, and you cannot get them to give you the SAP value, I think I would do the experiment to calculate it. Only need to do that once.

 

[Seawolfe]

How can anyone sell a foodstuff and not list the ingredients? Is that even legal?

 

[AnnaO]

Some months back I emailed Edible Oils Ltd., who make Cookeen, about the percentage composition of another of their cooking fat products 'Crisp N Dry'. I had wondered if the solid version contained palm oil, and if so then how much. The boxes of Crisp N Dry just list the ingredients as 'vegetable oils' which isn't much help. Well this was their reply:

"The bottled Crisp N Dry oil is only rapeseed oil. The Crisp N Dry block is a blend of rapeseed oil and a fraction of palm oil, although we are unable to tell you the percentage composition as this is proprietary information."

 

[Barquentine]

Doesn't Crisp n Dry have silicones in it? I've no idea what that will do. Separation, possibly, to judge by my conditioner experiments!

 

[AnnaO]

I just checked the ingredients of the liquid Crisp N Dry and they are Rapeseed Oil and Anti-Foaming Agent: Di-methyl Polysiloxane (E900) which is silicone based according to wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydimethylsiloxane#Surfactants_and_antifoaming_agents

 

[Barquentine]

That's what I was afraid of.
IF it works OK, then the soap might have a film-forming property and a silky after-feel. Please report back if you try it :smile:
Rapeseed oil is high in oleic, isn't it, like olive?
On the other hand would we want an anti foaming agent in our soap?

 

[Susie]

Interesting experiment and info about the lather difference on wavy-cut vs straight-cut soap. Now I must have a wavy cutter . . . thanks for enabling me guys!

Please understand that the extra bubbles only last until the wavy part is smoothed out with use.

 

[doriettefarm]

Please understand that the extra bubbles only last until the wavy part is smoothed out with use.

Understood that the extra bubbles are a result of the additional surface area created by the texture. Once the ridges are worn down with use, the extra-bubbly factor should dissipate. I'm cool with that . . . but I still want the wavy cutter