When you say you want to make a Vegan soap, does that mean for yourself or for family or friends who are Vegan and have strong beliefs as to what will properly qualify as Vegan soap? If the latter, than I'd suggest steering clear of even sustainable palm oil, as it often will not pass muster for the adamant Vegan. If it is for yourself, anything goes as long as it meets your own personal standards.
As for creating a bubbly bar of soap, besides the usual bubble producing oils supported by castor, there are other additives that also contribute to and support bubbles. Sugar was already mentioned. Some add as much as 1 TBL per pound of oil of sugar to the soap (dissolve in water first). Others use sorbitol and other sugar powders. Sugar containing water substitutes also provide additional bubbliness, and if they are a liquid can be used to make your lye solution. Any liquid that contains natural sugars (including carbohydrates) will add bubbles, but you do need to watch out for overheating of the solution as you add in the NaOH; make sure to use a tall container that can contain a possible over-boil AND a cold-water bath to prevent overheating. Some folks use honey (but honey is out for a truly Vegan soap), agave, maple syrup, etc. to add extra bubbles. However, overuse of maple syrup (and probably other sugary additives) can lead to a rubbery bar of soap, so try not to go overboard.
For me, I like adding the harder oils called butters, Cocoa, Shea, Mango, etc. Also soy wax (not really a wax), also produces a harder bar of soap. I use GW 415 Soy Wax, but there are some substitutes that also work for soap, just read up on here about which ones to use if you decide to give soy wax a try.
As far as the controversy over Fractionated CO (Fx CO aka MCT oil) versus regular CO (Coconut Oil), I normally use the standard CO that melts at around 76° but I have used FxCO oil in bar soap when I wanted to use up inventory to make room on the shelves. I cannot give you a scientific play by play of how it compared to plain CO, but the difference was not enough to matter, IMO. Costwise, however, if I were to make a plan for purchase, I'd go with the cheaper, and often on sale plain old 76° CO over the Fractionated CO any day.
I'd suggest at some point adding some Avocado oil to the mix, as it seems to really provide a very luxurious feel to the soap. It's not a requirement, but I'm really like it lately in soap.
As for creating a bubbly bar of soap, besides the usual bubble producing oils supported by castor, there are other additives that also contribute to and support bubbles. Sugar was already mentioned. Some add as much as 1 TBL per pound of oil of sugar to the soap (dissolve in water first). Others use sorbitol and other sugar powders. Sugar containing water substitutes also provide additional bubbliness, and if they are a liquid can be used to make your lye solution. Any liquid that contains natural sugars (including carbohydrates) will add bubbles, but you do need to watch out for overheating of the solution as you add in the NaOH; make sure to use a tall container that can contain a possible over-boil AND a cold-water bath to prevent overheating. Some folks use honey (but honey is out for a truly Vegan soap), agave, maple syrup, etc. to add extra bubbles. However, overuse of maple syrup (and probably other sugary additives) can lead to a rubbery bar of soap, so try not to go overboard.
For me, I like adding the harder oils called butters, Cocoa, Shea, Mango, etc. Also soy wax (not really a wax), also produces a harder bar of soap. I use GW 415 Soy Wax, but there are some substitutes that also work for soap, just read up on here about which ones to use if you decide to give soy wax a try.
As far as the controversy over Fractionated CO (Fx CO aka MCT oil) versus regular CO (Coconut Oil), I normally use the standard CO that melts at around 76° but I have used FxCO oil in bar soap when I wanted to use up inventory to make room on the shelves. I cannot give you a scientific play by play of how it compared to plain CO, but the difference was not enough to matter, IMO. Costwise, however, if I were to make a plan for purchase, I'd go with the cheaper, and often on sale plain old 76° CO over the Fractionated CO any day.
I'd suggest at some point adding some Avocado oil to the mix, as it seems to really provide a very luxurious feel to the soap. It's not a requirement, but I'm really like it lately in soap.
