How do sellers use so much Coconut Oil?

[ambers_artworld]

By all means, share your results Hazel!!

 

[IrishLass]

I also wonder how they get away with calling their soap "Pure Castile". Anyone know?

I did a little armchair research on this a few years ago and found some interesting info. Dr. Bronner's isn't the only national brand (in the US) to label their coconut/palm soap Castile. See post #11 here:


http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=9768&page=2&highlight=Kirk's


IrishLass

 

[grayceworks]

Yeah like Seven said ^^^

Edit to add: I just ran across this recipe that is 100% coconut and 20% superfat. I am intrigued.

I love making 100% CO with 20% SF. It is also VERY nice with just 95% CO and 5% Cocoa Butter too. Watch it CLOSE though, and don't overfill your molds, even individual ones, because it WILL heat up and try to overflow. But I love the lather and it is not drying at all for me.

 

[pamielynn]

Also remember that large manufacturers are using different soap making procedures than we are.

 

[seven]

lol @ dr bronners. everytime i see his soap i feel like ripping the labels did i think he's duping unsuspecting buyers? you betcha!

 

[Obsidian]

ambers_artworld -

I was just at the store earlier and was browsing Dr. Bronner's bars. I wondered about how drying they would be since since coconut and palm are the first two ingredients.
Sea salt is listed but after peppermint oil so I don't think there'd be much in it. Also, the olive oil, hemp oil and jojoba oil are listed after Mentha Arvensis. This I really wondered about since I couldn't imagine using it over 2%. But maybe it's all right to use at a higher percentage. I've only used peppermint and spearmint.
I also wonder how they get away with calling their soap "Pure Castile". Anyone know?

I have Dr. B's peppermint soap and it very strong. I made the mistake of using it on my face once, just the fumes burned my eyes so bad that I nearly had to go to the doctor.

As far as calling it castile, this is taken off another product that calls its self castile. I think this is how companies justify the name.

"Since 1839, Kirk's Original Coco Castile Soap has given the consumer a high quality, natural soap at an affordable price. "Castile" originally referred to the highly-prized vegetable based soap produced in Castile, Spain. For centuries this soap was considered "the soap of royalty" because of its luxurious lather and gentleness to the skin. Today, "Castile" refers to any vegetable based soap."

lol @ dr bronners. everytime i see his soap i feel like ripping the labels :grin: did i think he's duping unsuspecting buyers? you betcha!

I agree. I bought his overpriced soap because I though it was true castile. My fault really for not reading the label before I purchased it but it never crossed my mind it would be coconut based. Now I have a bottle of evil that I simply can't use. Maybe I'll use it for laundry.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

.........Now I have a bottle of evil that I simply can't use. Maybe I'll use it for laundry.

Use it as an alternative to Pepper Spray?

But that is one of the reason why I want people to be right on it at least in this community

 

[Obsidian]

Thats not a bad idea, bet it would stop quite a few people lol. In the name of being fair, I did use it again this morning in the shower. I do really like the mint tingle on my skin, just wish it wasn't so drying or so strong I have to keep it away from my face. Washed my hair with it once, felt awesome on my scalp but even that made my eyes really burn.

 

[seven]

speaking of bronners, there is another thread, where the OP swears that she's been using bronners for years and it wasn't drying at all. got any idea why? all the while co is listed as the no. 2 ingredient after water, before koh.

 

[ambers_artworld]

You guys are all so great!!! Most excellent info.

 

[Hazel]

Well, I played on SoapCalc and came up with 4 different recipes. The problem is trying to figure out the percentage of M. Arvenis (cornmint). I still don't feel that should be used at a high percentage. I think 5% is even too high but I found one reference on soapnuts which mentioned it can be used at .8 oz ppo which is 5%. I have to head off now but I'll post the percentages on what I came up with tomorrow and ask for people's opinions.

 

[ambers_artworld]

Oooh so excited to see your results!!

 

[Belinda02]

I made a soap with all coconut oil at 20% super fat and it is the first soap I've made I don't like. To drying.

 

[DeeAnna]

Cornmint is close to peppermint, but I think it is a little milder and sweeter.

I used it at 3% ppo in a CP bar soap. After CPOP'ing the soap at 170 deg F for 1 hour, the scent was a little milder than I would like, but still nicely minty. If you don't CPOP, I'd say 3% ppo might be about right for a gentle mint scent.

I have also used cornmint at 6.5% ppo in another basic CP bath soap. This one didn't go through gel or CPOP. This is definitely more mint than I care for, although some might find it .... interesting. Hint: Whooeee yowza on the naughty bits! And a little overwhelming on the face.

Hope this helps, Hazel.

 

[ambers_artworld]

Regarding the labeling of ingredients on aforementioned Bronner's bar... could it also be possible that whoever was in charge of printing the labels just got the olive oil and the mint oil swapped on accident?

 

[seven]

^^^
for a company that size? nope. again, nothing is impossible tho, but i'd like to think of this one as an exception yep, me thinks it's impossible that it's an accident.

 

[ambers_artworld]

Seven, I'm on the same page with you! I was trying to be prudent in how I worded it, but in my mind there were invisible quotation marks around the word "accident" lol!! They have to shake all the copyists off their trail somehow

 

[Hazel]

I used it at 3% ppo in a CP bar soap.

I have also used cornmint at 6.5% ppo in another basic CP bath soap.

Thanks for the info, DeeAnna. I had researched cornmint awhile back and almost all the sites mentioned its menthol content and used words like strong, invigorating and penetrating. So, I made an assumption it might be one which I would find to be overwhelming. I have used peppermint frequently and I've always kept it on the low side - .5 oz to 1 oz ppo.

I thought the olive, hemp and jojoba could be the same percentage as the cornmint. Then it could be placed before these oils and still not be too low on conditioning.

So, I started with the idea if using cornmint at 5%. Nope...not very conditioning but it looks like it would be extremely bubbly.

42.5% CO
42.5% PO
5% OO
5% Hemp
5% Jojoba

Hardness 56
Cleansing 29 Yikes! :shock:
Conditioning 34
Bubbly 29
Creamy 27

Then thought maybe...just maybe they used cornmint at a higher percentage. After all, they're the professionals and know more than I do about EOs.

37.5% CO
37.5% PO
10% OO
10% Hemp
5% Jojoba

Hardness 51
Cleansing 26
Conditioning 40
Bubbly 26
Creamy 25

Hmm...tried again; although I seriously doubt they'd use cornmint at 15%. It might not be too drying if I used a larger lye discount - perhaps 10%. But than there might be the possibility that some hemp would not saponify and it has the shortest shelf life. The soap could develop DOS.

35% CO
35% PO
15% OO
10% Hemp
5% Jojoba

Hardness 49
Cleansing 24
Conditioning 43
Bubbly 24
Creamy 25

Another attempt. I decreased the olive and increased the jojoba. Yes, the very expensive jojoba. *sigh* The conditioning value decreased so I don't think I'd even bother to make this one.

35% CO
35% PO
10% OO
10% Hemp
10% Jojoba

Hardness 48
Cleansing 24
Conditioning 39
Bubbly 24
Creamy 24

Final attempt. I doubt these are the percentages but it's the best, IMO. I could probably even use this soap with only 5% lye discount but I would have to use a moisturizer. Other people would probably not find it drying. But again, hemp may be a little on the high side. Also, it probably won't have the large, fluffy bubbles like the first recipe.

30% CO
30% PO
15% OO
15% Hemp
10% Jojoba

Hardness 42
Cleansing 20
Conditioning 45
Bubbly 20
Creamy 22

Anyway, these are what I came up with but I still could be totally off with the percentages. I'm open to suggestions. Also, I am low on hemp so I can probably only make 2 batches and they'd have to be small ones. (16 oz).

 

[Hazel]

Since no one suggested which might be best to make, I went ahead and made these 2 batches on June 8.

37.5% CO
37.5% PO
10% OO
10% Hemp
5% Jojoba

30% CO
30% PO
15% OO
15% Hemp
10% Jojoba



They were both rock hard the next day. I'm sorry it took awhile to make the batches because I'd probably had been able to test them now. I'll update when they're cured.

 

[ambers_artworld]

Oh, Please do share the results!!! How exciting!!!