How to use Palm Oil

[Lina]

When I was first learning to make soap via the "soap queen" I was told to heat up my palm oil and give it a stir before mixing it with my other oils. Now that I am making more soap I am buying a big bucket of palm oil. How do I go about adding palm oil from the bucket to my recipe?

Thank-you!

 

[Susie]

You need to melt the whole thing, stir very well, then scoop out what you need.

If it were me, I would melt that whole bucket, then mix very well, then scoop out 1 lb amounts into smaller containers so that I would only have to melt that big bucket down once.

 

[regansoap]

I found that melting palm oil makes it go a horrible yellow colour. Isn't it soft enough just to scoop out and decant into smaller more manageable containers - just saying like.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I found that melting palm oil makes it go a horrible yellow colour. Isn't it soft enough just to scoop out and decant into smaller more manageable containers - just saying like.

Palm is not always uniformly mixed, as the two main fatty acids seem to harden at different rates - if you just heated palm oil and left it to cool naturally, it wouldn't all be equal. To get what you think your getting with every scoop, you have to make sure it is mixed.

I am with Susie on the portioning it out idea. Oddly enough, the large palm I'm looking at comes in a 20 litre container, so it seems to be liquid at room temperature. Makes me think about the quality of it, to be honest.............

 

[Susie]

They melt those oils down, pour them into what would normally be a liquid-only container, then let it harden. So you very well may have to melt it down to get it out. (and you may as well portion it out while you have it melted and stirred) I had that issue with CO. I still have a gallon left in the jug.

 

[cmzaha]

I buy my palm in 5 gallon buckets and do not even consider trying to melt it all down. I scoop from different areas of the bucket, stir it is it is at all soft and have never had a problem. During the summer mine will melt on its own but during the winter I just do not worry about it. When the weather cools and my palm starts to re-solidify I try to remember to stir it periodically. It is not that I like to defy the rules but I simply do not have the time, space or patience to melt down 35 lbs of oil and repackage

 

[galaxyMLP]

My palm is semi solid at room temperature (~78 degrees). It separates into 2 layers if I let it sit long enough (liquid on top, solid oil bits on bottom). I bought a 50 lb bucket of it from soapers choice and I just stirred the semi solid mixture to mix up the layers. Then I portion it out into smaller ~ 5 lb containers. I stirred it every time I started a new 5 lb container or if I could see visible separation. I did all of my portioning in one sitting. I mix up those small containers really well before I use them. I don't melt it all before I use it. I only melt it when I have the amounts portioned out for making a batch of soap before I mix in my lye water.