Karanja oil vs neem oil

[DeeAnna]

There seems to be a lot of info on the 'net about the many benefits and uses of neem oil, but not so much about karanja oil.

I'm curious to know what experience y'all might have with karanja. Do you like using it as an alternative to neem or in addition to neem in products such as soap, lotions/salves, and also for the garden?

Supposedly karanja has human health properties similar to neem, at least for dermatological use. I gather karanja is not used much internally, however, and neem is. (Not that I have any intention of using either internally!)

I've seen karanja used in soap either alone or blended with neem at 1 part karanja to 1-2 parts neem.

Karanja is supposed to have a milder scent, and that would be a big plus for me -- I'm not fond of neem. To me neem has a pungent garlic/nut/solvent type odor, but I've never sniffed karanja. I don't know if "milder" means "not so pungent but still nose wrinkling odd" or "not so pungent and fairly agreeable."

Reading older SMF threads about using neem in soap, people have said the neem odor in soap mellows with time and becomes more acceptable. I'm curious to hear any current reactions to that point.

My use of neem in the garden is that it's an effective broad spectrum fungicide, bactericide, and insecticide. I don't have a clue if karanja offers the same benefits. Several sources made a garden spray by mixing neem and karanja in proportions similar to that for soap. Not sure what that does compared with neem alone. I didn't see too many sources using karanja by itself for garden use, but there are many that use neem alone.

I'm considering buying neem and possibly karanja from Soaper's Choice. I've been wondering if karanja offers enough benefits in terms of a nicer odor, usefulness in soap and B&B products, and effectiveness in the garden -- to warrant buying both.

 

[Obsidian]

I've never used karanja but I have used neem, up to 35% a couple times. The smell does mellow, a lot. Too me need smells like rotten onions but after about 4 months, it almost has a earthy black tea scent.

 

[DeeAnna]

Yeah, rotten onions works for me too -- with a small side of old garlic thrown in. It's very good to know the odor in soap mellows out with time. I can do "earthy black tea" very easily!

 

[dibbles]

TeresaT used karanja oil in one of the soap samples she included in the fragrance swap last summer. I don't remember it having a particularly strong odor. I looked through the fragrance swap thread and didn't find anything there, but maybe my eyes are tired. You might find something if you do a search for karanja in her posts. Or send her a PM.

 

[CTAnton]

I take care of one organic vegetable garden. Every year I battle flea beetles and cabbage moth so I've often turned to ready to spray formulations of neem so the client can easily spray when I'm not there. 74 year old actress...sometimes I think I should be paying her...what a hoot! But I digress...I've seen all kinds of various concentrations and I can't say any have been wonderful. I'm using a new one this year that at least theres enough surfactant in it where it doesn't roll off the leaf.

 

[cmzaha]

Karanja does have a milder scent. Been does mellow over time, I find a 3 month cure time helps a lot, in my formula using 25% been. Just do not ever use it that high in LS. I had to dump a gallon because it never did mellow and I do not mind the smell of neem

 

[DeeAnna]

Thank you all for your advice and thoughts. After reading what you've shared and thinking about it, I think my pocketbook and I will be happiest if I just get neem to try out. If that doesn't suit, I can always try karanja.

 

[sang90]

I have just sourced few litres of karanja oil. Could someone please tell me the max usage of karanja oil in cold processed soap

 

[DeeAnna]

I've only used neem so far. Neem is more like lard. Karanja is more like olive oil.

Don't just blindly use X percent just because someone says that's what you should use. Consider the fatty acid profile of your recipe, the goals you have for the soap, the possible toxicity of the ingredient, and the cost when you decide how much to use.

But the short answer -- I'd say most people use neem or karanja at about 15% to 25% of the total fat, more or less.

That said, I've used neem up to 85% of the total fat, and it made a nice soap. There's another SMF member who has made a 100% neem soap. I'm certain a person could use that much karanja as well. But these fats are fairly expensive in the US compared to other soap making fats, so I question whether using that much adds enough benefit to be worth the cost.

I also question whether a soap with more than 20% neem is safe around children who might put the soap in their mouths. Neem is toxic if ingested, especially for children. I haven't researched karanja toxicity, so you will need to do your homework about the possible toxicity of this fat.

An 85% neem soap doesn't make sense to me except as an experiment due to cost and possible safety issues. The same would be true for karanja, if I used it. I stick with 20% neem.