Liquid oils that make great bubbles?

[mikvahnrose]

So I want to stop using palm oil and replace it with other liquid vegetable oils; problem is that I don't want the quality of bubbles of to decrease, nor do I want to use animal bi products (lard). So what are some good liquid or soft oils to replace Palm that will contribute to fluffy lather?

 

[ngian]

You can use the ones that are in the Palmitic/Stearic fatty acids and some of the famous ones are Shea, Cocoa and Mango butters.

If they are used at higher than 15-20% in a recipe (up to 50%) you can use less lye discount and a bit more than usual Coconut Oil (eg 30% instead of 20-25%), as the above butters have more unsaponifiables along with higher Stearic than palmitic fatty acids and they need more friction / heat / water in order to start their solubility.

The feeling that they give to the suds though is slightly different from palm oil.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As above, there isn't really a liquid oil as a palm replacement. You could look at the fatty acid make up of palm and find liquid oils to combine for it, although I don't think you'll be able to. Besides, with liquid oils instead of a hard oils your soap will be materially different

 

[topofmurrayhill]

I understand where this stuff comes from, but I wish rationality would prevail.

Think of the section of the market where people buy soy, canola, sunflower and safflower oil for frying and similar purposes. In the USA and Europe there is virtually NO palm oil being sold there for any purpose other than maybe shortening.

In contrast, there are huge swaths of Southeast Asia, Africa and South America where palm is the MAIN oil you would buy for food purposes. Glub, glub, glub palm oil for frying and for everything. THAT is the problem and the path to a solution.

Craft soapers are not the bad guys. We are the good guys who use small amounts of palm oil in an application where there is basically no equivalent product to replace it with. We don't cause the harm and we can't contribute anything meaningful to prevent it -- just join in on a green fad to make ourselves feel good by taking personal responsibility for the sins of big businesses.

So don't use palm oil on a daily basis for food.

Oh wait...you're not!

 

[cmzaha]

^^^I have basically said the same thing for years and do not feel any regrets in using palm in soap. What we use is probably not even a drop in the bucket. Palm goes in all my vegan soaps and lard and tallow in non vegan. Don't feel the least amount of regret

 

[mikvahnrose]

My heart feels pretty much the same that palm isn't the worst thing in the world to use. And that the problems from it are really the business in Asia doing bad practices. I'm just not sure I feel I want to add to the demand. I'm torn.

I hear coconut is another oil that is being over harvested since it's inception of the "coconut heals everything fad" and that is why prices are going up.

I am just thinking of alternatives for people who are concerned about that. But it seems there is no vegan recipe without it.

 

[penelopejane]

There are lots of vegan recipes without palm. Not only do I object to palm oil use because of the orangutan habitat loss and forest loss but I am highly allergic to it.

In Oz there is a very large section of the market for soap that demands palm free and animal fat free soap and a section that wants organic as well.

There is room for everyone with their various idiosyncrasies in this world. Live and let live.

 

[Chefmom]

I don't look at my formula as "oils to replace palm" so much as formulate a recipe without it. My daughter gave me strict parameters for a vegan soap and after a few bumps I have formulated a hard bar that has lovely lather, gets you clean and leaves even my skin feeling nice with a 8% superfat. Her parameters were strict. No palm, no GMO based oils, no castor, no animal based products, only natural colorants if any colors are used and only essential oils or unscented.

I bought rice bran oil and this recipe uses a fair amount. I really like rice bran and am starting to use it in other recipes as well. Since I have been selling soaps now at festivals etc I am meeting my customers face to face and when I give my parameters for my vegan soaps my customers who follow those guidelines are pleased. My biggest concern was that I wanted a quality soap that could stand up to the quality of my lard/tallow based soaps or even my palm based vegetarian soaps. I am pleased with my results and stand behind the quality of my vegan blend.

Trial and error is your best test. Make a list of the oils that you want to use and stick to them. It can be hard with the soap calc numbers, I have several fabulous formulas that have really "crappy" numbers. Even 100% olive oil will make a hard soap, you just have to cure it longer and use different water amounts to get there.