Oil percentages

[Steph]

Hello...I am new to this forum. I just read that you should limit palm oil to 10-30 percent, but if combining with coconut, they both should not exceed 50%. My current recipe is 40% palm, 30% olive, 25% coconut, & 5% castor. I thought this would be ok... Any info is much appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[Healinya]

I've made that exact recipe before. It was fine. Rock hard, lasted awhile. Decent lather, but I wanted more so continued making other adjustments.

 

[fun_4_me_now]

Hi Steph.

Before I started making my own, I was using a great soap that was palm/palm kernel(very close to coconut) and it was fine., so you CAN go outside that range and get a great bar.


What is it for?

The recipe you have there seems like a good all around bar. You could use it on body, hair, to shave, and even on laundry. You have lather components, good cleaning power, and some conditioning. You have hardness too.

If you want to accomplish something specific, that is another story.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Hello...I am new to this forum. I just read that you should limit palm oil to 10-30 percent, but if combining with coconut, they both should not exceed 50%. My current recipe is 40% palm, 30% olive, 25% coconut, & 5% castor. I thought this would be ok... Any info is much appreciated!! Thanks!

Meh. I just made a 70% Coconut and 30% Palm bar for heavier cleansing, and at 0.5% superfat. That's not a misprint. The thing traced in about two minutes and went rock hard in 24 hours with no zap. I expected the fast trace (the INS value is off the charts) and mixed my fragrance and colorant right into the oils. In that case, planning took care of the problems I knew I'd have if I tried to treat it like a high olive oil batch....and experience leads to being able to plan.

I love it. I can use it on my face...or the laundry. Both get really greasy. It's so far off the accepted norms, though, that it's not a recipe you're likely to see heavily used by most.

Rules were made to be broken, or at least experimented with.

The recipe you gave sounds like a pretty good general soap to me, although if you had a specific purpose in mind a better mix might suggest itself. When I run yours through SoapCalc, I get a good soap that's pretty mid-range on every single value.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It may not have an individual strength, but it makes a strong showing in every possible category.

 

[honor435]

I made a high palm bar, it was ok the numbers were
hardness 46
cleansing 17
condition 51
bubbles 25
creamy 38 I prefer more oo, so i didnt do it again, do you use soapcalc? it is nice to make your own bar and see what the numbers are.

 

[ewenique]

If I recall correctly, palm kernel oil has similar high cleansing properties like coconut oil, so many keep CO or PKO to 30% or less, or use a higher superfat. Palm oil is more similar to lard than to coconut, and can be used at a higher percentage.

 

[Steph]

Thank you all for the input. I do use Soap Calc---that's how I came up with this recipe. I adjusted one I already had. I have gotten good feedback on it, so thought it was a good one, then read about limiting palm--sort of freaked out!!

Another question: what is a good place for pure, good quality essential oils? (I am new to this whole forum thing...so maybe I need to post it as a new question...sorry!)

 

[carebear]

Meh. I just made a 70% Coconut and 30% Palm bar for heavier cleansing, and at 0.5% superfat.

I regularly soap 75% coconut oil without issue. I have very dry skin so I superfat it to 10-15% depending on what the other oil is (I tend to do 2 oil formulas a lot).

That guideline about coconut - it just doesn't hold water once you know what you want.

 

[Healinya]

Would I be correct in assuming that a bar with 75% coconut would do make amazing lather to rub onto a body sponge rather than using directly on skin? I didn't enjoy high coconut %, but then again, with all the other possible factors - who can be sure...

 

[carebear]

it makes great lather either way

 

[Hazel]

Another question: what is a good place for pure, good quality essential oils? (I am new to this whole forum thing...so maybe I need to post it as a new question...sorry!)

I ask all sorts of questions in one thread so don't worry. Everyone here is very helpful.

I buy most of my EOs & FOs through wholesalesuppliesplus.com since I'm not concerned at this time about therapeutic qualities. There are a few scents that I haven't found with them so then I just google until I find a source.

Check out the Aromatherapy forum. I know there's been several discussions about sources for high quality essential oils.

 

[honor435]

newdirections is a good place for eos, really they dont need to be really expensive, its going down the drain.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Thank you all for the input. I do use Soap Calc---that's how I came up with this recipe. I adjusted one I already had. I have gotten good feedback on it, so thought it was a good one, then read about limiting palm--sort of freaked out!!

Another question: what is a good place for pure, good quality essential oils? (I am new to this whole forum thing...so maybe I need to post it as a new question...sorry!)

Well, if it's your first or third batch, I think I'd follow the rules. After that, though, play. No matter how far I go afield I get something I can use somewhere. That high CO and very low superfat soap is great for washing my face, the dishes, and the laundry. I wouldn't use it in the shower because I tend toward dry skin everywhere else.

I get fragrances (EO and FO) from saveonscents.com and wholesalesupplies.com. The first has a good selection and pretty decent scents (some don't seem to care for them, but I never seem to have any trouble, plus they're only one state over from me). Nobody complains about WSP, they're great.

I'm not into the medicinal properties or aromatherapy or anything, though. I just like stuff to Smell Nice.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Meh. I just made a 70% Coconut and 30% Palm bar for heavier cleansing, and at 0.5% superfat.

I regularly soap 75% coconut oil without issue. I have very dry skin so I superfat it to 10-15% depending on what the other oil is (I tend to do 2 oil formulas a lot).

That guideline about coconut - it just doesn't hold water once you know what you want.

Agreed, and in my case a lot of lather is paramount. One person in this household feels that if the soap isn't spewing lather in a pressurized jet when you damp it down, it's not working. You know, the soap is broken or something...

That person is not me, although I also like a lathery soap.

 

[Steph]

Thank you to all again! I have loved this forum since the day I found it---1 1/2 years ago. Just now joining! Everyones seems so nice and helpful!

 

[honor435]

i really my recipe of po, co, oo, castor and shea or cocoa butter, it is bubbly 26-28, creamy 28, cleansing, i try and not go above 20, or its drying, for me, I do stay within there guidlines, just by trial and error, ive made over 100 batches now!