PKO salt bar update

[Obsidian]

Its been 8 weeks since I made my 100% palm kernel oil salt bars. I used 50% salt in the batter and a 25% salt brine solution so they total salt is 75%.

I have to admit, I'm not real crazy about this soap.
Its hard to lather and the lather fades quickly. The bars are harder and not as soluble as a regular salt bar, I'm guessing that is what affects the lather issue. If I use a bath puff, the lather is much better.

I want to try another small batch with only 25% salt, see if that would help the lather. I'm also going to lower the SF to 15%.

They do leave your skin as nice as a coconut based salt bar and would be a great sub for people who can't use coconut, especially if I can find out how to increase the lather.

 

[new12soap]

Huh... Have you made a bar with both salt and brine solution using CO? Sorry if this was posted elsewhere, I missed it. I hadn't heard of doing both.

I generally prefer pko or at least a blend over just using co in other soaps, I would have thought it would have made a lovely salt bar. Now I am kinda bummed but thanks for the info.

 

[Obsidian]

Huh... Have you made a bar with both salt and brine solution using CO? Sorry if this was posted elsewhere, I missed it. I hadn't heard of doing both.

I generally prefer pko or at least a blend over just using co in other soaps, I would have thought it would have made a lovely salt bar. Now I am kinda bummed but thanks for the info.

Yeah, I've made regular salt bars with salt and brine, it didn't affect the bars outcome at all.

I also prefer PKO and use it in all my recipes except salt bars. Thats one reason I did this experiment, if I could eliminate coconut oil totally from my soaps I would have bee happy.

 

[IrishLass]

I kinda had the same kind of results with the 100% PKO bar with a 20% S/F that I made a few years ago (without salt). Although it was hard and lathered nicely (with slightly more work), I felt that it (the lather) lacked the 'oomphy 'body' that my soap made with 100% CO exhibits.

IrishLass

 

[Obsidian]

Something else I noticed but forgot to mention in my first post, these bars make a ton of soap scum. Much more then any of my other bars. Lacking 'oomphy body' is a good way to describe the lather.
I'm going to grind my bars down into powder and put it in a shaker jar for hand washing.

 

[KatieShephard]

I also prefer PKO and use it in all my recipes except salt bars. Thats one reason I did this experiment, if I could eliminate coconut oil totally from my soaps I would have bee happy.

Hi Obsidian...why do you prefer PKO over CO?

 

[Obsidian]

Its cheaper and easier to use since its in flake form. It also seems to make a milder bar then coconut.

 

[Lion Of Judah]

if i remember correctly it has been stated that CO is about the only oil that lathers nicely in salt water making it the ideal match for salt bars and brine. so that being said , is totally refusing to try it due to availability or just do not like CO?.... have you guys tried Babassu Oil ?, may be too pricey to use in such large amounts , little more than double the price of coconut oil in some places.

 

[Meganmischke]

I made babassu salt bars and I like them more than the co. As far as only co lathering in salty soaps it is the myristic and lauric fatty acids that do the job. Pko, co, babassu all are high in those fatty acids so should work.

 

[Obsidian]

Oh, I make a lot of salt bars with coconut, I just though it would be convenient if I could use PKO instead. I also heard that the myristic and lauric is what makes coconut oil soap usable in salt water but after this test, I'm convinced there is more to it.
If the myristic and lauric was the only thing behind a good salt soap then the PKO bars should lather a lot better then they do. I'd like to try babassu sometime but the price really turns me off. If I was sensitive to coconut I would try it though, I love salt bars and won't go without them.

 

[Meganmischke]

I say try the babassu you will love it.

 

[Meganmischke]

Or I could send you one ☺

 

[cmzaha]

Oh, I make a lot of salt bars with coconut, I just though it would be convenient if I could use PKO instead. I also heard that the myristic and lauric is what makes coconut oil soap usable in salt water but after this test, I'm convinced there is more to it.
If the myristic and lauric was the only thing behind a good salt soap then the PKO bars should lather a lot better then they do. I'd like to try babassu sometime but the price really turns me off. If I was sensitive to coconut I would try it though, I love salt bars and won't go without them.

I have to ask if you and IrishLass used PKO flakes. The flaked is considerably higher in stearic which I finds deters some with lather. I make salt bars with both CO and Regular PKO and they are very close to the same. I do no however tend to mix the two, just use one or the other. I do not get my PKO as cheap as my coconut, but close in price. Approx $40 per 5 gallons or 35 lbs

 

[Obsidian]

Yes, I do use the flakes and wondered if the steric had something to do with it.

 

[cmzaha]

Yes, I do use the flakes and wondered if the steric had something to do with it.

That is the only big difference I see when using PKO Flakes versus PKO. I interchange PKO and CO regularly, but do not use them together. Although I would consider using the flakes with CO to add hardness from the stearic