Recipe, palm percent?

[Soapman Ryan]

I'm working on a recipe that includes the following oils:
olive - for bar bulk
coconut - for lather
palm - for harness and to stabilize lather
shea butter - silky feel
apricot kernel - lotion-like lather, conditioning
castor - stabilize lather, add creaminess
sugar - to increase lather

What palm percents are your favorite for the best effectiveness?
What's a good starting point (for palm percent), as I will be adjusting the oil percents to get the most and creaminess lather.
I'm not sure if I should have more palm or more coconut oil?

 

[VanessaP]

If you are wanting to use all of those oils:

30% olive
20% coconut
30% palm
10% shea
5% AKO
5% castor

If you want creamy, you want to have less coconut - coconut produces fluffy bubbles. Shea and palm are good for creaminess.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

If you are wanting to use all of those oils:

30% olive
20% coconut
30% palm
10% shea
5% AKO
5% castor

If you want creamy, you want to have less coconut - coconut produces fluffy bubbles. Shea and palm are good for creaminess.

Yes, do you think it's too many oils to achieve a nice soft creamy, bubbly lather? I'm trying to focus on a simple recipe with few ingredients, for bath and face. I included the apricot kernel oil, because I have a soap that uses it now and it works as a great pre shave soap, by softening the beard hair.

 

[dagmar88]

Yes, do you think it's too many oils to achieve a nice soft creamy, bubbly lather? I'm trying to focus on a simple recipe with few ingredients, for bath and face. I included the apricot kernel oil, because I have a soap that uses it now and it works as a great pre shave soap, by softening the beard hair.

I'd up the olive by 10% and keep the palm at 20%, for a more conditioning bar.
Gives you some more slip too, for shaving.
Palm is really just unremarkable on it's own, but gives a nice hard, white bar.
A filler really.

Castor at 8% gives you more bubbles, without getting icky.

I'm personally not a fan of shea in soap; it doesn't add much. I prefer to use it in leave on applications.
Clay would be a nice addition.

 

[hoegarden]

For me, I keep the % of palm oil in relation to my coconut oil. if i use 20% of coconut oil, i will use either 20% or 15% of palm oil.

 

[melstan775]

I have found low amounts to palm to result in silkier soap. I would say 15 max. But more if you want a harder bar. But if you do add more, increase superfat. In my bars high palm has resulted in rustic bars that are tough in texture and more drying them lower amounts of palm bars. And I love Shea butter in soap. It has a lot of unsaponifiables so it helps superfat a lot and is a great moisturizer. Also working on formulating a recipe with apricot kernel oil- it has anti aging properties to keep skin awesome!

 

[dagmar88]

Also working on formulating a recipe with apricot kernel oil- it has anti aging properties to keep skin awesome!

It's nice and conditioning in soap, but those anti ageing properties won't come through in a rinse off product.

You could look into the oil cleansing method; apricot kernel would be wonderful there.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

Thanks for everyone responses.

I have found low amounts to palm to result in silkier soap. I would say 15 max.

A silkier soap would be nice.

But more if you want a harder bar. But if you do add more, increase superfat. In my bars high palm has resulted in rustic bars that are tough in texture and more drying them lower amounts of palm bars.

I'm thinking of a superfat of maybe 7 or 8. I was wanting a semi hard bar, but not too hard. I have seen some palm soaps with little cracks on each of the sides after the bar has been used half up. Is this the result of too much palm?

Clay would be a nice addition.

Great idea. After I get a good formula created I will then add the clay.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have found low amounts to palm to result in silkier soap. I would say 15 max. But more if you want a harder bar. But if you do add more, increase superfat. In my bars high palm has resulted in rustic bars that are tough in texture and more drying them lower amounts of palm bars. And I love Shea butter in soap. It has a lot of unsaponifiables so it helps superfat a lot and is a great moisturizer. Also working on formulating a recipe with apricot kernel oil- it has anti aging properties to keep skin awesome!

Are you talking about palm? Or PKO?
PKO I could see keeping your amounts low as it can be drying, but not as much as CO, but palm can make a very creamy bar at higher percents than 15%.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

Are you talking about palm? Or PKO?
PKO I could see keeping your amounts low as it can be drying, but not as much as CO, but palm can make a very creamy bar at higher percents than 15%.

Just palm, not PKO.

 

[jcandleattic]

Just palm, not PKO.

Yes, you are, but I was wondering about Melstan's post.
PKO can be drying, but I myself, (and several other soapers I know) have not had that experience with Palm, which is why I was wondering.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

Yes, you are, but I was wondering about Melstan's post.
PKO can be drying, but I myself, (and several other soapers I know) have not had that experience with Palm, which is why I was wondering.

I'm sorry, I didn't notice Melstan's quote above your post. My fault for not looking.

 

[jcandleattic]

I'm sorry, I didn't notice Melstan's quote above your post. My fault for not looking.

No worries. I'm just more curious about others experience more than anything.

 

[melstan775]

Yes, you are, but I was wondering about Melstan's post.
PKO can be drying, but I myself, (and several other soapers I know) have not had that experience with Palm, which is why I was wondering.

Just palm, not PKO. When I dropped my palm percentage down, my soaps texture improved, also they didn't feel as drying. That was the first experimental adjustment I made and it seems to have worked out.