substitute for palm oil

[kata]

I'm appalled by the environmental damage being done to produce palm oil and I really don't want to be part of it. My favorite soap recipes are based on palm oil. Are there other choices that are easier on the planet?

 

[donniej]

FULLY hydrogenated soybean oil. It will be solid at room temp. It makes very hard soap and is usually grown and hydrogenated in the USA.

 

[carebear]

and were do you find this?

 

[Woodi]

I use lard, but you'll probably argue that pig farming is also hard on the planet?....I have a neighbour who raises her own organic pigs, just a few, and sells her fat to me.

 

[honor435]

we've talked about this before, you could look up past posts, but.. oils by nature claims they have earth friendly palm. It is in everything you eat, look at labels, are you going to stop eating those foods also? if not Id make your soap with it.

 

[maya]

i get an organic and sustainably sourced brand. i know a lot of soapers say that it doesn't make a difference, just buy the cheapest you can. BUT i stopped eating certain foods because of palm oil in it. and a good number of my customers wont buy stuff unless i can assure them that the palm i use is sourced ethically. i wouldn't want to use it otherwise. what other ppl. do is their business, what i do is mine.

i am very seriously thinking of switching to fully hydrogenated soy tho.

 

[SoapJunkie]

Here's a link to buy organic sustainable palm oil if you're interested -

http://www.soaperschoice.com/cgi-soaper ... 0&cart_id=

 

[ChrisShepp]

Kata,

To the best of my knowledge, Bramble Berry sources all of their oils/butters from sustainable, fair-trade producers. Their oils and butters are also highly quality-controlled, so that customers can be assured they are purchasing a quality product. Anne-Marie, the founder and CEO, has posted on both the website ad her personal blog to that effect - she clearly cares deeply about preserving the planet for the next generation.

Wow, I should apply for a marketing job there! :wink:

Happy soaping!

 

[honor435]

isnt soybean prone to dos?

 

[soapsmurf]

isnt soybean prone to dos?

Definitely much more so than palm, according to the results of this swap, which has been linked here before:
http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm

The all palm was in the best shape 6 mths later; the soybean, the worst.

 

[jarvan]

I use the sustainable palm products in my soap, and for my own purposes would never delete palm willingly from my product. In a roundabout fashion, we could all probably argue that since coconuts come from palm trees, that we should not use coconut oil.

 

[jarvan]

I use the sustainable palm products in my soap, and for my own purposes would never delete palm willingly from my product. In a roundabout fashion, we could all probably argue that since coconuts come from palm trees, that we should not use coconut oil.

 

[carebear]

soy is a nightmare at levels about about 15% (even that may be too high). hydrogenating it can help somewhat, but not eliminate the problem.

plus I know Top (on another forum) was on a quest for fully hydrogenated soy and I don't think he ever found it - so if you have a source please share.

 

[donniej]

Fully hydrogenated soy is not prone to DOS since it is mostly saturated fatty acids (hence the name, "fully hydrogenated"). I have experimented with it extensively and it makes very hard bars which do not DOS.

Soapers choice sells it as "soybean shortening" (by the 50 pound cube). I have never seen it at a grocery store.

 

[maya]

wow. that description of soy was brutal. true i am sure, but BRUTAL none the less.

 

[dagmar88]

Fully hydrogenated soy is not prone to DOS since it is mostly saturated fatty acids (hence the name, "fully hydrogenated"). I have experimented with it extensively and it makes very hard bars which do not DOS.

Soapers choice sells it as "soybean shortening" (by the 50 pound cube). I have never seen it at a grocery store.

And soy has got it's own problems; might be good to tell since Kata wants to know what alternatives to palm are better for the planet...

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/SDILA.php

http://www.fairfood.org/facts/production-chains/soy/

 

[kata]

Wow! Lots of information, lots to think about. Thank you, all for sharing. I've been away from soap crafting for several years and need to re-educate myself. I'm newly retired and looking foward to having time to do things I enjoy doing.

 

[craftgirl08]

Re Sustainable Palm Oil

What exactly is "sustainable palm oil" vs palm oil?

 

[BakingNana]

I'm just as concerned, if not more so, about GM soy. I don't use soy or canola because of the dicey nature of them, but both of those are usually from genetically modified seed unless they specifically state otherwise or are organic. I'd much rather use ethically-sourced palm.

 

[kata]

I'm leaning towards ethically produced palm oil. How do you check on the source of the oil with any assurance that the claims made are true?