Palm Oil

Description

Palm oil adds a unique feeling to cold process soap. It helps harden the bars and it creates lather when paired with coconut oil. In cold process soap, the oil can be used up to 33%. Don’t forget to fully melt and mix the palm oil before use, that way the fatty acids will distribute evenly.

Palm oil is occasionally referred to as the “vegan’s substitute for tallow” because it adds similar structural properties to the soap as tallow while allowing you to avoid the use of animal products if you so desire.

When making soap with palm oil, the glycerin yield is actually lower then with other soap making oils. This is because of its high percentage of free fatty acids. Despite the lower glycerin levels, palm oil soap making is still appealing because of the nice creamy/stable lather it produces and the hardness it adds to the soap. Keep in mind that if you use other oils in your recipe (which you likely will) the low glycerin yield will not be a problem as other ingredients will make up for it.