PKO vs CO

[Candybee]

I am thinking of using palm kernal oil in my soaps. I currently am using coconut oil. From reading about pko looks like I may get a harder bar with the same qualities that co offers. Would it be redundant to use both? Is one better than the other? I think I read somewhere that the pko makes better lather and was less drying than co? Any thoughts on this would help. Thanks.

[soycrazy]

For me personally it was way more drying on my skin this is why I stick with coconut oil. You'll just have to try it out for yourself. I have seen recipes with both though. PKO does make a nice hard bar too

[cmzaha]

I personally do not fine a huge difference between the two, but I realize some people do. I use pko alone in some soaps because I have customers allergic to coconut and I just do not find a big difference between the two and pko does make a nice hard bar. I also use pko and coconut oil together if I am using soft oils such as grapeseed, sunflower, sesame etc to help the hardness of the bar. I actually would use more than I do but I get coconut oil so in-expensive $40 35 lbs with no shipping, and the pko runs me $15 more. I am going to make a 100% pko ls and compare the cleaning power of the paste to my 100% coconut paste.

[MarieJeanette]

I use them both together in 2 of my favorite formulas. I find that PKO (I use the hydrogenated flakes) lends a little more hardness and a little less cleansing to my particular formulas, but it seems slightly lacking in the bubbly lather department when used alone apart from coconut oil. Don't get me wrong- the PKO lends plenty of wonderful bubbles- but just not as much as when I also use coconut oil with it.

I did an experiment once with PKO by making a 100% PKO bar with a 20% superfat, and compared it to my 100% coconut oil bar with a 20% superfat, and there was a definite difference between them. Although the PKO gave me lovely, hard bars that lathered wonderfully, they could not match the lather of my CO bars when compared side by side. The lather of my CO bars was slightly more bubbly and felt like it had more depth or 'oomph' to it than my PKO bars.

[LovelyLathers]

I use both in most of my soaps. CO has great lathering properties. It tends to dry my skin out as it is very cleansing and removes too much oil from the skin. PKO makes as nice hard bar and adds to the whiteness of the soap. A few customers I have are allergic to CO so I leave it out and add Babassu oil. I love Babassu as adds to the lather and conditioning of the soap and is not as drying.

[ProudMarineMom]

I use both in my soaps. For me, CO is very drying so I tend to use more PKO than CO. PKO gives a great, creamy lather, smaller bubbles. The CO gives the bigger bubbles but it is very cleansing. I haven't tried an all PKO bar yet. I made a plain bar for DH that used a larger percentage of CO and upped the superfat some. I was surprised, it is actually a very nice bar. Too drying for me, but DH liked it fine.

LovelyLathers, any issues with the bar feeling draggy (is that a word?) with the Babassu? Do you use 10% or less? I've read different opinions, just haven't tried it yet myself. But, I use it quite a bit in my B&B stuff and really like it.

[soycrazy]

Although the PKO gave me lovely, hard bars that lathered wonderfully, they could not match the lather of my CO bars when compared side by side. The lather of my CO bars was slightly more bubbly and felt like it had more depth or 'oomph' to it than my PKO bars.

This is what I have noticed also & I didn't care for it. I love lots of lather!

[LovelyLathers]

LovelyLathers, any issues with the bar feeling draggy (is that a word?) with the Babassu? Do you use 10% or less? I've read different opinions, just haven't tried it yet myself. But, I use it quite a bit in my B&B stuff and really like it.

PMM I use 5 to 7% Babassu It is too pricey to use it higher atleast for me. No I have not felt a drag to it. I use it in my shaving soap and it has nice glide and slip to it.

[ProudMarineMom]

PMM I use 5 to 7% Babassu It is too pricey to use it higher atleast for me. No I have not felt a drag to it. I use it in my shaving soap and it has nice glide and slip to it.

Yeah, it is a bit pricey, which is why I've been keeping it for B&B. Thanks for the info!

[Kitn]

I use only PKO I am allergic to CO..It makes my skin very dry and itchy.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Kitn

[Candybee]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will try them together and see how I like the combo.

[Carriegsxr6]

I agree with Proud Marine Mom "PKO gives a great, creamy lather, smaller bubbles. The CO gives the bigger bubbles "

[pixie]

Hi Candybee,

I use both of them together. I think they both bring something to the table and no its not redundant to use them both.

[LEELOU]

COULD BABASSU replace them BOTH in a recipe using other oils? Does it harden the soap at all??

[Candybee]

Yes you can use babassu alone if you want. Yes it helps harden soap but I would also use it with an another oil like palm. Or you could also use lard or cocoa butter, or shea. That way you can have a harder, creamier bar. Try it.

 

I have a recipe that I use babassu and PKO together. Makes lovely lather.

[Jcandleattic]

I use coconut and pko in the same recipe all the time. I have found that babassu can be even more drying to my skin than coconut oil is in higher %'s. That could just be me, or the combination of oils, not sure. I have found though that when I add olive oil to my basic recipe that has a high percent of coconut, it drys my skin out more than the same recipe minus the OO in it does.

[Honeybadgeress]

Has anyone tried KuKui? I love AVOCADO oil and pulp in my soap!

[Honeybadgeress]

Or,..CUPUACU Butter???

[coconut]

On 5/16/2017 at 2:22 PM, Honeybadgeress said:

Has anyone tried KuKui? I love AVOCADO oil and pulp in my soap!

What do you like about the avocado oil?

[Jcandleattic]

4 hours ago, coconut said:

What do you like about the avocado oil?

Avocado oil is a very rich nice skin nourishing soap. Makes a great bar. I use it in every batch I make. 

[Carriegsxr6]

On 11/9/2012 at 8:38 AM, cmzaha said:

I personally do not fine a huge difference between the two, but I realize some people do. I use pko alone in some soaps because I have customers allergic to coconut and I just do not find a big difference between the two and pko does make a nice hard bar. I also use pko and coconut oil together if I am using soft oils such as grapeseed, sunflower, sesame etc to help the hardness of the bar. I actually would use more than I do but I get coconut oil so in-expensive $40 35 lbs with no shipping, and the pko runs me $15 more. I am going to make a 100% pko ls and compare the cleaning power of the paste to my 100% coconut paste.

 

Cmzaha,

 

I am addicted to making cleansing liquid soap for dishes and I dilute with water to make a kitchen spray. i currently use only 50% coconut oil and do a 25% olive and 25% sunflower. I have been to scared to do a 100% coconut oil fearing it may leave a residue on my dishes. Do you get any residue left after using a 100% coconut for dish soap?

[Crafty1_AJ]

Old topic, but just now getting around to reading on the soap forum here.  LOL

 

I love coconut, and use it in almost every batch.  But for customers with sensitivities to coconut, and customers with drier skin, I make a coconut-free soap using PKO instead.   I also use lots of OO to help with the non-drying / skin conditioning properties.

 

 

[Barbara AL]

Babassu oil  has the same oil properties as coconut I like to use it in place of coconut.

[Candybee]

This is a really old thread! I have since done the PKO + CO combo and after a while I went back to CO. I do use PKO + Babassu in my neem oil soaps thou. But for my regular bath soaps I just use CO in my recipes. I find CO with castor in my recipes gives me large, fluffy, creamy lather. Plus it saves me money not using the PKO + CO combo in all my soaps.

 

[Sponiebr]

PKO huh. Personally, I have really good luck with just regular palm oil and CO, and it's definitely cheap enough. I wasn't aware that people with nut allergies could use PKO, I kinda thought it was nut based oil...