coconut oil vs palm kernel oil/flakes

[LaurafromSweden]

Hi there.!!!

i wanted to know if you use coconut oil in a soap recipe is it necessary to use palm kernel oil as i read that they have almost the same properties? So if you use coconut oil, palm oil would be better, but not really palm kernel?

Thanks a lot..

Laura , Sweden.

[Crafty1_AJ]

I use coconut in conjunction with either palm kernal or palm oil. When I use pko, I use a bit less than I do with palm and just bump up the coconut percentage a bit to compensate.

SO, I use palm with coconut.

OR, palm kernel with coconut.

I don't use both pko and palm in the same recipe, but some soapers do.

[RobinInOR]

Think of it this way - coconut is very similar to palm kernal. Palm is more like lard and tallow.

I use both coconut and PKO - I want the extra lather/bubbles for my hard water, but I'm sensitive to high coconut. So I do with by mixing the 2 for a higher percentage total...

[lisajo]

I don't use coconut and pko together because they basically work the same. I prefer coconut because I can use it in B&B products. It gives me the ability to store one, multi-purpose oil. Plus, I can use less coconut than pko for the same feel.

[Gene]

I like the combo

[soulshine]

I use palm, pko and coconut 2gether in most of my recipes, however I am tesing bars without the PKO because I can't get the flakes locally, and I don't want to pay shipping. (and I just ran out)

[Gypsyjen]

I don't use coconut and pko together because they basically work the same.

Same here. Why bother storing and measuring out two separate oils with the same properties when I can get a big pail of coconut oil at a reasonable price?

[Janis]

I use pko in place of coconut oil because I have an allergic reaction to co. Some people are sensitive to co, too, so you may want to use it in smaller numbers if you are selling. Co and pko both make hard bars, but pko is milder to the skin, imo, and makes bigger, fluffier bubbles. It just depends on what you want in your final product.

ETA: some folks like the bubbles co gives better than pko, lol. CO will give you a slightly harder bar.

[Karen B]

I don't use both pko and palm in the same recipe, but some soapers do.

Kind of hijacking this thread here. I understand it's all different soapers opinions & "personalities" of there soaps. But can I ask your opinion as to why you don't use PKO & Palm Oil together in a recipe? Does it get to drying or what you don't like about it. Sorry for the really stupid question, I'm playing around with all kids of butters & oils right now & just wondered. (wow is there a lot to play with too)

thanks,

Karen

[Crafty1_AJ]

Kind of hijacking this thread here. I understand it's all different soapers opinions & "personalities" of there soaps. But can I ask your opinion as to why you don't use PKO & Palm Oil together in a recipe? Does it get to drying or what you don't like about it. Sorry for the really stupid question, I'm playing around with all kids of butters & oils right now & just wondered. (wow is there a lot to play with too)

thanks,

Karen

Some people do use both! No biggie. I just shoot for a certain percent of hard oils in my recipes, and for certain qualities in the finished bar. If you like what both pko and palm bring to the party, try them together! Go wild! The reason I don't use both together is that I nearly always use coconut in my soaps. Coconut + palm gives me the results I like. Coconut + pko also gives me results I like. I just don't personally see the need to use both in MY recipes. Other soapers have different recipes, and they might need the additional hardness factor or lathering factor in one fat or the other, so they use both.

And you're right -- personalities and experience color so much of what we do and say. Gotta factor that in -- that's why you'll have differing opinions amongst soapers and chandlers. :-)

[Karen B]

Thanks for your reply, I was just wondering. Like I said I'm still kind of "playing with fats" (not the stuff on my body)

Just curious if that was a big no, no. Like trying to use a pillar wax in a container. You **could** do it but you really don't want to. It sounds more like different "personalities" to me. You don't need the extra harding qualities from the palm so why added it. I think I get it, thanks so much.

Karen B

[Crafty1_AJ]

Well after thinking over your question a bit more, I can understand what you're going for, I think. It's true that pko and coconut do have similar fatty acid compositions, with the exception of oleic. But what I failed to tell you is that it all depends on all the other ingredients in your recipe. The different oils work together -- sort of like a synergistic thing. The combination of the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts, if you know what I mean. So depending on your recipe, I can understand subbing coconut for pko, or pko for coconut. They do have similar characteristics, whereas palm oil is an animal of a different kind. LOL

You just have to check the numbers for your particular recipe. Honestly, I tried awesome soaps that were just shea, olive and pko. I've tried awesome soaps that were nothing but soy, coconut, and palm. Then again, there's the wonderful standby of good ol' olive, coconut and palm. You just have to see how a particular blend comes together and works for you to get you the numbers you like, and a bar of soap that you like.

Hope I haven't confused the heck outta you!

[Karen B]

Hope I haven't confused the heck outta you!

Nope I actually do understand what your trying to say. (well kinda, experience will really give me the knowledge I need)

thanks so much,

Karen

[LaurafromSweden]

Thanks guys for all the answers, so i think i'll only buy palm oil...and stick to my coconut...

Thanks a lot,

Laura.