Avoiding coconut allergies - substituting coconut oil?

[theplasticfantasty]

Hi all! Hope you're doing well. Turning to the forum once again since I'm not the best at formulating recipes haha

I'm planning out a soap to make for my coworkers to gift this upcoming Christmas, and I do know that one of them has an allergy to coconuts. Thus, I'd like to avoid using coconut oil in my recipe; for reference my standard recipe is 30% pomace olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 30% palm oil and 10% shea butter. What could I feasibly replace the coconut oil with? I would also just like to know in general so I can update my recipe, since I understand coconut oil can be somewhat drying in large quantities and would love to make my soaps more moisturizing. Thank you!

 

[GemstonePony]

Babassu oil and Murumuru butter work very similarly to coconut oil, and Palm Kernel oil is slightly less stripping. However, all of these come from a type of palm. Can your coworker eat dates? Or does the allergy include the entire palm family?

 

[theplasticfantasty]

Babassu oil and Murumuru butter work very similarly to coconut oil, and Palm Kernel oil is slightly less stripping. However, all of these come from a type of palm. Can your coworker eat dates? Or does the allergy include the entire palm family?

I'm not sure, I will have to ask. Thank you for making me aware of that. If they do, are there other alternatives you would recommend? And would that mean I'd have to substitute the palm oil in my recipe as well?

 

[AliOop]

If your co-worker isn't vegan, try a combination of lard, RBO, AVO, Shea, castor, and sorbitol. Sorbitol gives a bigger lather boost than regular sugar. And lather is the main thing you are missing when you eliminate the CO.

 

[GemstonePony]

I'm not sure, I will have to ask. Thank you for making me aware of that. If they do, are there other alternatives you would recommend? And would that mean I'd have to substitute the palm oil in my recipe as well?

Yes, you would have to substitute the palm. I would hold off on panicking until after you get a chance to talk to your coworker.

 

[MorpheusPA]

This...may not be popular, but cut the coconut oil completely (I know, it's supposed to be much more friendly these days, but I still try to avoid usage on things I need to import). If you're OK with animal fats, tallow or lard, preferably the waste fats from the butcher or you can buy them (waste fat, again, by preference, although nobody kills an animal for its fat anyway).

The bubble is...well, not so much there at all, and the squeak is good, but the lather is rich even if it's more creamy.

If not, and they're not allergic to palm, you can use that (insert predictable Earth-friendly warning here). It's close to lard and tallow in terms of performance.

I was just gifted with Zany's No-Slime Castile, which I'm dying to try, and that's certainly a much friendlier alternative and easy to check for allergies: salt and olive oil. See it here: Zany's no slime castile

If rumor is true, it'll have a low lather but not at all slimy. If this lives up to advertising, it's a game-changer for me. Personal report around Christmas. Other reports rave about it.