Coconut Cream Epiphany

[KiwiMoose]

I use coconut cream a lot in my soap. But it just occurred to me that, by using the split method, I am accounting for a portion of the cream as part of my fats, and the other portion as part of my water content. SO am I not just adding, essentially, more coconut oil to my batch? Essentially increasing the superfat? Potentially increasing the CO content and (perhaps) irritation and dryness to those that are susceptible to it? Help a girl to understand : )

 

[atiz]

Are you calculating the fat in the cream into your CO content or not? If not, then you're raising your superfat. If yes, then you have as much CO as you calculated.
I haven't used coconut cream but have used some coconut milk, and try to get the low-fat one and even then I lower my SF to account for the extra. I haven't bothered to do the precise calculation.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Are you calculating the fat in the cream into your CO content or not? If not, then you're raising your superfat. If yes, then you have as much CO as you calculated.
I haven't used coconut cream but have used some coconut milk, and try to get the low-fat one and even then I lower my SF to account for the extra. I haven't bothered to do the precise calculation.

I use a lower superfat in my coconut cream soaps, so there's that. But I guess what I'm asking is what's the difference between using CO and water as usual, and using the cream (which essentially just replaces part of the CO and water)? Is it just the sugars? Label appeal? I find that it produces a nice gentle creamy lather and I like using it for that reason.

 

[atiz]

I use a lower superfat in my coconut cream soaps, so there's that. But I guess what I'm asking is what's the difference between using CO and water as usual, and using the cream (which essentially just replaces part of the CO and water)? Is it just the sugars? Label appeal? I find that it produces a nice gentle creamy lather and I like using it for that reason.

I don't know the chemistry of it... But I suppose that cream has more to it than just water + oil + sugar (no matter how hard I try, I'd never get cream out of mixing oil and sugar solution ). So whatever else is in there -- some unsaponifiable additive -- helps. I like my CM soaps too.

 

[dibbles]

DeeAnna has an article in case you haven't seen it Soapy Stuff: Nutrition labels

Since I don't sell, label appeal isn't a priority for me but as a buyer it definitely would be appealing. Like you, I think it produces a nice lather/feel to the soap. If you like the soap the way you make it, maybe it isn't a problem?

 

[Arimara]

Depends on the fat content of the coconut cream and how much of it you are adding to your batch. Dibbles posted a good article there to help you along. you should definately keep the coconut oil down if using a regular can of milk but cream is a little different sine it has more from the coconut.