coconut oil and ph

[catikit]

I realise that coconut oil plays a large part in the 'cleansing' action of a soap. Does the amount i use affect ph? Also, what is a good (milder?) alternative?

 

[IrishLass]

No, the % of a certain oil you use will not significantly affect pH. It's the lye amount that affects pH, and no matter how you slice it, lye based soaps will always be on the alkaline side of the pH scale no matter what you do. It's just the nature of the beast. You can counter-balance things by superfatting, though. It won't lower the alkalinity of the soap's pH, but the excess oils will make the soap feel less drying.

A milder alternative to coconut oil is PKO (palm kernel oil), not to be confused with palm oil (PO) as they are totally different. PKO is a bubbly, cleansing oil like coconut, but slightly less so.

IrishLass

 

[soapbuddy]

Try Babasu. It has similar properties.