Environmentally friendly soap?

[sbarker019]

Hi all,
Sorry if this question has been asked before but after falling in love with soap making I have been thinking about the oils I have been using. Does anyone have any oil combinations they love that are local to Europe. I live in England so using coconut oil, coco butter, shea butter have a rather large carbon footprint even if they create wonderful soaps. Looking for something that has a bit more lather than 100% olive oil soap.

Thanks in advance

 

[Marsi]

Frogs are always sensitive to soap (all soap)

Soy or Tallow would balance your Olive

These matched KiwiMouse's criteria for a good soy

 

[AliOop]

It’s hard to make a bubbly soap without at least a little bit of CO, PKO, or babassu. So maybe you could greatly reduce CO instead of cutting it out altogether?

For instance, I make a version of Zany’ No-Slime Castile recipe with 80% OO, 15% CO, 5% castor, and some sugar or sorbitol added to her faux sea water. The version of ZNSC that I make regularly for one of my best friends also has powdered goat milk in it, and she swears by it. It really lathers well with no Castile slime.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Animal fats are a good choice in general, as England has a lot of meat processing whereas locally grown oils will be mostly rapeseed and the like. But as has been said you might have to look to reduce the amounts of exotic oils used rather than removing them completely, and/or looking at other bubble boosting options such as sugars or plants (soap nuts, maybe chestnuts even?)

 

[CpnDouchette]

Lard, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil are good and cheap options. Olive oil as well.

I often use sunflower as a replacement for olive oil because I dont like the feel of olive oil in my soaps but I do have issues with DoS if I don't use high oleic or use in large quantities.

 

[DianaMoon]

It’s hard to make a bubbly soap without at least a little bit of CO, PKO, or babassu. So maybe you could greatly reduce CO instead of cutting it out altogether?

For instance, I make a version of Zany’ No-Slime Castile recipe with 80% OO, 15% CO, 5% castor, and some sugar or sorbitol added to her faux sea water. The version of ZNSC that I make regularly for one of my best friends also has powdered goat milk in it, and she swears by it. It really lathers well with no Castile slime.

Do you add fragrance to this? I have a big tin of gifted OO that I'd like to experiment with. My bag of sorbitol is waiting for me to pick up and I'm rarin' to go!

 

[AliOop]

Do you add fragrance to this? I have a big tin of gifted OO that I'd like to experiment with. My bag of sorbitol is waiting for me to pick up and I'm rarin' to go!

Yes, she has a specific FO she likes. For my own bars, I make it unscented or with an EO blend that I like.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Looking for something that has a bit more lather than 100% olive oil soap.

Two popular soaps that are sold worldwide come to mind -- Castile and Aleppo. If using olive oil, Pomace is better than EVOO although "Pure" Oiive Oil is more recommended and readily available for soap making here. For ecofriendly ingredients, I would discourage using Soy Oil or Canola -- both are GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). "Organic" Soy Oil is hard to source here in the States but you may be able to find it there. Not sure.

Zany's No Slime Castile -- Not just your average Castile! LOL I make the 10% Coconut & 5% Castor variation. Makes dense creamy lather that feels wonderful on my face, AM & PM.

Aleppo Soap - see PDF attached.
NOTES: Do not confuse Laurel Berry (Fruit) Oil with the essential oil of the same name. Soaping Temps: 40°C Warm the laurel oil to 40°C and add at trace. Be sure to mix for one full minute before pouring into mold. No need to add fragrance. The soap has a unique smokey scent of it's own. The batch will be drab green out of the mold but cure to light tan. Use the Search feature in the upper right hand corner of this page to find 10 pages worth of threads on Aleppo. I'd recommend starting with the oldest (page 10) and moving forward to more recent discussions.

Finally, it might be worth taking a look at the Basic Trinity of Oils formula. Once you understand what each leg of the trinity (Coconut + Palm + Olive) brings to the final result, you can then make substitutions to your heart's content. TIP: if you're not adverse to using animal fats, tallow and lard are excellent subs for the palm and make great soap all by themselves.

HTH and HAPPY SOAPING!

 

[Marsi]

soy wax is hydrogenated soy bean oil, and soy bean oil (like olive oil) comes in differing grades

If using olive oil, Pomace is better than EVOO although "Pure" Oiive Oil is more recommended and readily available for soap making here. For ecofriendly ingredients, I would discourage using Soy Oil or Canola -- both are GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). "Organic" Soy Oil is hard to source here in the States but you may be able to find it there. Not sure.

pomace olive oil is commonly extracted using petrochemical solvents
pomace grade olive oil tends to accelerate trace

Does anyone have any oil combinations they love that are local to Europe.

non-gmo soy wax, made from organic soy bean oil, is available in Europe
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...gan-soap-for-sensitive-soap.82076/post-863667
for an animal fat soap (without "exotic" ingredients)
tallow/lard makes a nice creamy soap

olive and laurel soap will become very hard over time

small amounts of salts and waxes harden soap
at the cost of bubbles

sugars and starches help create bigger bubbles
castor oil in a recipe helps stabilize bubbles

 

[TheGecko]

pomace grade olive oil tends to accelerate trace

Not a huge deal if you are making an uncolored or unscented soap.