Melting Pails of Palm Oil

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
511
Reaction score
1,263
Location
Montreal
I was recently startled to read somewhere that you need to melt all of your palm oil and then stir it so to mix it up well before adding it to your batch. (Something about it separating into layers as it hardens in the pail and these layers need to be homogenized.)

Is this true? Do any of you do this? I have to say I have never done it and my soap seems to come out ok. I can't see melting a whole pail of palm oil every time I want to whip up a batch of soap.
 
In small quantities I did melt it. When I switched to 50 lbs at a time I just scooped down through the layers. Never had an issue but I did eventually switch to the homogenized version for ease. Pound and gallon jugs I would just cut open and melt it down then put into smaller containers.
 
I was recently startled to read somewhere that you need to melt all of your palm oil and then stir it so to mix it up well before adding it to your batch. (Something about it separating into layers as it hardens in the pail and these layers need to be homogenized.)

Is this true? Do any of you do this? I have to say I have never done it and my soap seems to come out ok. I can't see melting a whole pail of palm oil every time I want to whip up a batch of soap.

I was using the 7lb bag from Brambleberry and because I make smaller batches once a week, I was noticing about 2/3 it was starting to get a little grainy looking and I figured that it was all the melting I was doing. So the next bag, I just did a particle melt and then shook it up real good and didn’t have any problems, but the weather was warn and so the Oil never fully solidified. But with the cooler weather, the oil is fully solidified and I noticed my last few loaves weren’t quite as nice and I was thinking that I didn’t get the fatty acids mixed up as well. I have a new bag coming and this time I’m going to melt it in a warm bath and premeasure about half of it up and see what happens. Eventually I would like to find a RSPO hydrogenated supplier.
 
I think if you let it get soft enough to dip, you can stir it. You can still use it if you don't stir it, but you will probably have more stearic streaks and spots.
 
I just put the buckets in a bathtub of hot water and then once it started getting melty I just stirred it up with my drill cement mixing attachment, then I portioned it off in smaller containers so I didn't have to remix it. Since I use the same amount of palm in almost every batch of soap I make I just portioned it out, cool it, and then wrapped it in parchment paper once it cooled. I store mine in chest freezer so I have labeled frozen oil loaves in baskets in my deep freeze. I do this with any of the hard oils like coconut, palm, shea, and coco butter because I want to keep the oils fresh and I just want to be able to quickly assemble my recipes. I can then just dump the frozen logs in my pot on low and once they are melted I remove from the heat and add my non solid oils and it brings the temp down pretty close to room temperature. I'm really trying to reduce my plastic waste by using the larger pails. I wish I could take the tubs back to be refilled or send them back to the companies for refills.
 
I’m also trying to reduce plastic waste by buying oils and butters in larger units, but it’s then added work to get it homogenized and portioned out into units that are small enough to store in the refrigerator or some other cool place. I’m also homogenizing small containers after receiving a 2 lb container of coconut oil this summer that was liquid in the middle and solid on the outer edges even after a week in my air conditioned house.

@gecko I think Soapers Choice has no-stir palm, but I don’t think it’s hydrogenated.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top