Palm Oil - Did I ruin my soap?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

WickedKris

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
16
Reaction score
17
Ok so I bought a bucket of Palm oil. Never used it before & just wanted to try it out in a few batches. I have memory issues lately and it didn't dawn on me that I'd need to hear up the whole bucket and then measure out what I needed. So I just scooped from the top. Is my soap ruined? I don't see any visible issues, but I read that the stearic acid settles and that's why you have to heat the whole thing. I simply forgot and now I'm worried I wasted ingredients. Ugh. This is why I shy away from new ingredients. Lol.
 
From what I've read you might have steric spots when you cut the soap but that wouldn't mean it was ruined. It'd just be a cosmetic issue really if that's the only problem. Has it be behaving or giving any other indications there might be a problem?
 
It should be fine. I purchased it in 50lb buckets and I'd just scoop down the middle and never had any issues. I now buy the homogenized palm that is no stir even though I never had a problem with the other. You can always heat the rest and transfer to smaller containers depending on how much you have.
 
It should be fine. I purchased it in 50lb buckets and I'd just scoop down the middle and never had any issues. I now buy the homogenized palm that is no stir even though I never had a problem with the other. You can always heat the rest and transfer to smaller containers depending on how much you have.
Ty sm for your reply! Oddly enough there was no problems in the soaping process. It went beautifully! That's why it didn't dawn on me till this morning. I was on a supplier site, they have a sale on oils and I looked at the listing and thought, oh crap!, I didn't hear the entire bucket. So I checked more info page and there is where it said heat whole thing. I wish they'd put it on the bucket! I get lost in design and process sometimes and have to pull back to make sure I remember everything. Of course, first go at it with new ingredient, I make a boo boo. If the stearic spots are all I get, I'll be pleased. I don't mind them. I just didn't want it to feel weird or something worse.
 
As Shunt mentioned I never heated my entire buckets of palm, I just scooped from various areas of the bucket when scooping out my palm, but I also purchased the homogenized palm shortening now. Your soap will be just fine so no need to stress. Depending on your size bucket it may be just a thin layer of stearic on the top which you would have broken through anyway when scooping out your desired amount of palm so you have a little extra stearic acid with your palm. Most of my soaps end up with some stearic specks and my cool soaping due to my higher stearic recipe, but I simply do no worry about it. It does not affect the soap quality.
 
Last edited:
As Shunt mention I never heated my entire buckets of palm, I just scooped from various areas of the bucket when scooping out my palm, but I also purchased the homogenized palm shortening now. Your soap will be just fine so no need to stress. Depending on your size bucket it may be just a thin layer of stearic on the top which you would have broken through anyway when scooping out your desired amount of palm so you have a little extra stearic acid with your palm. Most of my soaps end up with some stearic specks and my cool soaping due to my higher stearic recipe, but I simply do no worry about it. It does not affect the soap quality.
Thank you! I didn't see any issue during soaping so I'm gonna be positive until it gives me reason to worry. I just needed someone else to chime in. Always helps!
 
I will also mention that I sometimes see the stearic collection on the top of my tallow shortening after it has become melty, I just scoop up some of it and some below it. Soap making is really very forgiving and curing will correct many issues.
 
Ok so I bought a bucket of Palm oil. Never used it before & just wanted to try it out in a few batches. I have memory issues lately and it didn't dawn on me that I'd need to hear up the whole bucket and then measure out what I needed. So I just scooped from the top. Is my soap ruined? I don't see any visible issues, but I read that the stearic acid settles and that's why you have to heat the whole thing. I simply forgot and now I'm worried I wasted ingredients. Ugh. This is why I shy away from new ingredients. Lol.

I was heating up my entire batch of Palm Oil everytime I used it and about two-thirds of the way through the container, I noticed that it was starting to get a little 'grainy' and grew concerned that it was starting to break down. So I just gave it a good stir after than before measuring and had no problems. When I got my next batch of PO, I used stirred before measuring and haven't had any problems. I am looking into getting an hydrogenated version so I don't have to stir at all.
 
[QUOTE=" I am looking into getting an hydrogenated version so I don't have to stir at all.[/QUOTE]

I have been using it and it is so convenient. It is also on sale at WSP this week.
 
I did as @shunt2011 suggests... Heat up whole bucket once, decant into mason jars, then just heat up the whole small jar and measure from there. Works a charm.

Decant...ya like that, @penelopejane ? No prills on me....
 
I did as @shunt2011 suggests... Heat up whole bucket once, decant into mason jars, then just heat up the whole small jar and measure from there. Works a charm.

Decant...ya like that, @penelopejane ? No prills on me....
It is easier to do as Shunt and I used to do. Scoop down the middle or from different areas of the bucket. Why fuss with it when you do not need to.
 
Back
Top