Palm oil vs Babassu oil

[Cannon1227]

Advice and education needed...

Is Babassu oil an equal substitution for palm oil?
I’m not a huge activist but I would like to avoid palm oil unless it is sourced properly so I though Babassu oil would be a good alternative. Also, I know a lot of soap makers swear by using lard as a substitute for palm. I haven’t tried it because I just don’t know how to.

 

[GemstonePony]

No, it is a substitute for coconut oil, as both coconut and Babassu are high in Lauric and Myristic fatty acids. Palm oil contributes longevity, so if you need longevity and don't want to do lard or other animal products, then cocoa butter, Shea butter, mango butter, or soy wax (in limited amounts) are better replacements.

 

[dibbles]

As @GemstonePony said, babassu is a substitute for coconut. Lard is a wonderful oil to soap with. It will give you a nice slow trace with lots of time to work. You can buy it in grocery stores, and you just use it in a soap calculator as one of the oils in your recipe. I use it at 30-40%, but some use a higher amount than that. It is solid at room temperature, so you just melt it with your coconut oil. Easy Peasy.

 

[Cannon1227]

@GemstonePony and @dibbles oh boy did I make a big mistake. I made a lot of soap for my family as gifts and exchanged the palm with Babassu oil in my recipes I didn’t use any other butters in my recipes. Does that mean my soaps are bad??

As @GemstonePony said, babassu is a substitute for coconut. Lard is a wonderful oil to soap with. It will give you a nice slow trace with lots of time to work. You can buy it in grocery stores, and you just use it in a soap calculator as one of the oils in your recipe. I use it at 30-40%, but some use a higher amount than that. It is solid at room temperature, so you just melt it with your coconut oil. Easy Peasy.

What section in the grocery store would I find it?

 

[GemstonePony]

@GemstonePony and @dibbles oh boy did I make a big mistake. I made a lot of soap for my family as gifts and exchanged the palm with Babassu oil in my recipes I didn’t use any other butters in my recipes. Does that mean my soaps are bad??

Without knowing anything about your recipe, I have no idea. It will probably be more drying/stripping, but again, much depends on your recipe.
Also, did you run the changes through a lye calculator? Luckily, Babassu has a higher sap value than Palm, so it shouldn't be lye-heavy either way, but it would impact the superfat.

 

[dibbles]

What section in the grocery store would I find it?

I find it in the baking aisle with the other oils. Sometimes it can be found in the refrigerated meat section, with the bacon and sausage at the store I go to. The best price I’ve found is a 4 lb. pail at Walmart.

 

[dibbles]

@GemstonePony and @dibbles oh boy did I make a big mistake. I made a lot of soap for my family as gifts and exchanged the palm with Babassu oil in my recipes I didn’t use any other butters in my recipes. Does that mean my soaps are bad??

It depends on any other oils you usd and the superfat of the recipe. It could be drying for some people, but it’s hard to say without specifics.

 

[Cannon1227]

@GemstonePony and @dibbles i do run everything through a lye calc (soap making friend), masterbatch my lye1:1, use goats milk for the extra liquid and my super fat is 5%
Coconut oil 30%
Rice brand oil 25%
Sunflower oil 20%
Babassu 15%
Avocado oil 10%

this recipe I also add Himalayan salt to make exfoliant soap bar.

 

[GemstonePony]

The amount of extra goat's milk might make a difference, as would it's fat content. Also, the amount and grind size of the salt would make a difference, as well as when in the process it was added.
The coconut oil is already in the higher end of what's recommended, otherwise the 15% Babassu wouldn't be as big a deal. With 45% cleansing oils and only a 5% SF, this soap would likely be out of my comfort range, but I usually prefer 15% coconut oil. Other people may not be quite as particular.
I suggest washing your hands with a bar, and seeing how your hands feel before and immediately after and 5 minutes after in terms of tightness and dryness. If you can't tell a difference with your hands, wash up to your elbows. If you still can't tell, try your face. Hopefully, that should give you an idea of how good or bad the soap is for your skin type, and whether or not you want to rethink the gifts for any individuals.

 

[dibbles]

At 31, the cleansing number is pretty high and personally I would find that too drying. I use up to 25% coconut oil with no problem, but at 45% combined coconut and babassu, I'm afraid that might be too much for most people. The goat milk will help some with that as well. People may feel a tightness or itch if their skin is too stripped of oils and dry. Next time use coconut or babassu, or a combination of the two, at somewhere between 15-25% and keep adjusting until you find the percentage that you like. It takes a bit of experimenting, so make small batches while you are trying out recipes.

When making salt bars, around 80-85% coconut oil is used, but the superfat is raised to 15-20% and a long cure time is given to compensate for the high coconut oil amount. I like to cure my salt bars at least 6 months. There are lots of threads about salt bars here, so if you are interested you can search for them.

 

[Cannon1227]

@GemstonePony and @dibbles thank you both for your response; super helpful. Happy holidays!

 

[mishmish]

If you have any Latino grocery stores near where you live, they always have good-sized buckets of lard for sale. Columbus Foods sells it in larger quantities.

 

[Cannon1227]

If you have any Latino grocery stores near where you live, they always have good-sized buckets of lard for sale. Columbus Foods sells it in larger quantities.

I do and will check it out ! Thank you. Happy holidays.