Hi folks!
I have not made soaps in 100 years. But I will make soap on wednesday. And my plan is to make 3 loaves at a time. Because now, I am out of handmade soap, and that is an emergency! So I have to do something about it.
But, I have some old oils. My shea is out of date, but it smells 100% of nothing, and looks perfect, crisp white.
My palm oil have a best before date of march 2021 (and it have not been stored in a dark and cold place, stupid me). I don't know how refined palm oil is supposed to look and smell like, since it is not available in my country. Mine is white, but sort of off-white-ish. And it have a slight grassy smell. Maybe a little earthy. Like linen seeds, perhaps. Maybe a little like make-up. I tried to oil my hands with it, to get a better idea of the smell. It is not bad smell, just a faint smell of some earthy grassyness-ish. Is that rancid, on the edge, or is it natural for palm oil?
So, my question is: What is refined palm oil supposed to smell like? Should it be 100% odorless or not? I know that red palm oil has a strong odor of used motor oil and what not. But the refined white one, I have no idea since I have never ever seen palm oil before. I can only guess that the pungent smell of the crude one can be hard to get rid of.
And second: Can I use it to make soap? Is it a good idea, or should I just throw it away?
My worries are that I searched this forum and read something DeeAnna wrote about some free fatty acids that can form in old oils, which can make your soap trace faster. That would not be a big problem normally, but since I am planning to make a big batch to emulsion, using the heat transfer method to melt my hard oils, dividing it up in three parts and make one soap at a time, the batch will sit around for some time and I don't fancy soap on a stick. I have used stearic acid in soap before, and that was not very funny (became an emergency hot process in the microwave).
I think the shea butter is fine, and it is not as old as the palm oil, so I will use that anyway. Shea can, as I understand, also speed up trace because of those free fatty acids naturally in shea butter, and it probably doesn't help that my shea is out of date. But I will anyway use it. I want shea in my soap, regardless.
But the palm oil, well, I don't know. I have brand new lard, coconut and olive oil + that old shea, so it is not a disaster if the palm have to go. It will be a great soap anyway. But nothing is better if it is still good to use after all those years.
I have not made soaps in 100 years. But I will make soap on wednesday. And my plan is to make 3 loaves at a time. Because now, I am out of handmade soap, and that is an emergency! So I have to do something about it.
But, I have some old oils. My shea is out of date, but it smells 100% of nothing, and looks perfect, crisp white.
My palm oil have a best before date of march 2021 (and it have not been stored in a dark and cold place, stupid me). I don't know how refined palm oil is supposed to look and smell like, since it is not available in my country. Mine is white, but sort of off-white-ish. And it have a slight grassy smell. Maybe a little earthy. Like linen seeds, perhaps. Maybe a little like make-up. I tried to oil my hands with it, to get a better idea of the smell. It is not bad smell, just a faint smell of some earthy grassyness-ish. Is that rancid, on the edge, or is it natural for palm oil?
So, my question is: What is refined palm oil supposed to smell like? Should it be 100% odorless or not? I know that red palm oil has a strong odor of used motor oil and what not. But the refined white one, I have no idea since I have never ever seen palm oil before. I can only guess that the pungent smell of the crude one can be hard to get rid of.
And second: Can I use it to make soap? Is it a good idea, or should I just throw it away?
My worries are that I searched this forum and read something DeeAnna wrote about some free fatty acids that can form in old oils, which can make your soap trace faster. That would not be a big problem normally, but since I am planning to make a big batch to emulsion, using the heat transfer method to melt my hard oils, dividing it up in three parts and make one soap at a time, the batch will sit around for some time and I don't fancy soap on a stick. I have used stearic acid in soap before, and that was not very funny (became an emergency hot process in the microwave).
I think the shea butter is fine, and it is not as old as the palm oil, so I will use that anyway. Shea can, as I understand, also speed up trace because of those free fatty acids naturally in shea butter, and it probably doesn't help that my shea is out of date. But I will anyway use it. I want shea in my soap, regardless.
But the palm oil, well, I don't know. I have brand new lard, coconut and olive oil + that old shea, so it is not a disaster if the palm have to go. It will be a great soap anyway. But nothing is better if it is still good to use after all those years.
