soy wax vs. soy shortening fully hydrogenated

[CTAnton]

So here's my question....
I know there's people on the forum who add soy wax sold by various vendors on the web to their soap....and then there's a wholesale food purveyor 20 minutes away that carries all sorts of shortenings....am I comparing apples to apples?

 

[MorpheusPA]

Apples to apple-orange fruit salad.

Most shortening is 27.5% hydrogenated with oleic acid as the heavy hitter. Soy wax is fully hydrogenated with stearic acid the extremely heavy hitter.

Shortening would be far less likely to give you DOS and will make a harder bar (eventually) than regular soy oil. Soy wax will give you a rock hard bar, but very little lather. Shortening can be used at a fairly high percentage. Soy wax should be used at a lower percentage to avoid a waxy bar that doesn't suds much.

Overall, the shortening would make a far better general oil than soy wax, but the soy wax is great for hardening a bar in smaller amounts (up to 20% is what I find acceptable, many people say 10%).

 

[CTAnton]

a thousand thank yous for the clarification Morpheus!