What would be a good vegan substitute for beef tallow?

[Shelby Johnson]

Hello, my main soap recipe uses beef tallow as the second highest oil. However, a friend of mine, who is vegan, can't use beef products as they break him out.

Can you guys suggest me a vegan alternative for me to use in my soaps?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Soy wax 415. I use it in all my soap, coz I only make vegan soap. I did go down the road of cocoa butter, but it's just so expensive.

20% each CO, OO and Soy Wax
15% RBO
10% each Shea Butter and Avocado
5% Castor.

You can change it up to suit with your soft oils - but that recipe gives me 50/50 saturated/unsaturated and it works very well.

 

[Shelby Johnson]

I'll have to try it, Kiwi. c:

 

[lsg]

Palm oil is a good substitute for tallow.

 

[earlene]

I never soaped with animal fats in the beginning, and only do a few now for family. However for the most part, I don't use them at all. I still haven't used tallow. I bought some to make soap for my brothers and to see what it's like to work with but just haven't got around to it yet.

I started out using the cocoa butter and shea as my hard oils mostly. CO of course as well. In 2016 I started learning about using Soy Wax in soap and now use it in most of my soaps, up to 30%. Another soaper here uses it at 40%. My mix usually still include Cocoa Butter and Shea as well. I had a little mango butter and it was also great in soap, but I haven't purchased any since, so it hasn't been a regular ingredient. I'd like to get some again and compare.

Many people have a real problem with palm and feel it is ethically wrong to use even when certified from sustainable growth. Some will use it and some won't. Some sources suggest palm oil it is suitable for vegans, because it in its pure form it is completely vegetable, but there are opposing views on the subject.

Each person must decide for themselves where they stand on the palm issue. Here are a couple of views from differing perspectives:
https://www.plantbasednews.org/learn/palm-oil-vegan
https://legacyofpythagoras.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/palm-oil-is-vegan/

 

[cmzaha]

I never soaped with animal fats in the beginning, and only do a few now for family. However for the most part, I don't use them at all. I still haven't used tallow. I bought some to make soap for my brothers and to see what it's like to work with but just haven't got around to it yet.

I started out using the cocoa butter and shea as my hard oils mostly. CO of course as well. In 2016 I started learning about using Soy Wax in soap and now use it in most of my soaps, up to 30%. Another soaper here uses it at 40%. My mix usually still include Cocoa Butter and Shea as well. I had a little mango butter and it was also great in soap, but I haven't purchased any since, so it hasn't been a regular ingredient. I'd like to get some again and compare.

Many people have a real problem with palm and feel it is ethically wrong to use even when certified from sustainable growth. Some will use it and some won't. Some sources suggest palm oil it is suitable for vegans, because it in its pure form it is completely vegetable, but there are opposing views on the subject.

Each person must decide for themselves where they stand on the palm issue. Here are a couple of views from differing perspectives:
https://www.plantbasednews.org/learn/palm-oil-vegan
https://legacyofpythagoras.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/palm-oil-is-vegan/

Another view of using palm, which I make no excuses for using. https://tinyurl.com/y6grfx9x

 

[amd]

Irishlass posted a palm substitute recipe on another thread (I don't have the link to the thread as I just snipped the post and emailed it to myself) if you are against using palm instead of tallow.

I also have this vegan recipe from Dixiedragon to try (again... I don't have the link to her original post...)

I thought I had a recipe for a blend to replace lard in my recipe folder, but I can't seem to find it. I can't remember off the top of my head who it came from either to search for it. If I find it later (and someone else doesn't post it) I'll share it here. Aha! Found it:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/replace-lard.60723/#post-608370

 

[Shelby Johnson]

I'll try Shea Butter, as I already use palm oil as one of the main oils in my soap.