# Coconut oil confusion



## cindy (Sep 16, 2008)

I am so confused about the coconut oils!! :crazy The last company I ordered oil from is no longer carying it. It was a 92 degree coconut oil. I've found a few coconut oils but I don't understand the descriptions. One of them is for a 92 degree hydrogenated coconut oil. Another is bulk coconut oil - RBD. It's a 76 degree oil. The price on the last one is amazing, but I've never used a 76 degree and I don't know the difference between hydrogenated and RBD. I just want a good, solid, white, scentless coconut oil.

Also, I would think that the 76 degree oil would give a softer bar of soap. I usually cure my bars for at least 2 months, and they are hard bars. Has anyone worked with both types of coconut oil? What are the differences in your bars? Which do you prefer?

Help!


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I use 76 degree coconut oil all the time. It's the "standard" coconut you'd buy in the store. The hydrogenation (usually used to make liquid oils solid at room temp, like with margarine, which is made with soybean or corn oil) is what makes your 92 degree coconut solid up to 92 degrees instead of melting earlier. I'm not really sure why you'd want that for soap making, since it just means you have to get the oils to a higher temp to use them. (I could see it making a difference in other applications, just not soap.) Also, the values (on soap calc) are exactly the same for both soaps in terms of hardness, type of lather, etc. It should not make any appreciable difference in your finished soap, which coconut you use. Why do you want the oil to be scentless? The scent is not very strong and it definitely does not come through in soap. RBD stands for Refined, Bleached, Deodorized. Apart from reducing the already faint scent, I'm not sure what it does for coconut. I just use the 76 degree food grade coconut in the 50 lb pail available from Columbus Foods (though I buy it at a local restaurant supply place, they get it from Columbus).


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I just buy the 76 from Columbus foods.


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## cindy (Sep 16, 2008)

Thanks Stacey! The gal who taught me to make soap used 92 degree coconut oil. I have been using her recipe for years. I've never changed the amount of oils or lard. I've changed the sunflower oil because I can't get that here any more. Other than that, I've just been soaping along and loving the recipe! I guess I'll order that 76 degree oil. 3.75 gallons for $17. With shipping, it's $32.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You also do know that you are doing no more than loosing scent when you cure much over 3 weeks, in fact I think 3 weeks is about tops that cure is even working. Since you do have coconut oil (which is counted as a hard oil in your soap) I would doubt even if everything else is soft oils that you need an 2 month cure. If you soap very much it is also a huge waste of space  

I think the above conversation shows, with all having the same sap values and soaping characterisitcs, how many spin their wheels when they soap, using ingredients that are more expensive that can't give you a better bar, and certainly don't have more label appeal if you are selling. It's just costing you more, which isn't a good business move. Vicki


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## cindy (Sep 16, 2008)

Vickie, At 3 weeks, my soap is pretty soft. After reading some of the threads, I wonder if I'm using too much coconut oil (28%) and if I should try some other ratio's. I 'm not sure how to use the SAP calculators in order to change up my recipe. Any hints?


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Coconut oil does not make your soap soft, so that is not it. What else is in your recipe? How much liquid are you using? If you go to http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp you can play with using different oils.


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

The soap calc at thesage is VERY simple to use. You just enter in the amounts of each oil and it tells you how much liquid and lye you should be using. It gives a range, but that's very easy to figure that the more liquid/less lye is softer soap (more cure time) and less liquid/more lye is harder soap (less cure time).


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

At 28% coconut oil even with all the rest soft oils your soap should be hard at 3 weeks. How much lye do you put in a batch and how much total liquids?


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## cindy (Sep 16, 2008)

I use 12 oz lye and 32 oz water/milk. My oils are a total of 86oz. I just went back and really looked at how to use the calculator. I'm running in the 7-8% excess fat range and using the high end of the liquid recommended. I can cut down on that liquid and it should harden the bars up faster. People always comment on how long my bars last!
Thanks!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

High end on your water/liquids would be 24 ounces....so you can see how much more liquid you have to cure out. Run all recipes through thesage.com print them out, no matter who you get the recipe from.


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