# Coconut oil percentages



## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

What is the highest percentage of coconut oil that you use in a recipe? I have not been using more than about 20% because everything I've read is that's it's going to be drying. I made a batch yesterday with 35% and I cannot believe how high the temp got in the molds the first 6 hours or so and how hard it is this morning. I've been working with a higher percentage of olive oil until now, so even though my bars are quite hard it does take them a few days to get there. At any rate- I'm experimenting but don't want a bar that is drying. So, I'm curious what % coconut oil others like to use!


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2013)

Oh gosh, I have went as high as 40 and it is not drying at all.. some make a pure coconut oil soap.. and it does not seem to bother them... its no longer oil after the sap process.. 
Funny too that coconut gets this bad rap for drying out skin, yet to make real monoi de haiti oil, they steep the flowers in pure coconut oil and use it on their skin and hair with fabulous results...


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I use about 28% which is about the same as the WM recipe.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I use about 30% and am happy with that. I used to use much more. For me they were slightly drying. Other people used them and didn't think so. I went as low as 10% but my soaps took forever to get really hard, so 30% is about what I'm sticking to now for most recipes.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I use 30% CO in my regular recipe too. I love a 100% coconut oil soap. I superfat the 100% ones at 20%. My regular soaps are SF'ed at 5%.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

My new favorite recipe is just over 33%, and so far everyone loves it. It has always bothered me to hear it is drying in soap when they tout it as a moisturizing oil in lotions & leave on products. I think the main reason it is drying in soap is that it adds to the cleansing/sheeting properties of the soap, so the other oils in the soap will be more important. In a commercial detergent bar that is mostly palm & coconut, with the glycerin sucked out out of it and no goat milk , what is left to be nice to the skin?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

31.5% in my recipe. But I do make a 100% Coconut, it doesn't heat up. It certainly is not drying. I do not know if the old single oil soap swap is still up on the dish forum. But it was pretty eye opening on what we thought oil characteristics were and what they say in the calculator. I started doing a 100% coconut oil bar after trying one of them from that swap. Vicki


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2013)

Exactly, it is not drying... I make a wonderful face cream with monoi oil and I can't keep the stuff on my shelves.. it flies off.. making batch today.. fills about 20 jars and its the third batch in two weeks..


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

What is monoi oil, never heard of it.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

That's great feedback, folks! I will see how these do. Making small batches of single oil soaps is a great idea- I may do that just to get a sense first hand.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

kelsei sells Monoi oil, you can read about it on her site. It's a flower that is steeped I believe in coconut oil. It's lovely in lotions and leave on products. Vicki


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2013)

A gardenia that grows on only one of the hawaiian islands.. they steep and infuse coconut oil with the flowers.. its smells divine.. and it makes wonderful leave on products.. I make only my face cream with it tho..


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

Vicki- after doing some reading I think the heating up part was due to using 100% goat's milk. Normally GM doesn't cause my soap to get so hot in the molds, but I'm guessing since I normally use such a high percentage of olive oil it's not as likely to do so? The olive oil barely wants to reach trace if mixing at a lower temp, let alone heat up until it's rock hard in my molds at 12 hours.


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