Teach Soap

Hi everyone,

I hope someone is online to help me. I have someone wanting to make soap here and asking me questions. They asked me why I
don't recommend virgin coconut oil in soap making. To me it's a waste of money, but for myself it is the only coconut oil I have access to readily
200 baht a litre which is at our last transfer exchane rate would be $5.92 U.S. When I left the U.S. I was getting the high melt coconut oil from
a company in N. CA for approx $10, maybe a tad more. I know 76 degree coconut oil was under 10.

Now besides a waste of money, I'm thinking the hydrogenated may give a harder bar, and that you lose some of the goodness of the
virgin coconut oil in the soapmaking process.

Any takers out there???

SabuuFong
Thailand

My understanding is that Virgin Coconut is a more "clean" processed oil used for human consumption. I've also read that it retains more of the coconut taste and smell. That would be the only "problem" as far as scenting would go. Othewise, I wouldn't think there would be much difference in soaping it except the price would be higher as you mentioned.

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You may be only one person to the world, but you may also be the world to one person

The only difference that I know of is the taste. It should soap the same. I would use which one costs less.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I use the regular coconut oil for soapmaking (because it's cheaper and has no smell) and I use the Virgin coconut oil in making other body care products. The Virgin coconut oil is an AMAZING moisturizer-and a little goes a long way. My husband and I just got back from Hawaii where he got a horrible sunburn that was so painful he couldn't sleep. As soon as he used the coconut oil on the burn, the pain went away and he was much more comfortable. I swear by coconut! In fact, I tried to make soap with coconut milk and I am about to post a question about it!
Happy soaping!

I know hydrogenated coconut oil is cheaper, it's just not that readily available in Thailand the way virgin coconut oil it.

VCO is always more expensive, but has a wonderful smell and feel. it's also good for you if you use it to cook with.
The thais used to use a food grade RBD coconut oil for cooking that isn't really so good for you healthwise, but ok
for soap.

I guess, what I really wanted to know, does the soapmaking process take away all the good things about VCO, so
just wasting money using VCO instead of HCO.

SabuuFong

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.