Difference Between Palm Oil & Vegetable Oil in Soap
Vegetable oils are used in the production of soap. The oils come from the leaves, seeds and fruit of plants. Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil and, when combined with other oils, has chemical properties conducive for soap making. Does this Spark an idea?
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Vegetable Oils
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Vegetable oils are used to make vegan soaps. Vegetable oils come exclusively from plants and contain no animal fats. They include palm oil, palm kernel oil, rice bran oil, ground nut oil, castor oil and coconut oil, among others. Substituted for animal fats, vegetable oils mix with caustic soda to form a reaction that produces vegan soap.
Palm Oils
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Palm oil has excellent soap-making properties. Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of African oil palm trees. The vegan substitute for tallow (animal fat) in soap making, palm oil has similar structural properties. Its usage in soap making produces a harder bar of soap with a stable, creamy lather. If used as the only oil, it creates a drying soap due to its low glycerin yield, according to Soap Making Resource. Soap makers combine palm oil with other vegetable oils to create a moisturizing soap.
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Considerations
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Vegetable oils include palm oil. When listed as an ingredient in soap, the term "vegetable oil" may refer to palm oil, other types of plant oils or a mixture of them. Commonly used in soap making due to its low cost and chemical properties, palm oil combines well with other vegetable oils. The World Wildlife Federation encourages the use of only certified sustainable palm oil in soap, to protect the environment.
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References
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- Photo Credit handmade soap image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com Olive Oils image by travesty from Fotolia.com Olive Oil image by elmgrover from Fotolia.com three sorts of oil image by Tomo Jesenicnik from Fotolia.com
