Palm Oil Substitute

by Lindsay
(Edmonton)

I want to make my own soap but hear palm oil is bad for the rainforest. What can I use instead of palm oil?

Answer:

Visit my Fats and Oils page and scroll down to the heading "Love That Creamy Lather" for a list of options.

Some of your choices include Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Lard and Tallow. All of these will perform beautifully in soap.

If you do substitute an oil for the palm oil in a recipe, remember to run the changed recipe through a lye calculator to get the new amount of lye that you will need.

You can also visit my page on Palm Free Soap Recipes to find a good list of recipes that might suit you.

Another option is to purchase palm oil that comes from a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Members of this group are certified Plantations that do not practice deforestation to expand their crops.

Cathy