Coconut Oil in Soap Making – Properties + Recipes (2024)

• View Larger Image

One of the most common base oils used in soap making is coconut oil (botanical name Cocos Nucifera Coconut Oil), and there is a purposeful reason for its popularity. Coconut oil helps to produce a bar of soap that has excellent cleaning properties. Most important to the soap maker is the desirable fluffy bubbly factor that coconut oil adds to finished soap.

Types of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is derived from coconut meat (copra) using several methods of extraction, which produces refined, unrefined, and fractionated coconut oil.

Refined Coconut Oil

• Derived from dried coconut meat
• Bleached to remove any contaminants
• Treated with high heat to remove odor and flavor

Unrefined Coconut Oil

• Derived from coconut meat (extracted rather than dried)
• Processed through wet milling or quick drying
• Wet milling: coconut milk is expressed from the meat and boiled, fermented, or separated from the milk using enzymes or centrifuge
• Quick drying: coconut meat is quick dried and the oil is mechanically pressed out
• Not exposed to high heat
• Natural flavor and odor is retained

Fractionated Coconut Oil

• Long chain fatty acids are removed which leaves the coconut oil in a liquid state

Coconut oil is available in both solid and oil form, with solid coconut oil that begins to melt at specific temperatures:

76 Degree Coconut Oil – begins to melt at 76 degrees F

92 Degree Coconut Oil – has had carbon atoms added which extends the melting point, begins to melt at 92 degrees F

The most common type of coconut oil used by soap makers is refined, either 76 or 92 degree. Check with your manufacture to ensure they list refined coconut oil with wording such as 100% pure, or no added chemical. The use of unrefined coconut oil may leave extra undesirable odors in finished soap. Soap makers in warm climates generally prefer 92 degree coconut oil because it remains solid at an above average room temperatures.

I personally don’t use fractionated coconut oil to make soap because it makes a soft and mushy soap. I use it in leave on products such as roll-on perfumes.

Fatty Acid Profile for Coconut Oil

Now for the fatty acid profile and soap qualities for coconut oil. These values are based on the use of refined solid coconut oil (either 76 or 92 degrees):

• Lauric Acid (hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather) 44-52%
• Myristic Acid (hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather) 15-25%
• Linoleic Acid (conditioning, moisturizing, lather silkiness) 1-3%
• Oleic Acid (conditioning, moisturizing, lather silkiness) 6-10%
• Palmitic Acid (hardness, stable creamy lather) 7-12%
• Ricinoleic Acid (conditioning, moisturizing, stable creamy lather) 0%
• Stearic Acid (hardness, stable lather) 1-3%
• Iodine (hardness, conditioning) 30-45 (on a scale of 0-100, with more hardness at 0)

As you can see, coconut oil adds to the cleansing properties and bubbly lather in soap, but not so much for conditioning or moisturizing values.

And finally, to assist with calculating your soap recipes, the SAP (saponification) value for refined coconut oil is:

• .191 NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide)
• .269 KOH (Potassium Hydroxide)

Coconut Oil in Soap Formulation

I personally use 15-50% depending on the rest of my oils and my superfat.

When formulating with palm oil, tallow or lard, I use 33% or less. When formulating without palm oil, tallow or lard, I use high amounts of olive oil. This allows me to use higher amounts of coconut oil, usually 33%-50%. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

High amounts of coconut oil can be drying, however you can always use a higher superfat to counteract the drying effect. The more un-saponified oils (superfat) in your soap, the more moisturizing it is. Experiment making a 100% coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat and you might be surprised at the results.

Substitution for Coconut Oil in Soap

Babassu oil has similar properties to coconut oil in soap. It creates a hard, bubbly and cleansing soap. Therefore, it can be substituted in recipes if you don’t want to use coconut oil or are allergic to coconut oil. As always, when substituting oils, be sure to run your new recipe through a lye calculator to get your new lye amount.

Soap Recipes Using Coconut Oil

Most of the recipes here on LovinSoap.com use coconut oil! Here are some of my favorite recipes featuring coconut oil.

• Juniper and Cedarwood Beer Soap Recipe
• Dead Sea Mud and Argan Oil Facial Bar
• Bourbon Whiskey Vanilla Bean Cold Process Soap Recipe

Another great recipe is the 100% coconut oil soap for laundry powder.

Salt bars are high in coconut oil because the bubbly lather produced by coconut oil counteracts the bubble-killing actions of salt. Learn How to Formulate Soap Salt Bars here. Our top salt bar recipe on LovinSoap.com is the Coffee and Cocoa Salt Bars Recipe.

And just for fun, check out when Benjamin and I made coconut oil with our soap making group in Senegal.

Happy Soaping!

-Amanda Gail

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

1. 

   SharontelleJune 29, 2022 at 6:15 am - Reply

   Thanks for this post just what I been looking for. I made a soap out of coconut oil , palm kernel oil and red palm butter.
   Water was replaced with pineapple juice and pulp, with dried silk fiber and sugar as additive’s
   Till now the soap hasn’t solidified and still mushy in the mold
   I’m very upset
   First trial is looking like a flurp

   See Also

   Amish Black Drawing Salve Recipe With Activated Charcoal

2. 

   Waleed Bin Ashiq MughalApril 1, 2022 at 11:06 am - Reply

   Amazing blog post provided by the author keep sharing in future as well

3. 

   TiffanyAugust 22, 2021 at 7:46 am - Reply

   I wish u would have said a simple yes or no on if u can use unrefined coconut oil

   • 

     Amanda GailAugust 31, 2021 at 11:11 am - Reply

     You can use unrefined but I feel like refined gives you better and consistent results. Do you have some unrefined that you can try?

     • 

       MeryamJanuary 15, 2022 at 7:12 am - Reply

       Hi..refined coconut oil is that one which is always liquid???
       If yes can we use it in transparent base soap??

4. 

   Robert CurryJanuary 5, 2021 at 2:46 pm - Reply

   We have ordered the 76 degree coconut oil but have liquid organic coconut oil on hand, will it make a solid bar.

5. 

   SALIMOctober 19, 2019 at 8:10 am - Reply

   Hi I’m very happy to know your location how much virgin coconut oil is in potassium hydroxide
   And do you have a recipe for hair shampoo from natural oil

6. 

   Irene OkorSeptember 16, 2019 at 2:58 am - Reply

   Hi Amanda,

   I am a new subscriber.
   Can I use Coconut oil for production of liquid detergent? I want to achieve more lather in my formulation.

   Regards,

   Irene

7. 

   KelleyJuly 11, 2018 at 1:33 pm - Reply

   Hi Amanda! 92 degree coconut oil is hydrogenated meaning it has extra hydrogen atoms not carbon atoms. ?

8. 

   JarelisApril 26, 2018 at 9:21 pm - Reply

   Hi Amanda! I’ve been searching for hours on the web to see if I can substitute my coconut oil 76 degrees with extra virgin coconut oil. I ran out and that’s all I have and no one speaks of using it. Thanks in advance

9. 

   Tanweer AlamJuly 9, 2017 at 1:40 am - Reply

   Hi Amanda
   How are you
   I am looking for making soap from coconut oil can we make it from waste and fungal copra
   Is it possible safe and economical

   • 

     CoreyJune 7, 2020 at 11:06 am - Reply

     If you choose to use unrefined coconut oil, do you know what the saponification value is? I’m making soap for my family and I could only find unrefined coconut oil.

10. 

    AnneMarch 2, 2017 at 2:18 am - Reply

    Hi Amanda, I’m fairly new to soaping and love everything about your site, including your eBooks, resources and blog. I have an issue making 100% coconut oil soap and would greatly appreciate your advice. I’ve tried making 5 or so small batches, with various amounts of water, including less water, full water, half water/half coconut milk. I’ve used wooden moulds with freezer paper and with silicon inserts. I’ve left the moulds un-insulated, I’ve put them into the freezer for 30 minutes then the fridge, but most of the batches have spoilt – I can see a grey shadow developing along the middle of the mould within 30 minutes to an hour after pouring, and when I cut the soap most of it has gone grey. Would you please let me know where I am going wrong. Hoping to hear from you. Cheers

11. 

    PhyllisDecember 14, 2016 at 10:22 am - Reply

    I really appreciate all the helpful information on your site. I’m new to soap making, so I’m still reading and gathering information. That said, I would just like to comment on the appearance of the site itself. The header is so large it takes up nearly half of each page. It’s very distracting and a bit frustrating to see only half a web page. Surely there is some way for you to get all your links into one smaller spot. It would not only look great, it would give those of us wanting to read your informative articles a much easier way to do so.

    • 

      Amanda GailDecember 14, 2016 at 11:23 am - Reply

      Thanks for the feedback! Agreed. I’ll work on that.

Leave A Comment