Tallow alternatives in soap making?

[tinpanalley]

What are the best tallow alternatives for shaving soap production?
I have a friend who owns a salon and makes her own face/body/hand soaps and some of her fragrances are incredible. I told her they'd sell really well as shaving soaps and her fear is people not liking her using tallow as she tends to have a lot of vegan customers. What can I show her that is used by reputable companies so she can try to turn some of her soaps into shaving soaps. She's very eager to explore all this.

Thanks for any guidance!

 

[NorthernSoul]

Combination of palm oil, palm kernel oil and stearic acid is used by many soaps nowadays and they can perform very well. Sometimes coconut oil and/or coconut oil derivatives are used to make a soap that lathers very easily.

Some DIY soapmakers nowadays are using soy wax. This is a modified soybean oil that has been hydrogenated to make it fully saturated.

 

[Wogus]

A few examples...

Canada Shave Soap: Stearic acid, water, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide and glycerin.

Southern Witchcrafts: Water, stearic acid, shea butter, castor oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerine, coconut oil, sodium lactate, sodium hydroxide, jojoba oil, aloe powder, liquid aloe, isopropyl myristate, kaolin clay, fragrance.

Ariana & Evans: Stearic acid, water, Kokum, Shea, glycerin, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, Rice Milk, sodium hydroxide, sunflower oil, palm oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, Coconut Milk, sodium lactate, coconut oil, colloidal oatmeal, agave, aloe juice, hyaluronic acid, slippery elm.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

This is my favourite shaving soap….

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

This is my favourite shaving soap….

View attachment 1747520

Curious what soap is it?

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Curious what soap is it?

It’s Kaliflower Organics in Sweden. Nice lady making soaps on a farm in the middle of nowhere. They do two shaving soap scents: Tjära (pine tar) and Citrus Cedar. The tar really smells of just pine tar, which I love but not everyone will. The citrus cedar is comparatively mild and everyone should like it. I just find this soap makes a uniquely creamy lather that feels good, but it’s also easy to use and has good slickness and cushion.

Her clay soaps also work very well for me as a pre-shave wash.

 

[SawtoothMtns]

The fatty acid content of tallow is:[5]

• Saturated fatty acids:
  • Palmitic acid (C16:0): 26%
  • Stearic acid (C18:0): 14%
  • Myristic acid (C14:0): 3%
• Monounsaturated fatty acids:
  • Oleic acid (C18-1, ω-9): 47%
  • Palmitoleic acid (C16:1): 3%
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids:
  • Linoleic acid: 3%
  • Linolenic acid: 1%

Basically we want an oil or oils that mimic that fatty acid profile. Pig Tallow (Lard) is pretty close to Beef Tallow but Vegans won't like it. I think Palm oil works well when combined with Stearic Acid.

 

[abies]

It’s Kaliflower Organics in Sweden. Nice lady making soaps on a farm in the middle of nowhere. They do two shaving soap scents: Tjära (pine tar) and Citrus Cedar. The tar really smells of just pine tar, which I love but not everyone will. The citrus cedar is comparatively mild and everyone should like it. I just find this soap makes a uniquely creamy lather that feels good, but it’s also easy to use and has good slickness and cushion.

Her clay soaps also work very well for me as a pre-shave wash.

I've had that pine tar soap on my favorites list in Etsy for awhile now. I should try it when I need to get some more soap.

 

[jbhunt04]

I've had that pine tar soap on my favorites list in Etsy for awhile now. I should try it when I need to get some more soap.

I’ve used pine tar soap for my beard and it cleans good, but takes all the moisture out.

 

[psfred]

Fully hydrogenated soybean oil (aka soy wax) is a great source of stearic acid for soap making. For shaving soap, you need at least 60% potassium hydroxide as lye and 60% or a bit more stearic acid. Hot process is pretty much required for shaving soap

The potassium hydroxide gives easy latering (and softer soap) and the high stearic acid content gives dense, creamy later that holds. Some coconut oil helps with lathering too. I've not been exited with the results of using castor oil, doesn't seem to be as nice a shaving soap to me.

I use 5% superfat for shaving soaps -- if you want specific oils to remain after saponification, they will need to be added at the end of hot processing. I also use sodium EDTA, citric acid, and BHT to prevent oxidation of the finished soap.

Everything else is optional.

 

[nav]

The seed butters (cocoa, shea, kokum etc) are a good alternative to tallow as they have similar fatty acid profiles.