C.II. Copra oil

Extracted from coconut (Cocos nucifera), it has the following essential properties:

The soda soap is white, very hard. It can incorporate big quantities of salted water. Easily soluble in water, it forms an abundant but less stable foam. The cleaning power is also very good, unfortunately the effect on the skin is rather harsh (rashes on the skin).

Preparation of soap

The saponification of copra oil is easy, even at cold. The strong alkaline solutions are well appropriate to that end (25-40 °Be). The copra oil soaps are low stable to storage and have a great tendency to the deterioration of their structure and to getting rancid.

Pre-treatment

As a simple method of refining copra oil, the washing in boiling salted water can be used (see detailed description in the chapter peanut oil).

Saponification

Copra oil is well appropriate for soap preparation by using the cold process.

Recipe:

100 Kg of purified copra oil;
42,31 Kg of caustic potassium solution at 26 °Be
31,40 Kg of caustic soda solution at 40 °Be

Figure

How to carry out operations

- Weigh the necessary quantity of purified oil and eventually heat at 35- 40 °C
- Add slowly and in small portions, the alkaline solution necessary to saponification (a method consists in using two solutions with different concentrations: the low concentrated is vigorously mixed in order to ensure the formation of an emulsion and then the strong intake solution is incorporated into );
- Go on mixing until the mass gets a sticky (gluey) consistency;
- Add the additive products and eventually the scents and colors, by mixing;
- Pour the hot mass into big moulds;
- You then close the moulds in order to ensure auto-heating accompanying the saponification reaction;
- After cording and hardening of the blocs, take them out of the moulds and cut into bars (eventually in pieces).