Best value palm oil free soap?

[Seaweasel]

Over the last 3 years, we've been buying palm oil free soap online from a small company. It's great but works out about £2.50 a bar. We use it instead of hand-wash or shower gel all round the house so get through a fair bit. Money's tight and I have been looking for a more economical alternative - I thought I could just buy a supermarket brand but I can't find one which is palm oil free. Anyone come across any brands please? TIA

I think you might struggle to get it cheaper than that without palm. Palm is used because it provides qualities that soap needs at a low price. It's a shame because the palm industry is so bad but I don't know of any palm free bars under £2.50.

Maybe a Castile soap? (Pure olive oil). Or a pure coconut oil soap. They are also relatively cheaper ingredients.

You can make it yourself for less - or used to be able to. I haven't looked at ingredient prices in a year or so. When I last worked it out I could make it for about £1.25 a big bar. If you are that way inclined that could be an option?

It helps if you can spend a lump sum and make a few batches of soap. It's so that and then they last us 18 months or so. Then I do it again.

Eg a large olive oil bar that could be cut into about 4/5 regular sized bars...

https://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/oliva/oliva-olive-oil-soap-600g/?PCode=DSGPESS15&gclid=CjwKCAjw9suYBhBIEiwA7iMhNAE78mdcAUJtJ1bbYHvlGepmAHQHkXv3kD-3gSHfYAOQXhRb1HLbxoCm5oQAvDBwE

Do any use sustainable palm oil? Not all palm oil is a bad thing.

An alternative idea might be to use a site like QuidCo to source your soap. You might still pay £2.50 a bar but you get some money back off that. Not much but over time maybe enough to lower the cost?

Amazon do huge bars of olive oil soap that I have on subscribe and save - i use it grated to make soap powder. We're working our way through huge Nesti Dante soaps that were on a deal from Amazon for kitchen and bathroom. When they're gone, I'd like to use something similar but palm oil free. I can't remember what, but I read something that convinced me even sustainable palm oil should be avoided.

I use Nivea (in the blue box). Unless they've changed the ingredients recently that's palm oil free.

I always buy palm oil free, cruelty free products. I buy bars of Faith in Nature soap from my local health food shop but it can be bought cheap online gordonsdirect.com/products/copy-of-faith-in-nature-hand-made-soap-100g-aloe-vera?variant=42925358219486&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIge2zyK34-QIVFevtCh2VewwCEAQYAiABEgLoRfD_BwE

Thanks very much! I will look into these suggestions. How does the grated soap powder do @Cynderella ? I've not heard of doing that before.

@SilentHedges Hi, I just looked into the Faith in Nature soaps and they all contain palm oil (sodium palmate). They say that it's sustainably sourced, but I thought you'd prefer to know as you thought they were palm oil free. It's in everything!

I've bought some little olive oil soaps before committing but this might be the way forward@ShesNotTheMessiah , thanks!

It works really well and is much cheaper than alternatives. But there is a caveat: I grate the soap in my food processor and tip it into an old 5l tub left here by builders. Then, in batches, I whizz it in the processor with soda crystals - about half and half. You can use it like that, but I mix in a cup or two of Aldi washing powder. I've got a tin by the washing machine, and I decant it into that. The rest is stored in old Tupperware type cereal dispensers. It lasts months, so I think it's worth doing, but you need a decent sized food processor.

First time, I left the grated soap as it was and it was OK at 60, but in my 40 deg half hour wash, I used to find bits of soap stuck to clothes. So, while it takes less than twenty minutes and is straightforward, you need a blender of some sort. the other thing is that it's not biological, so I do buy Ariel and use half and half for whites.

Argh... thank you for telling me. I wish I could delete my post. Now I need to look at the recommendations for a new soap!

I thought that proper Marseille soap didn't have palm oil, but I've just checked a few on Amazon, and they did (not that they would have made a huge difference to your budget, as pricing is similar to that you already pay, but you do find them discounted sometimes)

Tester bars makes sense

The oils/fats in soap all bring different qualities. Eg some make a bubbly bar. Some make a rich larger. Some are good at cleansing etc.

Olive oil soap tends to be a hard bar that is very gentle on skin and doesn't tend to dry skin out. But it can also feel a bit slimy when you use it. Not many bubbles. So it's with trying to be sure you like it.

Check Amazon listings carefully - I've just done a search for palm oil-free soaps, and many of those they suggested had palm oil in them in one guise or another (including those made with olive oil)

The nivea blue soap contains glyceryl, which is palm oil by another name.

The only ones I've found were more or less the same price as your existing supplier - cheapest was £2.30 a bar, next £2.45 and some much, much higher.

All real Castile soap that I've found is more expensive than you are currently paying

Have you looked on places like Etsy, or local fairs etc? I imagine a lot of those don't use palm oil but of course they may be expensive.

Ethical Superstore lists Palm Oil Free soaps. It might not help with your pricing OP, but its helping me relieve the guilt of using a soap with Palm Oil, even though it says its sustainably sourced.

www.ethicalsuperstore.com/category/beauty-health-and-wellbeing/bath-and-body/soap/palm-oil-free.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrpzs_OT7-QIVQp7tCh1OGgFMEAAYAyAAEgJby_D_BwE

This olive oil soap lasts for ages and is palm oil free. If you are near TK Maxx, keep an eye on these. Sometimes they are on sale at much lower price, that’s when I stock up on them.

www.ecco-verde.co.uk/savon-du-midi/savon-de-marseille