Coconut Oil: The Reason There Are Bubbles

Cocos nucifera. The reason there are bubbles.

Where it comes from

The coconut palm has been growing along tropical coastlines for so long that nobody is sure where it started, though the best guess is somewhere between India and the islands of Southeast Asia. Coconuts float, which is how the tree spread itself around the equator long before people did. Pacific Islanders have used coconut oil on skin and hair for thousands of years, and by the 1800s it had become one of the two great soap oils of the industrial world (the other being tallow, which we don't use). The oil is pressed from the white flesh of the nut. Ours is virgin and certified organic, and it shows up on the label as Sodium Cocoate once it's been turned into soap.

What it does in the bar

Coconut oil is what makes a bar lather. Olive oil on its own gives a soft, creamy foam; coconut oil gives big, fluffy bubbles that rinse clean. It also makes a hard bar that lasts. On its own it can be a little too good at cleaning, which is why we balance it against olive oil and butters rather than letting it run the show.

What it does for skin

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is part of why coconut soap has that famously clean, squeaky finish. Used in the right proportion, it cleans thoroughly without leaving skin tight. We keep it well under a third of the recipe for exactly that reason.

Good to know

A few people have a coconut sensitivity. If that's you, our bars do contain coconut-derived soap. It's fully saponified, which is different from raw coconut oil on the skin, but we'd rather you know.

See it in action: shop the bars.