Creating Vegetable Glycerine

There is a product on the market called vegetable glycerine. This product can be used in creams, lotions and soaps to provide skin-moisturizing effects. Because it is derived from natural ingredients and is very mild, it is tolerable to most people who might otherwise have sensitivities to chemicals or artificial ingredients. Vegetable glycerine must be kept in a dark container in a cool place, as too much light will cause the ingredients to break down and make the product unusable. With correct storage, it will stay intact for up to five years. Vegetable glycerine comes in a clear liquid and has a slightly sweet smell to it, almost like maple syrup. It is often made from palm or coconut oil, and the process of making vegetable glycerine is somewhat complicated and time consuming, but well worth the effort. The ingredients, palm and coconut oil, are described below:

Palm oil

When vegetable glycerine is made from palm oil, it has distinct benefits. Palm oil contains vitamin E and beta carotene, both of which are important to your health. Vitamin E from palm oil has isomers called tocopherols and tocotrienols that are antioxidants that help to counteract the effects of free radicals (Dr. Khosla, Wayne State University, 2006).

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is another ingredient that can be used in the manufacture of vegetable glycerine. There are many beneficial qualities to coconut oil that can carry through into the glycerine product, including keeping cholesterol levels under control, promoting weight loss, assisting with digestion, boosting the immune system, and maintaining healthy bones and kidneys; research was reported in the Journal of Nutrition, 2003. These qualities are derived from the components in the coconut oil. The components include lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, which all have antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Processing

The actual process of making vegetable glycerine is through hydrolosis. This procedure extracts the fats that are in the palm or coconut oil through the method of distillation. The oil and water are combined and heated to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for half an hour or so to separate the glycerol from the fats in the oil. The solution is then cooled and distilled to extract the pure glycerine as it precipitates out of the fats. This process does take time, but it can be done on a small scale in your home, providing you have the necessary distillation equipment and supplies.