Apricot Kernel Oil

Apricot kernel oil is a light oil that is similar to almond oil in its fatty acid makeup. It absorbs nicely into the skin and is a good luxury conditioning oil in soap - at about 5% - 10%.

 

Almond Oil, Sweet

A lovely moisturizing oil that is very light and absorbs well. In soap it produces a low, stable lather, but I wouldn't use it more than about 5% - 10% in soap.

 

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is a heavy, green, rich, moisturizing oil.  It's often used in soap recipes for people with sensitive skin. On the skin, it first feels a little heavy... but after a moment, it absorbs nicely. It's high in vitamins A, D & E, which is good for your skin and gives it a longer shelf life. You can use it in your recipes from 5% - 30%.

 

Canola Oil

Canola, a kind of rapeseed, you can substitute a portion of your olive for canola, or use it as part of your batch at 10-15%. It gives a nice, low, creamy lather and is moisturizing.

 

Castor Oil

Just like you remember grandma giving you a tablespoon full of!  Castor oil is a thick, clear oil that helps increase the lather in soap - a rich, creamy lather. It's also a humectant (attracts moisture to your skin) oil. Just a little will do...5% - 8%.

 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of the primary oils soapmakers use in their soap. It creates a hard bar with bubbly lather.  Some people feel that more than 30% in your soap will be drying to your skin.  I haven’t found that to be true.  It probably depends on your skin type.

 

Cottonseed Oil

It contributes a nice, creamy lather that is moisturizing.

 

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a lightweight, moisturizing oil that is a good additive to soap in small quantities. It doesn't have a long shelf life, so unless you treat it with rosemary oleoresin extract, or have a very low superfat percentage, don't use it more than about 5% in your recipe.

 

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba is actually a liquid wax that is very similar to sebum in its chemical composition. It contributes a nice stable lather, has remarkable absorption and moisturizing qualities and unlike some of the other luxury moisturizing oils, has a very long shelf life - 1-2 years! Use it at 5-10% maximum.

 

Neem Oil

Neem oil is extracted from the bark of the neem tree. It is growing in popularity as a soap making oil due to its antiseptic, anti-fungal and insect repellent qualities. I know of one soap maker who uses neem oil at about 25% of the recipe and sends it to soldiers in the middle east to repel sand flies. It evidently works very well. It's also great, all by itself (as both an oil and in a soap recipe) for treating skin conditions like athletes foot. The scent of neem is very strong...a sort of green, earthy, nutty smell...and takes some getting used to. But it doesn't come through too strongly in the soap, and blends well with other earthy scents.

 

Olive Oil, Grade A or Extra Virgin

Extra virgin and virgin olive oils come from the very first gentle pressing of the olives. The refined, or Grade A oil (generally the best grade for soap) comes from the second pressing, and is lightly refined/filtered. 100% olive oil makes the famous "Castille soap" and "Marseille soap" must contain at least 72% olive oil. Olive oil is generally the #1 oil in most soap makers' recipes - and for good reason. Olive oil soaps are very moisturizing, make hard, white bars of soap (though high % olive oil soaps take a longer time to cure) and are exceptionally mild. But the lather from Castille soap is low and a bit slimy. Most soap makers combine olive oil with other oils to improve the lather.

 

Palm Oil

Palm oil, along with olive and coconut, is one of the top oils used by soap makers today. Because of the qualities it gives soap, it is often called "veggie tallow" in that it gives many of the same qualities that beef tallow does - a hard bar with a rich creamy lather. Alone, it's pretty unremarkable, but combined with other oils like olive, coconut and castor, it makes great, hard, long lasting soap.

 

Palm Kernel Oil

Though it comes from the same plant/nut as palm oil does, palm kernel oil is almost identical in its soap making properties to coconut oil - giving a nice hard white bar of soap...with lots of luscious lather. As with coconut, you can use it up to about 30% or 35% in your recipes.

 

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Considered a luxury oil, Pumpkin seed oil is a rich and vitamin-filled oil with abundant antioxidant properties. It contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, C, E, and Zinc. It's fatty acid balance is most similar to soybean and sunflower oil, and will contribute about the same qualities to soap that they do in terms of hardness, lather and conditioning.

 

Shea Oil

Shea oil, or liquid shea, is fractionated shea butter, one of the most popular luxury oils used in soap making recipes. This variation of shea butter is liquid at room temperature and wonderful for adding to melt and pour soap, massage bars, or to creams and lotions. I've also used it in bath bombs. It's very moisturizing in the tub, but may be a bit too oily for some folks. But the fact that it's liquid doesn't give any benefits in soap. So if you're going to use shea butter in soap, go ahead and use the actual shea butter instead of liquid shea oil.