The top oils for making soap

Soap Making Oils

Soap Making Oils

There are definitely pro’s and con’s on the various soap making oils.

What are the best oils for soap making? You can really make soap out of any oil you want; vegetable oil, animal fats or mineral oil (from crude oil) I would hope that you would not choose the latter.

Some oils work better than other and cure time differs from one to the other. My favorite is a soap that has a high quality of Olive Oil. Later on that…….

Animal fats (Lard) will make a soap that is moisturizing, but the scent is not always something to be desired. My Grandparents used to make soap on the farm using lard.

When making soap with lard it could be a harsh soap at times. This is because they made there own lye from wood ash and really did not understand the science of soap making other than the fact that lye and oils made soap.

Some people think that Mineral Oil can be used in soap making….it can, but mineral oil is a petroleum product that comes from crude oil, which is considered carcinogenic and an auto-immune suppressant.

I would not use this oil in soap making or any other skin care product because it also is known to block or clog the pores of our skin…….we don’t need that happening as our skin is the largest organ our body has and it really should be able to breath.

The thing I like best about soap making is the ability to choose the oils that are best for my skin, having skin allergies has made me aware of the oils that are best for our skin and how they can help treat skin conditions.

Olive Oil – which is my favourite is considered one of the best oils for making soap.

It is so gentle on the skin and a great moisturizer and will not clog your pores.

Canola Oil – This oil is genetically modified so not my favourite – it can be used in soap making, is way cheaper than Olive oil so will cut your cost immensely, but do you want to use it on your skin.

Soap make with Canola Oil can also get spotty and discolour in time. Canola based soaps take longer to cure and tend to turn to mush if set in water. Olive Oil soaps will last longer.

Castor Oil – When castor oil is added to soap it will give the soap a wonderful creamy lather. I use this oil when making shaving soap and shampoo bars.

Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is usually added with Olive Oil and Palm Oil, this oil helps the soap trace faster and gives the soap a nice lather.

Palm Oils– Palm oil will give your soap a creamy texture, but will also help your bar to be harder, therefore not melt in the shower. Palm Oil comes from the fruit pulp of the Palm where as the Palm Kernal Oil come from the fruit. Palm Oil will produce a much harder bar than Palm Oil.

These oils will all make a basic bar of soap. You decide what oils you would like to use. You can super moisturize your soap with other oils. We will discuss that later………

Happy Soaping.