Teach Soap

I would like to be able to purchase my oils needed for CP locally, if possible and was wondering if I could use the following types of oils; Safflower, Sunflower, Olive, Corn, Flaxseed, and others that can be purchsed in the store. Does it matter what type of oil you use? What about the amounts? I was using the MMS lye calc and wasn't sure if the amounts I added were ok. Thank you

i believe all foodsafe oils CAN be used for CP soaping, although they may not produce a nice soap. alot of different oils can be bought locally, although they will probably be more expensive than if you bought them in bulk/online.

i hear that superwalmart often has coconut oil, which is an excellent soap oil, although it is very drying and most soapers wont use over 25-30% in their recipe. ive also heard walmart has a store brand shortening that works extremely well. i havent used it myself (yet), but i think it has animal products in it. so if youre against using animal products, check the label. crisco is also popular to some soapers.. cheap and comes in huge sizes. it is palm oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil mostly, though ive heard the ingredients varie depending where you buy it.

it all comes down to which oils are available to you, and which properties they lend to finished soap. with oils like corn, its not that theyre particularly bad for soap, but theyre not widely used because there are just better oils.

before making your first batch of CP, i recommend getting a soapmaking book. i have a copy of 'the everything soapmaking book' by i think alicia grosso (i dont have it near me, i think thats her name?) which has explanations of pretty much every oil, as well as alot of useful tips and even recipes. another great book is the one by susan cavitch miller? i think thats her name, though i cant think of the books name off the top of my head.

most of the oils you listed i believe are pretty lowly used, and tend to make a pretty unremarkable soap (aside from olive oil). if you were to buy and use the oils you listed i think id stick to about 5% of total oils. ive heard sunflower can be used up to 20-30% but i dont think its as easy to find/economical as it used to be. i could be wrong.

olive oil is one of the most highly used oils for soaping. it can be used up to 100% of your oils in any recipe. palm and coconut are also very popular oils.

***Author is currently on strong painkillers, so if this post is a bit confusing and random, please disregard! LOL***

You can use those oils, however, be aware that some of them could make your soap very soft and some have a short shelf life. That could lead to DOS.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I buy my olive oil locally and occasionally use a little Sunflower Oil which I also buy locally. Aside from that I get all of my oils from Soaper's Choice, BB, or WSP.

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- Mickey!