Teach Soap

Can I make a good soap without olive oil? If so, what other oil could be used instead with the same properties?

Good soap is subjective... My first four batches of soap (I think I've made 8 total so far- obviously not an expert) had no olive oil in them. I used various combos of palm, coconut, grapeseed (not much, not a great shelf life...), lard, avocado, castor, almond, and apricot kernel. I know olive oil has such a great reputation for skin conditioning, but I've used castille soaps in the past and never gotten what the big deal was. Handmade soap does make a difference on my skin, but I can't tell the difference between a handmade castille/bastille soap and and one made without olive oil. But that my just be me. I did get kind of obsessed with making a good bastille soap the past two weeks- I've made 4 batches of the same recipe, and each one turned out remarkably different (two overheated and had to be rebatched, one gelled, one I prevented gel by putting in the freezer). It just depends what you're looking for. Look more into the properties of the different oils vs. what you want. Any decent soaping book should list the properties of the different oils- or the about.com soap calculator rate the properties of a given recipe based on the oils you use on things like cleansing, conditioning, bubbly/creamy lather, etc.

Make a small batch ( 2 lbs.) with your regular recipe and sub 50% rice bran for your olive. Don't forget to recalculate your recipe.

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