We've updated our lather making oil chart and take added 2 more than charts to aid you better formulate soap recipes! Scroll down to see!

Soap Making Oil Chart

Base Oil, Butter or Fat Soft, Hard or Brittle Properties in Lather Recommended Usage Breaking the Rules & Other Notes
Kokosnoot Oil - Larn more about coconut oil in soap making. Hard Abundant lather, large fluffy bubbles, high cleansing, hard bar, white color 15-50% High amounts of coconut oil tin be drying, even so yous can always employ a higher superfat to counteract the drying event. The more united nations-saponified oils in your soap the more moisturizing it is.
Experiment with a 100% coconut oil soap with a xx% superfat.
Palm Oil Hard Mild stabilizing soap, hard, long lasting bar 25-50% Palm oil is nifty for those that don't want to employ animate being fats such as lard or
tallow. I personally practise non use palm oil because of the environmental furnishings of producing it.
Olive Oil - Learn more nearly olive oil in soap making. Soft Low slippery soap, almost no bubbles, low cleansing 25-eighty% The low cleansing backdrop of olive oil make information technology very mild and nourishing. Soap for sensitive skin, elderberry skin or baby skin should include high amounts of olive (60%). Castile soap is fabricated with 100% olive oil. I classify this
as a soft/hard oil because it makes a very soft bar of soap initially upon unmolding simply cures into a rock hard
bar. Soaps loftier (l%+) in olive oil need longer to cure and unmold.
Lard Difficult Mild stabilizing creamy lather, difficult, white bar 25-fifty% 100% lard soap with no superfat makes nifty laundry
soap.
Tallow
(beef)		 Difficult Mild stabilizing creamy lather, hard, white bar 25-l% 100% tallow lather with no superfat makes peachy laundry soap.
Babassu Oil Breakable Similar to coconut oil, big fluffy bubbles, high cleansing but a scrap milder than
coconut oil, white color		 15-thirty% Babassu oil is a great oil to apply in identify of coconut oil for those that have a coconut allergy.
Palm Kernel Oil Brittle Similar to kokosnoot oil, large fluffy bubbles, high cleansing simply a bit milder than
coconut oil, white color		 15-xxx% Palm kernel oil is a great sub for kokosnoot oil. You lot tin can besides use information technology with
coconut oil to add some hardness to your bar. If you lot have a recipe that
calls for 20% coconut oil…try using 10% coconut oil and ten% palm kernel
oil.
Cocoa Butter Brittle Mild stabilizing balm-like lather, hard, long lasting bar five-15% Yous tin can experiment using cocoa butter and other butters in high amounts –
up to 80%. Try a bar made from 60% cocoa butter and 40% kokosnoot
oil. You might like information technology!
Shea Butter - Larn more about shea butter in soap making. Difficult Balmy stabilizing lotion-like soap, medium hard, long lasting bar 5-20% Same as cocoa butter. I typically use v-15% but occasionally will
experiment with using up to xx%.
Mango Butter - Larn more than about mango butter in soap making. Hard Mango butter helps with the hardness of the lather, and it adds luxurious conditioning and moisturizing values besides. 5-20% I typically employ 5-xv% but occasionally will
experiment with using upwardly to 20%.
Castor Oil Soft Boosts lather by making a soap more hands dissolved in water five-x% Some lather makers like to utilise xv-20% castor oil in their shampoo bars or shaving bars.
Apricot Kernel Oil Soft Medium soap, balmy cleansing v-12% Apricot Kernel is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Avocado Oil - Larn more about avocado oil in soap making. Soft Medium lather, mild cleansing 5-12% Avocado oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. It is loftier in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals making it a great addition to facial bars or bars for elder skin.
Jojoba Oil Soft Stabilizes and suspends soap 5-eight% Jojoba oil, a liquid wax, can kill lather when used in high amounts. Keep below 8%.
Sunflower Oil Soft Medium lather, mild cleansing v-12% Sunflower oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. Use loftier oleic sunflower for a longer shelf life.
Grapeseed Oil Soft Medium
soap, mild cleansing		 5-12% Grapeseed is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Hazelnut Oil Soft Medium
lather, mild cleansing		 5% Hazelnut is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Hemp Seed Oil Soft Medium lather, balmy cleansing 5% Hemp Seed is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Safflower Oil Soft Medium lather, mild cleansing 5-12% Safflower oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Soybean Oil Soft Medium lather, balmy cleansing 5-12% Soybean oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. UPDATE: I quit using soybean as it is the only oil that I got rancid soap with.
Rice Bran Oil Soft Medium lather, mild cleansing, gives lather a sheen making information technology look less dull 5-12% Rice Bran oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.
Almond Oil, sweetness Soft Medium lather, balmy cleansing 5-12% Sweet Almond oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe.

Soft, hard and brittle?  What does that mean?

  • Oils, fats and butters are generally classified equally soft, hard or brittle.  You'll encounter that I did so in the soap making oil chart.
  • Soft oils are by and large oils that are liquid at room temperature such every bit olive oil, castor oil, sweetness almond, rice bran…etc.  Every bit a general rule, soap made from a high percentage of these oils will be on the softer side.  The only exception to this rule is olive oil.  Soap made from a high percentages of olive oil is soft upon un-molding simply will cure to be a actually hard bar of soap.
  • Hard oils are oils, fats and butters that are solid but scoopable at room temperature such as palm oil, lard, tallow, kokosnoot oil, mango butter and shea butter.  Hard oils make a hard bar of soap.
  • Breakable oils are oils that are solid at room temperature merely crave some chipping at or a bit of elbow grease to suspension them up.  These generally include palm kernel oil and cocoa butter.  Brittle oils make a difficult bar of soap.

Hither are some general rules when talking most soft, difficult and brittle percentages in your recipe.

Hard and Brittle Oils

  • Soap made with higher percentages of hard and brittle oils volition be easier and quicker to un-mold.  These soaps set upwardly quickly and harden faster than soaps made with loftier percentages of soft oils.  Recipes high in hard or brittle oils can be hard to swirl or do avant-garde designs with that take fourth dimension as the soap can set up too apace.
  • Recipes loftier in hard and brittle oils make united nations-molding soap easier in single cavity molds.
  • Lather made with college percentages of hard and brittle oils will require higher temps when mixing.  If yous lather at also low of a temperature yous tin go what is called simulated trace.  This is when the solid and brittle oils start thickening up/re-solidifying because of the low temperatures.  It looks similar to trace so y'all might end upward pouring your soap before you lot accomplish trace.  Keep the oil temps in the range of 100-110 F.

Soft Oils

  • Soap made with high percentages of soft oils tend to be softer and stickier when united nations-molding.  Only leave them in the mold a day or ii longer before un-molding and cut.  If you are using single cavity molds, you can try freezing them to harden and hopefully the soap will pop out easier.
  • Soap made with soft oils, especially olive oil, is slower to trace and setup.  This makes them perfect for swirling.  You have more fourth dimension to colour and play with the soap batter.

Below is our Fatty Acid Contour Chart. Knowing your fatty acid profiles can help you better formulate and substitute oils.

Fatty Acid Profiles

Base Oil Lauric Myristic Palmitic Stearic Ricinoleic Oleic Linoleic Linolenic
Coconut Oil 49 nineteen nine three 0 eight 2 0
Babassu Oil fifty 20 11 four 0 10 0 0
Palm Kernel Oil 49 16 eight two 0 15 3 0
Palm Oil 0 ane 44 5 0 39 10 0
Castor Oil 0 0 0 0 90 4 iv 0
Sal Butter 0 0 6 44 0 40 ii 0
Kokum Butter 0 0 4 56 0 36 1 0
Shea Butter 0 0 v 40 0 48 vi 0
Cocoa Butter 0 0 28 33 0 35 3 0
Mango Butter 0 0 7 42 0 45 3 0
Tallow (Beefiness) 2 half-dozen 28 22 0 36 three ane
Lard (Hog) 0 1 28 xiii 0 46 6 0
Avocado Oil 0 0 xx 2 0 58 12 0
Emu Oil 0 0 23 9 0 47 viii 0
Neem Oil 0 ii 21 xvi 0 46 12 0
Rice Bran Oil 0 1 22 3 0 38 34 two
Canola Oil 0 0 four 2 0 61 21 9
Almond Oil, Sweet 0 0 7 0 0 71 18 0
Apricot Kernel Oil 0 0 vi 0 0 66 27 0
Olive Oil 0 0 14 3 0 69 12 one
High Oleic Sunflower 0 0 three 4 0 83 4 0
Jojoba Oil 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0
Macadamia Nut Oil 0 0 9 5 0 59 2 0
Loftier Oleic Safflower Oil 0 0 5 ii 0 77 fifteen 0
Soybean Oil 0 0 xi 5 0 24 50 8
Cottonseed Oil 0 0 13 thirteen 0 18 52 i
Grapeseed Oil 0 0 8 iv 0 20 68 0
Hemp Oil 0 0 6 2 0 12 57 21
Sunflower Oil 0 0 vii iv 0 14 70 i
Safflower Oil 0 0 7 0 0 15 75 0

Below is our Fatty Acid Properties Chart.

Fatty Acid Backdrop in Lather

Fatty Acid Shelf Life Cleansing Lather Primary Oils Secondary Oil
Lauric Acid Long High Arable fleeting soap Coconut Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Babassu Oil None
Myristic Acid Long High Arable fleeting lather None Kokosnoot Oil, Palm Oil, Babassu Oil
Palmitic Acid Long Medium Stabilizing, creamy Palm Oil Tallow, Lard, Avocado Oil, Emu Oil, Neem Oil, Rice Bran Oil
Stearic Acid Long Low Low, flossy Sal Butter, Kokum Butter Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter
Ricinoleic Acid Long Depression Depression, creamy, boost lather because of solvent backdrop Castor Oil None
Oleic Acid Medium Low-Medium Workout soap Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Lard, Tallow, Avocado Oil, Emu Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Canola Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Olive Oil, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, High Oleic Safflower Oil, Jojoba Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Cotton Seed Oil, Grapeseed Oil
Linoleic Acid Brusk Medium Conditioning lather Soybean Oil, Cotton fiber Seed Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Safflower Oil Rice Bran Oil, Canola Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil
Linolenic Acid Brusque Medium Conditioning lather None Hemp Seed Oil