How to Pick the best oils for you and your skin?
Choosing oils and butters is a balance of personal preference and what your skin needs.
Do you like a hard bar? Do you want lots of lather?
Is your skin dry? Is it important to you to have a vegan recipe?
Some butters and oils, like coconut, are solid at room temperature.
Properties of commonly used soapmaking oils
| Oil / Butter | Highlights | Max % Usage |
| Almond Oil, Sweet | Lightweight, conditioning, easily absorbed | Up to 20% |
| Apricot Kernel Oil | Lightweight, conditioning, easily absorbed | Up to 15% |
| Argan Oil | Silky, moisturising, vitamin rich | Up to 10% |
| Avocado Oil | Rich in vitamins A, B, D, E, high levels of fatty acids | Up to 20% |
| Beeswax | Hardens bar | Up to 8% |
| Babassu Oil | Firm, cleansing | Up to 33% |
| Castor Oil | Amazing lather | Up to 10% |
| Canola Oil | Balanced bar with creamy lather (substitute for olive oil) | Up to 33% |
| Cocoa Butter | luxurious and moisturising | Up to 15% |
| Coconut Oil | Very cleansing, great lather | Up to 33% |
| Grapeseed Oil | Lightweight, skin softening | Up to 15% |
| Hemp Seed Oil | Very hydrating, great lather | Up to 15% |
| Jojoba Oil | Firms bar | Up to 10% |
| Kokum Butter | Llightweight and moisturising | Up to 10% |
| Mango Butter | Firming, moisturising | Up to 15% |
| Meadowfoam Oil | Moisturizing | Up to 15% |
| Neem Oil | Moisturising and full of antioxidants | 3-6% |
| Olive Oil | Moisturising | Up to 100% |
| Palm Oil | Hardens bar, good lather | Up to 33% |
| Rice Bran Oil | Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants | Up to 20% |
| Shea butter | Feels luxurious and moisturizing | Up tp 15% |
| Sunflower Oil | Rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E | Up tp 100% |
How do you turn this into a workable recipe?
It’s easy! (Sort of.).
First, you need to convert percentages to weights. This will require little thinking, to know how much your mold holds simply use Soapees lye calculator to work this out for you. So let’s say you have a mold that holds 1 kilogram. So you have approximately 680 grams of oils to work with (depending on your water discount). If 25% of your recipe needs to be olive oil, enter this, keep going down your recipe converting into weights of the oils you want to use, and it will let you know how much lye and water is needed for your recipe.
Try a bar that’s 30% each coconut, olive, and light oils, following the percentages as guides to make up the remaining.
