Carrier Oil Attributes in Soap Making

by Deborah Dolen Mabel White

(To see how these oils interact in cold process soap making, enter them here in the lye calculator.)

To see the 2012 updated version of Deborah Dolen's Carrier Oil Attributes Chart that also has more oils click here.  This chart now also includes oils for bath and body formulations as well.

Aloe Vera Oil

Aloe Vera is renown for its healing properties. Aloe is use for many burn remedies. It is known to penetrate the skin much faster then most other oils. Aloe has been used for many things from anti aging to anti inflammatory pain reliever. It is also believed useful with acne. Normal usage of aloe Vera oil at 5-10% in most soaps, creams, and lotions. 

Apricot Kernel

Avocado Oil

This oil is expressed from fruit and has been used in cosmetics for a long time. The oil is more difficult to locate than other oils but can be found in food specialty stores or health food stores. Avocado oil will make soaps rich and very emollient. It contains vitamins, protein, lecithin and fatty acids which make it beneficial for people with dry skin or eczema.  Avocado oil has a high percentage of unsaponifiables, making it an excellent choice to super fat your cold process soap with. It is wonderful in massage oil because of its natural vitamins B1, B2 and A. This oil is cold pressed.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is expressed from the seed of the castor bean plant. It is well known to make lots of lather.  The oil adds mildness and richness to soap and is most successfully used in superfatting. You can find this oil at local pharmacies.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is derived from the seeds of the cocoa tree. It improves the overall consistency of soap, making it both creamy and hard. It has wonderful soothing and emollient qualities. It is widely used as a base in cosmetics. Locate this oil with candy making suppliers.

Coconut Oil

This is the number one oil for soap makers. Used on it's own, it can tend to dry the skin. It yields a creamy lather and medium hard soap.

Emu Oil

One of the most expensive but luxurious oils to use.  100% Emu as the lone ingredient makes a very creamy fairly soft bar of soap.  It is naturally opulent appearing to have mica powder in it.  It does take awhile to trace and several weeks to cure, but very much worth it.

Grape Seed Oil

GRAPE SEED OIL is used extensively in the cosmetics industry for it pleasant emollient properties and compatibility with lotions and surfactants. Its soothing and healing effects on the skin have been appreciated for generations. It is widely used for hair conditioning and styling, imparting a rich silky luster and enhancing hair growth. 

Hazelnut Oil

This oil is gentle, non-greasy, and is recommended for very dry skin. The oil is pressed from hazelnuts and is imported from France. The shelf life on this oil is approximately 3 months. It keeps best in the refrigerator. Our oil is food grade and can be used in salads and baking. This oil is excellent in lotions, creams and facial products and is popular in soap as well. Use it alone as a massage oil or combined with jojoba or sweet almond oil.

Hemp Oil

Hemp seed oil is one of the world's richest sources of polyunsaturated fats, including both of the essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and GLA (gamma Linolenic acid), which make it an excellent natural emollient and moisturizer. Body care products containing hemp seed oil can reduce skin discomfort by soothing & restoring dry or damaged skin and increasing the natural moisture retention capacity. With regular use, body care products containing hemp seed oil can help slow down the effects of skin aging and leave the skin smooth, soft and moisturized. In hair care products, hemp seed oil imparts gloss and manageability to hair, bringing relief from dry scalp or hair damage by blow-dryer heat, chemical perms, coloring or sunlight.

Macadamia Nut Oil

Similar composition to the human skin for unique lubricating and emollient properties.   The oil, obtained from the nuts of the macadamia tree, contains a high concentration of palmitoleic acid, and is very similar to mink oil and to the sebum of human skin. No other known plant oil has a similar composition.

Olive Oil

Olive oil makes a very hard bar of mild, gentle, conditioning soap with little bubbles and stable lather. It is slow to trace and is good for sensitive or baby's skin.

Palm Oil

Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the palm tree. It makes a hard bar with stable lather. It hastens trace. It saponifies easily and pulls other oils into saponification more quickly. It should be limited to 20% of the total oils as it may be drying to the skin. If used alone, the resulting soap is brittle with sparse lather.

Palm Kernel Flakes or Oil

Palm kernel flakes or oil, not to be confused with palm oil, makes a hard, cleansing, white bar with fluffy lather. It substitutes well for coconut oil. It makes a smooth textured soap. It traces quickly. If it is less than 25% of your total oils, it will make a moisturizing soap; anything more will make a soap that is too drying.

Peanut Oil

It is a good idea to avoid using peanut oil when making soap because some people are very allergic to peanuts.

Pomace Olive Oil

Pomace olive oil is extracted from the residues (from previous pressings), skins and pits (pomace) of olives. It has a high percentage of unsaponifiables and, unlike regular olive oil, tends to put the oils into a quick specification. The final bar of 100% pomace tends to be somewhat softer than those made from virgin or midgrade olive oil.

Primrose Oil

The primary use of Evening Primrose Oil in skincare is to treat eczema, and itchy, dry, or aging skin conditions which are caused in part by the skin’s lack of ability to produce GLA.

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil is another unsaturated oil, so it should be used in combination with palm, coconut, or a similar oil. It is valuable for its moisturizing properties.

Sesame Oil

Is rich in vitamin A (protects the skin) and vitamin E. It is high in antioxidants that protect against the sun and air pollution. The sterolins in sesame oil are valuable moisturizers and skin conditioning agents.

Shea Butter

Shea butter, also known as African karite butter is expressed from the pits of the fruit of the African butter tree. It is high in unsaponifiables, so it is great for superfatting. It makes a hard, shiny, and conditioning bar with stable lather. It traces quickly. Use it in 2-5% of your total fats and oils.

Soybean Oil

Makes a nice, hard bar of soap especially when mixed with olive oil and coconut oil.

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil comes from the edible almond. It makes a wonderful moisturizing bar of soap when mixed with other oils. It saponifies easily and yields a mild soap with good lather. It will turn rancid quickly if not refrigerated. Make sure you list it in your ingredients for some people are allergic to almonds.  Almond oil is rich in protein and offers relief for itchy or inflamed skin.

Sunflower Oil

Has been used as a skin conditioning agent in Europe for many years, but until recently, it has been little-known in North America. It is rich in vitamin E, and is a good source of lecithin (phospholipids) one of the principal components of human cell membranes (the very cell membranes cosmetic products try to protect and rejuvenate).

Tallow

Tallow is rendered beef fat. Suet is the hard fat from around the beef kidneys. Suet is the highest quality tallow. It makes a mild soap that cleans well. It adds hardness to soap. If used alone, it makes a brittle soap with sparse lather.

Turkey Red Oil

Turkey red oil is sulfonated castor oil. It has been processed so it mixes with water more easily. It is not recommended for soapmaking.

Vegetable Shortening

See soybean oil.

Vitamin E Oil

Use Vitamin E in your fixed oils to help slow the oxidizing process or use it in your soap and lotions as a wonderful anti-oxidant. This is a thick, viscous oil that is easy to mix into lotions and liquid oils.

Walnut Oil

Walnut Oil is a wonderful emollient oil which is high in linoleic acid and aids with moisturizing dry damaged skin.  Both Hazelnut and Walnut are deep penetrating, nourishing oils. They have an astringent action which stimulates circulation. They are well suited oils for dry skin and we believe, especially good for use on the feet. These oils are a good source of vitamins A, C, and E.

Deborah Dolen is an author living in Bradenton, Florida and an avid writer for Amazon Kindle books.  Please visit Deborah Dolen's author page on Amazon, Deborah Dolen on Twitter or Deborah Dolen on her blogs. Deborah Dolen's pen name is Mabel White.  Deborah Dolen's newest ho to make beauty products blog is at www.deborah-dolen.com