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Oil Properties & Recommended Amounts in Homemade Soap
Use this table as a guideline to achieve the desired quality of soap.
| Oils/Fats | Hardness | Properties | Use | Breaking Rules & Other Notes |
| Almond oil, sweet | Soft | Stable lather, mild cleansing | 15-20% | Use for dry, irritated skin. Good sub for olive oil. |
| Apricot Kernel oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | 5-15% | Apricot Kernel is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. Moisturizing. |
| Argan oil | Medium | Stable lather | up to 10% | Good for skin problems. Moisturizing. Great for shampoo bars. |
| Avocado oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | up to 15-20% | Excellent for dry & sensitive skin. Makes a softer soap if too much is used. Good sub for olive oil. High in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals making it a great addition to facial bars or bars for elder skin. |
| Babassu oil | Hard | Large fluffy bubbles, high cleansing, white color | 15-30% | Good sub for coconut oil. Similar to coconut oil, but milder. |
| Castor oil | Soft | Boosts lather. | up to 10% | Some soap makers like to use 15-20% castor oil in their shampoo bars or shaving bars. Suspends the lather created by coconut oil. |
| Chicken fat | Moderate | Creamy lather | up to 40% | Mild, conditioning soap. Good for sensitive skin. |
| Cocoa butter | Hard | Creamy lather | up to 15% | Use the refined version if you don’t want the scent to carry to your final bar. You can use more than 15% but may cause it to become brittle. Try a bar made from 60% cocoa butter and 40% coconut oil. You might like it! |
| Coconut oil | Hard | Abundant lather, large fluffy bubbles, high cleansing, white color | up to 30% | High amounts of coconut oil can be drying, however, you can always use a higher superfat to counteract the drying effect. The more unsaponified oils in your soap the more moisturizing it is. Experiment with a 100% coconut oil soap with a 20% superfat. |
| Grape seed oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | up to 10% | Good sub for olive oil. Lightweight and helpful for acne soaps. Has a shorter shelf life. |
| Hazelnut oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | up to 10% | Good sub for olive oil. |
| Hemp seed oil | Soft | Medium silky lather, mild cleansing | up to 15% | Good sub for olive oil. Moisturizing. Keep oil refrigerated. |
| Jojoba oil | Soft | Stabilizes and suspends lather | up to 10% | Conditions skin & hair. Excellent for shampoo bars. Helps extend soap shelf life. It’s a liquid wax, and it can kill lather when used in high amounts. |
| Mango butter | Hard | Low lather | 5-10% | Moisturizing |
| Meadowfoam Oil | | Creamy lather | 10% | Increases shelf life of soap, conditions skin. |
| Neem Oil | | | 5-10% | Skin healing, antiseptic, repels fleas and ticks. Great for pet soaps. Has a strong fragrance. |
| Olive oil | Starts soft, cures hard | Low creamy lather, almost no bubbles, low cleansing | any amount up to 100% | Very mild, conditioning, and nourishing. Soap for sensitive skin, elder skin, or baby skin should include high amounts (60%). Castile soap is made with 100% olive oil. Soaps high (50%+) in olive oil need longer to unmold and cure. |
| Palm kernel oil | Hard to Brittle | Abandoned lather, high cleansing, white color | 15-30% | Good sub for coconut oil. Similar, but milder than coconut oil You can also use it with coconut oil to add some hardness to your bar. If you have a recipe that calls for 20% coconut oil…try using 10% coconut oil and 10% palm kernel oil. |
| Palm Oil | Hard | Mild stabilizing lather, hard, long-lasting bar | 25-50% | Interchangeable with lard or tallow. |
| Peach kernel oil | | | up to 15% | Excellent for the skin. |
| Rice bran oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | 5-12% | Good sub for olive oil. Gives soap a sheen making it look less dull. |
| Safflower oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | up to 15% | Good sub for olive oil. |
| Shea butter | Medium-hard | Mild stabilizing lotion-like lather, long lasting bar | up to 15% | Moisturizes and nourishes the skin. Similar to cocoa butter. |
| Soybean oil | Soft | Medium lather, mild cleansing | 5-12% | Soybean oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. |
| Sunflower oil | Medium-hard | Silky lather, mild cleansing | up to 15% | Good for the skin. Slows down time to reach trace. Adds some hardness to soap. |
| Tallow Lard | Hard | Low creamy lather, white bar | up to 35% | Can be used to replace palm oil in recipes. 100% lard soap with no superfat makes great laundry soap. |
| Tamanu oil | | | up to 5% | Excellent for various skin conditions |
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