Castor Oil. Yea or nay?

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samirish

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So I've always included Castor oil in my main soap recipe and have been very satisfied with my soap overall. However, over the past year I have tweaked my recipe to no longer include the castor and honestly I just dont think I see a difference.

Do you like castor oil in your soap and if so, do you think you can tell a definite difference?
 
I love it in mine and I can definitely notice a difference with and without it.

How much did you use?

For what it's worth, I use it at 11.5% in my tallow/lard formula, and I use it at 10% in my all-veggie formula.


IrishLass :)
 
Hi IrishLass, I used to use it around 6%. However, I did use it up to 10% in a couple of batches and it left a waxy/sticky film on the skin. Do you not have that problem using Castor at such a high percentage? We do have hard water here, so not sure if that is a factor in combination with high castor oil %.
 
Yea! From me, anyway.

It's a standard at 5% in all my soap. It's nothing extreme, but lather increases slightly if given a good cure (and limiting super fat to about 5%, above that the impact seems lessened).

The soap also seems just a touch more skin-friendly.
 
I have hard water, too, but I don't feel a stickiness from my soap,. But then again, I live in a very arid region of the US where humidity is practically non-existent for most of the year, which may or may not play a part in why I feel no stickiness. Do you live in a humid area?


IrishLass :)
 
Definitely yay for me, notice a difference in lather, although am afraid to go above 7% or so b/c am new-ish and have read so much about stickiness. IL, your post is making think of tweaking though, esp, given the lard/hard water thing, which is what I do.
 
I used 5-7 % in my normal recipe but I've used 10% or more if I have a very very high hard oils recipe, like 85% tallow 15% castor. In that kind of recipe, the higher castor seems to not get sticky.
 
Thanks, newbie, that is good to know. I have been working with tallow added batches and just don't like it as much lard. For me - at least so far - it makes the bars hard er and prettier, but not as moisturizing. So it is good to have you guys to add stuff to the mental blender.

I know I will never get this right, but it sure is fun to try.
 
Last edited:
The no fail recipe I use since a long time has 12% castor oil in it. I wait a bit longer to cut the soap and cure it for the longest period recommended and then it is one nice bar of soap to use....so in other words YAY!
 

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