Jojoba oil for long-lasting, big bubbles?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 9, 2023
Messages
49
Reaction score
66
Location
St. Louis
Hello Soapers. Does anyone have experience using 5-10% jojoba oil in cold process soaping. I came across this article today in a Soapy Science blog explaining that a small amount of jojoba oil can help create longer-lasting big bubbles. When I put this into Soapcalc it actually dampens the lather. Has anybody tried this? Thanks!
https://www.ultimateguidetosoap.com/post/soapy-science-jojoba-oil
 
I don't use jojoba oil in soap for several reasons,
1 - it's expensive
2 - its properties are better suited for a leave on product, not a wash off product
3 - there are unsaponafiables (sp?) in the oil, so I figure - what's the point if it's not going to fully saponify
4 - many other reasons.

I guess I could have just said no, I haven't tried it, but wanted to give you my reasons for not trying it. :) I'll let others chime in now. :)
 
I can't say I've ever heard anyone say they use jojoba to get longer lasting bubbles, but maybe that info is around and I've simply not seen it. I usually hear about people who use jojoba to create a "luxury" soap.

The author is making claims, but is not offering any results to support their claims. Even if their ideas are correct, jojoba oil is fairly expensive, so I'm not sure the added cost justifies the possible benefit of longer-lasting lather.

Not to mention there's already an alternative -- castor oil, which is widely used by handcrafted soap makers, already fits this niche. Ricinloleic acid from castor oil is unusual compared with other common soap making fats because it contains a hydroxyl (-OH) group in its structure. This hydroxyl group allows this fatty acid to form a weak bond with water.

When castor oil is included in a soap recipe, the ricinoleic soap interacts with water and increases the stability of soap bubbles. This extra stability helps the lather to last longer.
 
Last edited:
Thanks! I agree that it doesn’t make a lot of sense since castor oil reliably does the job at a much lower cost. I had never seen this before about jojoba so it got me curious! I do a lot of tiny batches so I might try it and will report back. This a hobby for now.

I also found this article that is way over my head but putting it here for anyone interested in recent research on the chemistry and (non soapy) uses jojoba. Might make myself some lotion! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8197201/
 
Back
Top