Almond oil suggestions

[gdawgs]

I inadvertently purchased some almond oil and am looking for some suggested recipes anyone may have to use it up. I have a couple books, but neither one has it in any recipes. I do see a little conflicting info in "Everything Soap Making". On one page it says that almond oil has a short shelf life, so use it sparingly. A couple pages later it states that the main fatty acid in almond oil is oleic, which has a long shelf life. So which is it?

What are most people's thoughts on almond oil in general. Going off of what I see for recipes in the other forums, it doesn't seem like it gets used very much, so I'm guessing it's not a favorite of many.

Thanks

 

[lsg]

I have used sweet almond oil in small amounts in my soap with no problems. You can add a little Rosemary Oleoresin Extract to the bottle of oil if you are concerned.

 

[penelopejane]

I use it at 30% instead of avocado oil. It is actually the soap (everything else is the same in the recipe) that I get the best feedback on. People love it. Never had any problem with shelf life or DOS.

 

[dibbles]

I have used sweet almond oil with no problems and I think it adds a little silkiness. Use your regular recipe and substitute 5-10% sweet almond for one of the other oils. The most I've used is 20%. Be sure to run the recipe through a lye calculator when making a substitution.

If you look at the fatty acid profile in soap calc, the oleic value of sweet almond is actually about the same as olive oil (71 SAO vs 69 OO).

 

[ngian]

As Dibbles mentioned, it is a high oleic oil and you can use it just like olive oil. I've used it in an experiment at 40% and I liked it more than 40% Olive oil. It makes bubbles a bit faster.


One recipe could be:

SAO: 40%
Lard / Palm: 30%
CO: 25%
Castor: 5%

or another

SAO: 45%
Lard / Palm: 35%
CO: 20%

so as to get to know it better.

 

[gdawgs]

Excellent! Thanks for the tips. At this point I don't have a standard recipe. I just keep trying different ones. I do find myself gravitating toward lard though. There's just something about it that I like.

 

[penelopejane]

Excellent! Thanks for the tips. At this point I don't have a standard recipe. I just keep trying different ones. I do find myself gravitating toward lard though. There's just something about it that I like.

Do try a high OO mix or pure Castile but leave it for 12 months and then 2 years if you can and you will understand why some of us like it so much.

 

[gdawgs]

Do try a high OO mix or pure Castile but leave it for 12 months and then 2 years if you can and you will understand why some of us like it so much.

I'll put that on my list of things to try. My list keeps getting longer and the soap is piling up. Not sure what I'm going to do with it all. :think:

 

[penelopejane]

I'll put that on my list of things to try. My list keeps getting longer and the soap is piling up. Not sure what I'm going to do with it all. :think:

I gave it away to testers and for presents now I have people coming back for more (who wouldn't ask for free soap) and I can't keep up. If every batch turned out well I'd have less of a problem! I just can't do colour. Not sure how to say no.

 

[lenarenee]

As Dibbles mentioned, it is a high oleic oil and you can use it just like olive oil. I've used it in an experiment at 40% and I liked it more than 40% Olive oil. It makes bubbles a bit faster.

Thanks for sharing that. I'm trying to tweak my recipe to bubble faster without going over 20%
Coconut. Experimenting with sesame, apricot, almond and rice bran.

 

[ngian]

If you want more bubbles but not from Myristic or Lauric acids then you can add some polyunsaturated acids (~15%) which, in my opinion and experience, can add to the total lather.