avocado oil / olive oil

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

Lina

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2015
Messages
86
Reaction score
21
I found a cp soap recipe that has 22% olive and 20 % avocado oil. I am wondering what avocado oil brings to the table that is different than olive?

Thanks!
 

fuzz-juzz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2013
Messages
869
Reaction score
490
Location
Australia
It's partly unsaponifiable and makes gentle bar that has quite a high SF without one already calculated in.
I made one batch with 20% avocado oil once and never again.
It was really greasy, mushy, melted quickly in the shower and developed DOS after few months.
But that's my experience. For some 20% avocado oil in the soap might as well feel nourishing, etc.
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
10,921
Reaction score
9,553
Location
Idaho, USA
I've never heard that avocado is partly unsaponifiable, did you find that info on here? I've made a 100% avocado bar before and while it took a few days to harden up, it did eventually get quite hard and wasn't greasy at all. It never went rancid either.

For me, OO dries my skin a bit and can also leave it a bit sticky. Avocado doesn't seem to do that, it makes a nice mild soap.
 

DeeAnna

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
14,512
Reaction score
22,667
Location
USA
I don't know if it's been posted on SMF, but my notes say avocado can have anywhere from 4% to 9% unsaponifiable content. That's high compared with the other commonly used soaping oils.

Avocado is otherwise similar to olive oil, but with a higher linolenic acid content -- that might be where the DOS is coming from. I used avocado at 10% to 15% in one recipe for a soap that I wanted to be extra gentle for my mom. Made a few batches of that and have had no DOS after about 1 year of testing.

I don't see a huge difference in the soaps with avocado vs. ones without avocado, but that's on my skin and with my water. It certainly has label appeal and does make a mild soap. It's hard for me to find avocado here in the boonies of Iowa, so I've gotten away from using it in soap, but I have no complaints otherwise. I seem to recall Carolyn (cmzaha) uses avocado quite a bit in her soaps.
 

Rowan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
832
Reaction score
524
Location
UK
I've use avocado oil at 5-10 percent in soaps. My skin seems to love avocado oil more than olive oil in soaps. I'd second Obsidian's comments, in that it makes a mild bar that is non-sticky.

I find high percentage olive oil really drying, unless it's cured for over 6 months. However everyone's skin is very different. I've never had a problem with DOS, even with soaps over 2 years old.

I'd be really interested to hear what percentages of AO others have tried.
 

fuzz-juzz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2013
Messages
869
Reaction score
490
Location
Australia
I've heard in on here.
It could be avocado oil that I used, it's cold pressed. I bought refined last time by mistake and it looks and smells different.
I use it about 5% in my recipes. I did try 10% but didn't like it also.
 

DeeAnna

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
14,512
Reaction score
22,667
Location
USA

commoncenz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
595
Reaction score
762
Location
Ohio
This is all pretty interesting. I've been using Avocado Oil at around 10% for about 4 months now and haven't had any issues. I also use Olive Oil in my recipe too. I've found I like the combination better than using only Olive Oil.
 
Top