DOS Paranoia

[Artephius]

Okay, so I've made about 25 batches of soap, and I've been having great fun but I've managed to completely freak myself out about one thing in particular. Now, I don't sell soap and don't have any current plans to do so. Realistically, all of the soap I make is being given away to friends and probably will be used within 6 mo, if not fewer. So I'm really just being silly.

BUT, I'm positively paranoid about DOS. So I've been using a lot of oils that I know have long shelf lives, but...all of that olive oil and cocoa/shea butter is starting to add up. I need to use some cheaper oils.

These are the oils that I have readily available to me (either through a local store or inexpensively shipped to me), that I have not tried yet. I would like to try some of them but am completely paranoid about DOS.

My question is this. Of the following oils, which have you used, and what kinds of problems (if any) have you had with DOS? Are there certain percentages you would recommend of any of them?

Soy
Corn
Sunflower
Rice Bran Oil

I'm particularly interested to hear about experiences with soy. I don't plan on soaping with mostly these oils, but I do want to try out recipes that replace a portion of the costlier oils with one of them.

thanks for reading,

 

[xraygrl]

If you are not vegetarian, and if it is not an issue with your family/friends consider trying lard. It is relatively inexpensive and makes a wonderful creamy lather. I generally use between 50-60% lard in each batch.

I know a lot of people use RBO, but I wasn't impressed with it....and last I heard the price of RBO is nearly the same as olive.

Canola.....love the way it feels, and the sheen it gives, but it is VERY prone to DOS.

Corn: wouln't bother with, very short shelf life

Soy can be ok, can be iffy.

 

[Guest]

Have you tried shortening it makes a great bar , I have 8 month old bars with no problems .As xray said lard is fantastic , I can buy lard for $1.00 a pound , love it in soap. If you use with some OO , CO or PO it is really cost effective.
I have tried all the oils you mentioned and don't use any of them , I just don't care for the soap they make.jmho

Kitn

 

[oldragbagger]

Are any of you tallow users? What do you think of it? Is selling it a problem since some people make such a big deal about the animal products. I'm thinking about giving it a go.

 

[ChrissyB]

Arte, generally canola, soy, corn and sunflower oils will cause dos if used in high percentages. I'm not sure about rice bran oil, I use it all the time and haven't had any probs with it.
Kaseencook makes high percentage canola oil soaps, because it is available so cheaply, but she uses teas as antioxidants in her soaps, and hasn't had any problems with dos because of this. Makes sense when you think about it. If you do a search on her name I'm sure you could find that thread, I'll have a look, or you could pm her.
I also think there is something to be said for "high oleic" oils, for instance you can buy regular sunflower oil, and "high oleic sunflower oil", and the high oleic apparently doesn't get dos.
Maybe someone that knows a bit more about that will chime in.

 

[donniej]

It's been my observation thay DOS is a reaction with humidity. I've often wondered if you could spray the dried bars with liquified beeswax to then seal it from the air. Perhaps a mixture of beeswax thinned out with alcohol might work.... I don't know.

 

[oldragbagger]

I've recently started using grapefruit seed extract in every batch. Susan Miller Cavitch and others recommend it highly.

 

[carebear]

Actually, its my high olive oil bars that got DOS. I don't use much canola or soy, though I use them occasionally - I tend more toward high oleic safflower or high oleic sunflower.

 

[honor435]

i have used canola and shortening with not probs, im one of those that dont have any desire to use animal fat, thats what the stoer bought stuff is made with, for selling purposes, people like the idea od olive, coconut.

 

[Guest]

Are any of you tallow users? What do you think of it? Is selling it a problem since some people make such a big deal about the animal products. I'm thinking about giving it a go.

I use tallow and love it . I make some vegan soap , there is no real animal fats issue here , yet .I live in a province where farming is big business.

Kitn

 

[soapbuddy]

I've used soy with no problems. I also subbed 1/2 of my olive with rice bran, but I didn't like the final feel. It felt a little slimey.

 

[LJA]

I use sunflower and RBO all the time and have never had DOS....of course, now that I said that, I've jinxed myself...lol.

 

[LJA]

It's been my observation thay DOS is a reaction with humidity. I've often wondered if you could spray the dried bars with liquified beeswax to then seal it from the air. Perhaps a mixture of beeswax thinned out with alcohol might work.... I don't know.

Would that make an initial weird drag on the bars, donniej? That might not feel good. Though, I've never tried anyhting like that.

 

[safire_6]

i have read somewhere on this post that S Cavtich's recommended grapeseed oil extract has been researched and it doesn't do anything for shelf life.

 

[oldragbagger]

i have read somewhere on this post that S Cavtich's recommended grapeseed oil extract has been researched and it doesn't do anything for shelf life.

That may be true, or may be just someone's opinion. Cavitch's books are not the only place I have seen it. There are numerous soapmaking sites and books that have made reference to the preservative value of it.

I don't know for sure how much it helps, but it is an antioxidant, so I don't think it could hurt.

 

[soapbuddy]

Grape seed extract is an anti-oxidant. The problem is, most of it is adulterated with trichlosan which IS a preservative, but you won't find it listed on the extract's label or the ingredient list. Vendors that sell this extract do not do any testing on the shipments they get, so they don't know it's in there. I know a person that has severy allergy to trichlosan (it's in store bought antibacterial soaps) and had a severe reaction to grape seed extract. So if you decide to use it, please be aware and be careful.

 

[oldragbagger]

Grape seed extract is an anti-oxidant. The problem is, most of it is adulterated with trichlosan which IS a preservative, but you won't find it listed on the extract's label or the ingredient list. Vendors that sell this extract do not do any testing on the shipments they get, so they don't know it's in there. I know a person that has severy allergy to trichlosan (it's in store bought antibacterial soaps) and had a severe reaction to grape seed extract. So if you decide to use it, please be aware and be careful.

Thanks for the info. I had no idea.

 

[LomondSoap]

I used to use olive, coconut, ricebran & avocado, it made such lovely soap but I was hit with DOS too many times that I changed my recipe.
It was also quite a soft soap, so I now use a good bit of shea or cocoa butter in my soap.

 

[zeoplum]

Grape seed extract is an anti-oxidant. The problem is, most of it is adulterated with trichlosan which IS a preservative, but you won't find it listed on the extract's label or the ingredient list. Vendors that sell this extract do not do any testing on the shipments they get, so they don't know it's in there. I know a person that has severy allergy to trichlosan (it's in store bought antibacterial soaps) and had a severe reaction to grape seed extract. So if you decide to use it, please be aware and be careful.

Wow Soapbuddy....what a great bit of info. Thank you for sharing that!

zeo

 

[xraygrl]

Whenever I sold, I always used ROE (Rosemary Oleoresin Extract). It is actually the MOST recommended antioxidant for use in soap.