Filler oil...

[Brynhilde]

What is the best filler oil?
I mean cheao oils to reduce cost.
I have earlier used 20% canola.
Have got the idea that sunflower oil is better,
but I am also concerning corn oil.

What is the best option, due to hardness, shelflife and so on...

 

[shunt2011]

Unless it high oleic sunflower etc I wouldn't use any of them at more than 10-15%. Higher risk of DOS. I would use high lard and the rest coconut, castor and olive. Makes awesome soap and is cost effective.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Rice bran oil ... if you can source some.
Gives lovely sheen to the bars and also hardness. It never caused issues with DOS for me. On the other hand, lard did in high %.

I've swapped ouy most of my olive oil with rice bran

I live in Australia where 3 litres goes on special for around $10 which is quite cheap.

Forgot to add: it helps with lather, makes nice fluffy bubbles, doesn't impede lather at all like some oils might.

 

[SplendorSoaps]

I'd also go with Rice Bran Oil, as fuzz-juzz mentioned. You don't have the price volatility that olive oil often has, and you can substitute a fair amount of olive oil for RBO in your recipes. Just make sure to run it through a lye calculator to double check.

 

[Arimara]

Fuzz-Juzz has a point. Rice bran oil is a nice filler for soap if you can get some.

 

[dillsandwitch]

Rice bran oil ... if you can source some.
Gives lovely sheen to the bars and also hardness. It never caused issues with DOS for me. On the other hand, lard did in high %.

I've swapped ouy most of my olive oil with rice bran

I live in Australia where 3 litres goes on special for around $10 which is quite cheap.

Forgot to add: it helps with lather, makes nice fluffy bubbles, doesn't impede lather at all like some oils might.

Exactly this. I have completely swaped rice bran for all my olive oil in y soaps. I like Rice bran better and yes you can usually get it pretty cheap at coles every now and then. I think last time I bought some I got 3L for $9

 

[cmzaha]

I for one do not consider any oil a "filler oil." All oils bring something to the party

 

[RobertBarnett]

My vote is lard. It just makes the most awesome of soap.

Robert

 

[Brynhilde]

I have never found rice brand oil or high oleic sunflower oil in any shop here.
Lard costs 13,6$ per kg.
I have got the chance to buy pig tallow from a butcher, so I am going to make my own lard.
If I am lucky, I get some moose fat this fall. That would be fun.

 

[cmzaha]

I have never found rice brand oil or high oleic sunflower oil in any shop here.
Lard costs 13,6$ per kg.
I have got the chance to buy pig tallow from a butcher, so I am going to make my own lard.
If I am lucky, I get some moose fat this fall. That would be fun.

Moose fat would be certainly be fun. I would recommend using any oils you can get at a decent price, run small test batches until you get the feel you like, by balancing your oils. Do you have any oils available in your region that are low cost? I find any oil can be worked with with the right balance. We are definitely fortunate in the US to have a wealth of affordable oils and sometimes forget not everyone is so lucky. If you give a list of you readily available oils I am sure some of us could help with a recipe

 

[lsg]

I too use Rice Bran oil and have never had a problem with DOS.

 

[Brynhilde]

Olive oil is available everywhere, and the quality control is good.
Rapeseed and sunflower is also everywhere.
Some places I can find corn oil. These are rather low cost.
Lard is mostly found only in bigger supermarkets.13,6$ per kg
Castor oil is in bigger towns found in ethnic stores. 14.15$ per liter.
Soy bean oil is available, but about the same price as castor and lard.
Sweet almond oil is also found in ethnic stores.8$ per 500ml.
Coconut oil available in ethnic stores 9,5$. More expencive in supermarkets.
Unrefined palm oil the 9,5$ in ethnic stores. Refined unavailable.

 

[dixiedragon]

You may want to do some Googling on single oil soap swaps, etc. I google "single oil" AND Soap and I know the top 4 results are interesting and useful.
These two:
http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm

http://curious-soapmaker.com/big-test-100-one-oil-soaps-part-i.html
This one shows results after 15 months:
http://curious-soapmaker.com/a-big-test-of-100-one-oil-soaps-after-15-months.html

Based on the Curious Soapmaker article, I'm considering using corn oil.

 

[TeresaT]

Olive oil is available everywhere, and the quality control is good.
Rapeseed and sunflower is also everywhere.
Some places I can find corn oil. These are rather low cost.
Lard is mostly found only in bigger supermarkets.13,6$ per kg
Castor oil is in bigger towns found in ethnic stores. 14.15$ per liter.
Soy bean oil is available, but about the same price as castor and lard.
Sweet almond oil is also found in ethnic stores.8$ per 500ml.
Coconut oil available in ethnic stores 9,5$. More expencive in supermarkets.
Unrefined palm oil the 9,5$ in ethnic stores. Refined unavailable.

Is this in Norwegian or US currency?

 

[Brynhilde]

In Norway the currency is Kroner(Kr)
I have calculated everything into US dollar.

 

[Arimara]

Olive oil is available everywhere, and the quality control is good.
Rapeseed and sunflower is also everywhere. This is fine if it is good for frying. Just don't go much over 20-25%.
Some places I can find corn oil. These are rather low cost. Keep this to a minimum if you try this oil. My sister had some nasty DOS thanks to this oil.
Lard is mostly found only in bigger supermarkets.13,6$ per kg Yikes! Treat this as a premium oil and refrain from using it as a laundry soap ingredient. :?
Castor oil is in bigger towns found in ethnic stores. 14.15$ per liter. This one's tricky. Soap suppliers sell this for cheaper but availability and shipping is something to think about. It's not essential as sugar can also boost bubbles.
Soy bean oil is available, but about the same price as castor and lard. I won't touch soybean oil but I have intolerances to it.
Sweet almond oil is also found in ethnic stores.8$ per 500ml. I never used this in soap but it is nice for a lotion. It seems like a bit of a splurge though.
Coconut oil available in ethnic stores 9,5$. More expencive in supermarkets. Worth it. That's a few dollars cheaper than most stores in my area.
Unrefined palm oil the 9,5$ in ethnic stores. Refined unavailable. If you value your nose and do not like having a yellow lather, avoid this like the plague. It lends for a nice yellow color but little goes a long way.

I'm blue (da-da-dee da-da-die). Just my thoughts.

 

[Brynhilde]

Buying oils from abroad is not a real option, as shipping and tax drives the price through the ceiling.

 

[Deola]

Buying oils from abroad is not a real option, as shipping and tax drives the price through the ceiling.

Some of us are not just lucky to have so many oils to play with...the total cost of the oils drives me crazy anytime I buy from abroad.

Palm kernel oil
Soybean oil
Shea butter
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Olive oil (kind of expensive)
Cocoa butter(expensive)
Coconut oil

These are the oils/butters I can get locally. I still get some oils from abroad but they make my soap a little on the expensive side.

 

[Arimara]

Buying oils from abroad is not a real option, as shipping and tax drives the price through the ceiling.

I would not suggest ordering abroad unless you have the ability to spend some extra money. In truth, the fact that you may be able to procure some moose fat makes me a little jealous. You are also capable of making nice soaps with the more affordable of the oils you mentioned. You just to learn which oils do what in a soap.

 

[penelopejane]

Are there any bulk oil suppliers in Norway?
Here in Australia only Olive Oil and Rice Bran Oil are cheap to buy in the supermarket, everything else is much cheaper from bulk oil suppliers.