High Avocado oil recipe?

[Nikolye]

I think I know the answer to this question already, but the friendly folks here often know better. Avocado oil is generally used at highest 20% yes? I have a beautiful source of cheap Avo oil and i was just trying to work out if there are oil combos that would allow me to use it a bit higher?

 

[IrishLass]

I make a really lovely, bubbly, but mild soap that uses 30% avocado oil in it- it's Genny's shampoo bar recipe, only I don't use it as a shampoo bar, I use it as a body bar instead- in place of the 100% Castile I used to make (i.e., since using it, I no longer make 100% Castile). It's mild like a Castile, but it's much bubblier and there's no slime.


IrishLass

 

[shunt2011]

I do the same as IL. It really is a lovely gentle bar of soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think a lot of us tend to use it at a lower percentage b/c it's pretty pricey. If I had a cheap source of avocado, I'd try formulating a 50% bar.

 

[Soapmaker145]

There is nothing stopping you from making 100% avocado oil soap. My suggestion is to try few small batches with increasing % of AO and see for yourself which percentage you like.

 

[Arimara]

There is nothing stopping you from making 100% avocado oil soap. My suggestion is to try few small batches with increasing % of AO and see for yourself which percentage you like.

I agree. I've used 30% avocado oil at least and usually with olive oil. Using more is fine to but I wouldn't go past 40%

 

[cmzaha]

there is a company here that produces Avocado Oil and they also sell 100% Avocado Oil Soap. I assume it will be similar to a 100% OO soap but have never tried it. Although I have not tried one I had a friend tell me it lasted a long time, he did not particularly like it but he also does not like pure castile soap. I think you need to just experiment with percentages and oil mixes until you find the winner. You might even start with 100% for a small batch, I go as small as 4 oz when testing but some will tell you to go with a lb. I would say go for 8 oz which will take 1 oz of lye which you should be able to weigh out easily. If you try a 100% please update as to the feel and longevity of the soap. I pay $130 per 5 gallons (35 lbs) and do not consider cheap so I have not tried over 30% in soap, but I do include it in many of my soaps. Forgot to mention you can puree up an avocado and add it as part of your liquid. It is best to not add it to your lye, but puree it, weigh it and remove the same weight from the liquid you are going to use for your lye solution. I then stick blend it into my oils before adding the lye. Add your lye slowly and it will help slow down your batter from turning to dark. Your batter will turn a light brown but will fade and green oxide or mica works well.

 

[ngian]

I have made a 40% Avocado soap bar and me with some other testers liked it more compared to 40% Almond Oil, 40% sunflower HO and 40% Olive oil while everything else was the same.
It makes a kind of a special soap maybe cause it has a small percentage of a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic.
This fatty acid can be found in twice the Avocado's amount in macadamia oil and using it at 40% too makes a great bar too!

 

[Nikolye]

Thanks everyone, I would normally never go for a high percentage of something generally so expensive, but i work for an oil company (whom oils i can't actually afford to soap with, yet) and they want me to make a soap for Christmas presents for their customers, with their beautiful oils. I'm really excited but this last minute request has me pretty stressed with Christmas around the corner. I won't really get to test my test batch before having to have the actual gift bars curing. We get avocado oil in bulk so its actually cheaper than some of the standard oils I'd generally use. I've never personally used more than 15%.

Extra question, i was considering adding beeswax to help harden up the soap. I do this with my vegetarian soaps often. Although i like to soap at lower temps i have been melting it in with the oils and so far i haven't had any seize up in my soaps. However this isn't a risk i can really take for this big batch I'm working on.. What is your experience with benefits of beeswax and adding beeswax? I understand most people melt and add at thin trace, I think what i do is irregular so my risk may go down if i try it at a higher temp. but i do not like adding my essential oils at a high temp and its going to make my soap non-vegan so i'm already on the fence. Avocado, coconut, olive oil, almond and castor are my oils at the moment, but i can always add shea and coco butters if i want, i need to keep the cost down and they will kick it up more than anything.

 

[Soapmaker145]

Thanks everyone, I would normally never go for a high percentage of something generally so expensive, but i work for an oil company (whom oils i can't actually afford to soap with, yet) and they want me to make a soap for Christmas presents for their customers, with their beautiful oils. I'm really excited but this last minute request has me pretty stressed with Christmas around the corner. I won't really get to test my test batch before having to have the actual gift bars curing. We get avocado oil in bulk so its actually cheaper than some of the standard oils I'd generally use. I've never personally used more than 15%.

Extra question, i was considering adding beeswax to help harden up the soap. I do this with my vegetarian soaps often. Although i like to soap at lower temps i have been melting it in with the oils and so far i haven't had any seize up in my soaps. However this isn't a risk i can really take for this big batch I'm working on.. What is your experience with benefits of beeswax and adding beeswax? I understand most people melt and add at thin trace, I think what i do is irregular so my risk may go down if i try it at a higher temp. but i do not like adding my essential oils at a high temp and its going to make my soap non-vegan so i'm already on the fence. Avocado, coconut, olive oil, almond and castor are my oils at the moment, but i can always add shea and coco butters if i want, i need to keep the cost down and they will kick it up more than anything.

If you want the soaps for Xmas presents, don't use pure AO. Even a 10 to 20% coconut oil will help shorten the cure. Add some salt, sugar and sodium lactate if you have it. If you don't have lactate, use distilled white vinegar.

I would do some testers with 5% castor, 15 to 20% coconut, and the rest with AO. If you want to use less AO, substitute 20 percent with olive or almond. If you decide to use butters, try 5 to 10% shea or cocoa or both. With AO, I would skip the butters if I were making it for me.

If you decide to use beeswax, add it at the start with the oils and soap hotter. Make sure it really melts. By the time you reach trace, the temp would have dropped enough to add the EOs. You can always substitute some milk or beer for some of the water. Don't overthink it. It's hard to screw it up. Let us know what you end up with.

I know what my next batch of soap is going to be!

 

[Nikolye]

If you want the soaps for Xmas presents, don't use pure AO. Even a 10 to 20% coconut oil will help shorten the cure. Add some salt, sugar and sodium lactate if you have it. If you don't have lactate, use distilled white vinegar.

I would do some testers with 5% castor, 15 to 20% coconut, and the rest with AO. If you want to use less AO, substitute 20 percent with olive or almond. If you decide to use butters, try 5 to 10% shea or cocoa or both. With AO, I would skip the butters if I were making it for me.

If you decide to use beeswax, add it at the start with the oils and soap hotter. Make sure it really melts. By the time you reach trace, the temp would have dropped enough to add the EOs. You can always substitute some milk or beer for some of the water. Don't overthink it. It's hard to screw it up. Let us know what you end up with.

I know what my next batch of soap is going to be!

Hey thanks. I haven't had a batch of soap come out unusable in 3 years, so i only started to panic because of the odd request to use high AO. These people love my soap as it is, so i know i shouldn't worry. i think we will work to that, but for Christmas i think i'll enjoy the holiday and dial down the Avo oil to a non stressful amount. then work to that special batch of green goodness for the future and see where we go