Oils to have on hand

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wbocrafter

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I would like to order some oils/fats to have readily available when I want to make soap. Is there a standard list of oils/fats that I should keep on hand?:)
 
In addition to Olive Oil, which is an essential in my house, I also like and often use:

Almond Oil (some stores carry it; some don't, not sure why, but you can buy it online, too)
Grapeseed Oil (usually easy to find in grocery stores)
Rice Bran Oil (I bought this online from Soapers Choice)
Coconut Oil (I buy this at Sam's Club for the cheapest price)
Shea Butter (I got a great price on it at a conference I went to, otherwise I probably would not use it often in soap)
Cocoa Butter (I used to just use the little 2 ounce sticks you can get at Walgreens, Dollar General, etc. Looks like this: )
Cocoa%20Butter%20Stick.jpg


But I also got a good price on Cocoa Butter at that same conference, so I can use it more often. I really like cocoa butter.

Occasionally I use some oils that are easy to find in grocery stores, but not as much as when I first started and wanted to try everything:

Corn
Safflower (both regular & High Oleic, which has to be purchased online)
Canola
Crisco (new with palm)
Soybean Oil (I don't much like soybean oil, so I am trying to use it up to get rid of it)
Walnut oil (I decided I like cooking with it better than I like soaping with it)
Sesame oil (I really like sesame oil, too, the scent as well as it's bubbly quality when it is soap, sometimes I will use it instead of castor oil)
Castor Oil (I used to buy it at WalMart in the pharmacy section, then later ordered online, but I don't always use castor)

Additionally, if you are going to order online:
NaOH (although if you have a TSC - Tractor Supply Company - nearby, you can purchase 100% lye granules in the plumping section as a drain opener, also some hardware stores carry it; saves on shipping)
KOH - potassium hydroxide (used for liquid soap, but also in some bar soap recipes if you ever want to try the 95% NaOH/5%KOH method - not as a beginner, but perhaps sometime down the line)
Sodium Lactate - a liquid used in small amounts to add to CP soap to make it a bit easier to unmold sooner from silicone molds (I think it is worth having a bottle on hand if you use silicone molds a lot, but I don't use it as often as in the beginning)
 
I've cut back on the oils I use.

My base fats I have to have for soap making are:
Lard
Coconut oil

Secondary "I prefer to have them but can make nice soap without them if I run short" fats are:
Castor oil
Olive oil or high oleic sunflower oil or high oleic safflower oil (prefer HO sunflower)

Nice-to-have fats are:
Avocado
Tallow
Shea butter
Lanolin (shave soap)
 
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Just to play on this simple rift - the amazing number of soaps you can make with just these 4 ingredients, here are just a few:

Basic every day soap: 65% lard, 15% OO, 15% CO, 5% castor
Extra gentle face soap: 80% lard, 10% OO, 5% CO, 5% castor
Wonderful Castile: 100% OO
Wonderful Bastile: 70% OO, 15% OO, 15% CO (can sub in 5% castor somewhere)
Salt soap: 80% CO, 15% OO, 5% castor, 80% PPO salt, 20% SF
Really cleansing and lathers in salt water soap: 100% coconut oil / 20% superfat
Laundry soap for grating: 100% CO, 0% SF

And that's just the bar soap - there's just as many liquid soaps.

I always keep:

Lard
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Castor oil

Everyone has their own favorites, but these are pretty much the only oils I use these days.
 
Very helpful

thank you for the helpful suggestions especially when there was a comparison of the various soaps and the oils used in them. That was a great idea and really made it much easier.
 
I think you'll develop a list of things you deem "essential" and things you are kind of "meh" about. IMO, meadowfoam is essential in lotion - nothing quite like it. Cocoa butter - meh for soap, essential for lip balm.

I would consider lard, coconut, castor and olive essential - I like rice bran and sunflower, but mainly b/c they are cheaper than olive, but are comparable to it. If olive oil magically became the same price, I'd probably drop those two.

I consider beeswax essential - it is amazing in soap at 5% (I take it from the lard) and also essential in lip balms. But that's me - some people do not like beeswax in their soap.
 
My must haves are (in order of priority):

Lard
Coconut Oil
Castor Oil
Olive Oil

I am trying to use up, but have no plans to replenish when I do:

Shea Butter
Cocoa Butter
Lanolin
High Oleic Sunflower Oil

I have also tried and found lacking:

Jojoba
Avocado Oil
Almond Oil (this was not bad, but soap made with it is indistinguishable from soap made with regular Olive Oil that is available for 1/3 the price)
 
Susie -- I recall you have a whole bunch of lanolin. If you want to find a good home for some of it, I'll reimburse you for what you paid plus shipping for any amount you want to get rid of. :)
 
Susie -- I recall you have a whole bunch of lanolin. If you want to find a good home for some of it, I'll reimburse you for what you paid plus shipping for any amount you want to get rid of. :)

I am down to about 5 oz of it. And my daughter said she (and all her friends) is out of lip balm. So, I will use the last of it that way. Thanks for the offer, though!
 
Hey, good for you! Last time I remember you talked about the lanolin, you thought it would be decades before you used it all. :mrgreen:
 
Mine are:

Lard
Olive
Coconut
PKO
Castor
Shea butter
Avocado
mango butter
cocoa butter

When i feel like being fancy:
Pumpkin Seed
Hazelnut
jojoba
 
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