Olive + Canola = ??

[jenn624]

So, I'm going to just stop being a big chicken, suck it up and try making some CP soap.

At the moment, I have on hand only olive oil and canola oil.
How would those two oils play together? Nicely?
What would be a good ratio if those were the only two oils I used?

& I have a big plastic drink pitcher, I should be able to mix the lye and water in that, right? Without any melting, burning, exploding, or etc?

I don't have a stick blender either, will my arm fall off waiting for trace to occur using these two oils?

Also, how does peanut oil do in CP soap? I don't think I've ever seen it mentioned in any recipe I've found...or I just missed it?

Thank you for helping me with all my "terrified CP newbie" questions. :wink:

 

[Dalziel]

I am thinking of trying a EVOO/coconut combo with castor oil.

you should run your figures through soap calc to get amounts and specifics about the final soap.

 

[ChrissyB]

If you could try to get your hands on some coconut,palm or palm kernel oil your soap will be harder and won't take as long to trace. Because you are using olive and canola, it may take a while to trace. If that is all you are going to use I would go 75% Olive 25% canola.

 

[Lindy]

You could also use SoapMaker and it will tell you the different values of your soap so you can adjust it as you feel is necessary plus it has a baseline for each value.

You can use those two together and they'll work, I always add Coconut Oil as my second oil to EVOO and I quite like the combination.

Cheers
Lindy

 

[starduster]

Good luck

Hi , I just ran it thru my soap calculator and it will be moisturising big time but rather soft.
As suggested why not try to get some coconut oil or here in aussi we can substutute copha. Palm oil would be good.
Failing the availability yes just make it and enjoy it.
Why not down load the trial http://www.soapmaker.ca/SMhome.htm and play with that first.
Good luck with your first batch.

 

[jenn624]

thanks everyone. I'll give soapmaker a try.
at the local grocery store I could only find canola, olive, peanut, and plain 'ol veggie oils (& the closest walmart is about 40 miles away, so that's out till at least the weekend).

 

[starduster]

Can't wait to see the results

thanks everyone. I'll give soapmaker a try.
at the local grocery store I could only find canola, olive, peanut, and plain 'ol veggie oils (& the closest walmart is about 40 miles away, so that's out till at least the weekend).

So looking forward to seeing the results. Ahh to be a fly on the wall, maybe seeing you peeking at the soap, nervous as a new mother. :wink:
I am knee deep in making a soap I am calling Twilight Soap Stars .Tis taking me a few days progression.I almost left the Aloe out and then I only had half the intended so topped it up with Grapeseed oil .Then reading up on it find it is good for complexions, like the other heap of oils gong into it plus feverfew and sage chopped up from my garden. Yes I am thinking of young ones with that name Twilight but I bet it will appeal to all ages. Now off I skip , soapmaking.
Good luck.

 

[Lindy]

Hey Jenn,

My first soap was 100% Olive Oil and I love it. You don't have to have a big fancy list of expensive oils to make a nice soap. If you stay with the basics then you can have fun coming up with new scents and additives. For instance if you add castor oil (drug store purchase) you can create some wonderful lather, if you add a small amount of sugar you can again increase the lather. Once you really start playing you can get into chocolate, cocoa, coffee grounds, brewed coffee, honey, and the list can go on forever. Each of us has developed or are developing our favoruite recipes and that is always a work in progress. My favourite recipe is basically a bastille - 75% EVOO & 25% CO - from there I play because I've found the foundation I really like, one that I feel is stable.

HTH

Cheers
Lindy

 

[kaseencook]

Hey!

I use canola oil in all of my soaps as well as olive oil. I find that my soap is hard enough, especially if you discount your water. I do HP soaps via the oven method. I find 100% canola oil soap to be harder than 100% olive oil soap. Here is the general recipe I use (and then add essential oils and additives after the soap has cooked):

This is a 80% Canola and 20% oliveoil batch (= 1 Litre oil):
736g Canola
186g Olive oil

250ml water
115g Lye

Post trace I add 100C heat for 1 hour in the oven with a stir mid way. it is still quite fluid when hot, it just has to be moulded quickly, but it is nice to know the saponification is complete.

It takes only 5 min or less to trace via a hand mixer. The less water you use the quicker is traces, but too little and it will not disolve properly. The recipe above is about 27% water to oil. I think the bottom threshold is 24%. You can also add salt to speed up hardening and trace, which is what they used to firm the wood ash lye soap (goop) in the old days. Salt (NaCl), like Lye (NaOH) contains Sodium. Na attaches to the broken fatty acid in the oil to make a salt of the fatty acid (aka soap), so more free sodium ions in the soap solution means quicker saponification.

Canola oil and olive oil are interchangeable in the soap calculator (Soap Calc v9) , so as long as the total amount of oil remains the same the amount of lye and water will not change.

I would not recommend using Peanut oil as peanut allergies have been linked to the use of peanut products on the skin (especially in children). There are proteins in the peanut oil that can cause an imume response through the skin, and over time an allergy can develop. One theory about the high incidence of severe allergy to peanuts in children today is that they were rubbed with lotions and soaps containing peanut oils as babies, which can be more influential on young immune systems that are just being built. Anyway, just a though!

I'm sure your soap will turn out great! I think canola is affordable and makes great soap

 

[blake.means]

Canola Oil / EVOO Blend

I've been using 90% Canola and 10% EVOO blend in my soap making since I started. I really didn't have the patience to mix the water/lye mix into the oils since I felt that I botched up the first to batches I made, so I went to Wal-mart and bought a hand mixer for $10 and I am able to trace with 5 to 10 minutes. Otherwise, you might be spend an hour or more trying to get your batch to trace by hand.

 

[Pug Mom]

I just jumped in with my first batch and it turned out great! It took several days to harden, but so far that was my favorite batch of soap! You will do fine and not blow anything up (I was afraid of that too...) Good luck!

 

[carebear]

the calculators have olive as creating soft soap, but given sufficient cure time, even a 100% olive oil soap will be rock hard. I consider it a hardening oil despite the calculators' predictions.

 

[jenn624]

I gave it a shot. I waited and got to Wal-Mart, so I finally went with 75% olive and 25% coconut.
Nothing blew up (yay!) and I didn't burn myself either (yay again!).

I've been stirring (with a whisk) like a mad-woman for about an hour and a half though, and its -just now- starting to thicken up. But, on the plus side, I will develop well toned arm muscles....

& a stick blender is now next on my "to purchase" list.

thanks for the replies!

 

[topcat]

Congratulations Jen! So exciting to make that first batch :wink:

Please let us know how it cures up and we all love pics!!!

Tanya

 

[Lindy]

You are so going to enjoy your Bastille soap - it is one of my favourites. It's nice and gentle with good lather and moisturizing too.!

Congrats on that first batch. It took me weeks to work up the guts to do my first one - then I ended up doing 5 or 6 in the first week!

Cheers
Lindy

 

[jenn624]

I got trace, scented it with some pumpkin spice, got it in the mold (& I only peeked like, four times....), and got it cut into bars this afternoon. I made 4 pounds.

Pictures!

I'm thinking of making more tomorrow, and trying out some of the other oils I got on my Wal-Mart excursion. (soybean, canola, coconut, safflower, and olive)

 

[SoapMom]

Congrats!!! It looks wonderful!! I bet it smells even better!! Great job!!