Storing oils

[Trisher]

I am just into soap making since January. A package arrived by mail today (hurray!) with 'special' oils that I cannot get locally. I understand that the shelf life of most oils is a year or two at most. Is there a way to store oils to prolong life? I now have palm, sweet almond, grape seed, rice bran and refined shea oil. (I can get OO and CO easily here). Fridge? Freezer?
Thanks in advance! (I searched for this topic and got tired of looking )

 

[DeeAnna]

If you have the space, you can certainly freeze or refrigerate the oils, especially ones with a short shelf life -- your grapeseed for example. Bear in mind that even frozen, fats can still become rancid. It will take longer, that's for sure, but it will still happen.

You can also add rosemary oleoresin (ROE) to any fat to reduce the rate of oxidation. Again that's especially helpful for fats with short shelf life.

 

[Trisher]

Thanks so much! The oils are now in the fridge and I will look into rosemary oleoresin. Great tip!