# Olive oil versus Rice bran oil - am I understanding this right?



## ParadiseFarm (Jan 20, 2016)

Hi,

Just checking - I've read in some places that "you can replace up to 100% of olive oil with rice bran oil" and in other places "olive oil has unique properties that you can't really substitute". I'm guessing the unique properties are the hardness (like castille soaps) so if you were using a large percentage of olive oil in a recipe for the hardness (I don't use palm, and don't always use tallow or lard) you couldn't substitute 100% of that for rice bran? I've never seen "100% rice bran oil soaps" so I'm assuming the similar/swap ability is more in the mildness? What are people's experience with this? Is there a level you can substitute and still get hardness? (Rice bran oil is cheaper in NZ).


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## JayJay (Jan 20, 2016)

I think that you can substitute the rice bran oil if your total does not exceed 15% or so.  I don't think that it can be used for hardness.

Maybe someone else can chime in here if I am missing something.


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## IrishLass (Jan 20, 2016)

According to this site: http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm , 100% rice bran makes a hard soap, but it is more vulnerable to DOS compared to olive oil because of it's much higher linoleic acid content.


Edtied to add: if you scroll down, the site has a 6-month-later update on the soaps that she tested. The rice bran soap came down with DOS. 


IrishLass


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## topofmurrayhill (Jan 20, 2016)

Totally agree with IrishLass, who routinely provides sensible answers. The equivalence of these oils is a little overblown. They do have similarities, but also important differences. I would not substitute a RBO for a large amount of OO.


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## CaraBou (Jan 21, 2016)

RBO has a fair amount of palmitic acid, which is a saturated fat and will contribute to hardness.  I've used RBO at 25% without any problems, and would continue to do so again if it were more economical where I live. That is not a high percentage but then again I normally don't use more olive than that in my recipes either.  I am not a big fan of high olive soaps, or single oil soaps for that matter.  

RBO does have higher linoleic acid and iodine than olive does, and may have higher likelihood of causing DOS.  However, compared to oils like hemp, non-HO sunflower, etc. it does not seem that high to me.  Use it moderation, and complement it with other saturated fats (for example, butters,  animal fats), and I think it makes a nice soap. I usually shoot for at least 50% saturated fat in recipes.   

If RBO were more economical where I live, I would probably use it in more of recipes, but OO wins there.


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## penelopejane (Jan 21, 2016)

CaraBou said:


> RBO has a fair amount of palmitic acid, which is a saturated fat and will contribute to hardness.  I've used RBO at 25% without any problems, and would continue to do so again if it were more economical where I live.



I use a lot of RB oil.  I use 25% in one recipe.  It is cheap here and I think low allergenic.  Ii use a tiny amount of ROE - Rosemary Oleoresin / Rosemary Oil Extract to protect from DOS. I have only started using this recently.  My soaps that are high in RB oil are up to 5 months old and have no DOS.  TOUCH WOOD. :shifty:

I don't use palm oil. RB and OO are pretty cheap in Australia if you shop around. No idea about NZ sorry.


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## dillsandwitch (Jan 21, 2016)

I also use rbo at 25% in my go to  recipe. Its cheaper than oo and i honestly cant tell the difference between oo and rbo when i have changed out just that oil in my main go to recipe. Hth


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## fuzz-juzz (Jan 21, 2016)

My standard recipe has 30% OO and 15% RB.
I've done it few times with numbers other way around, i.e. 30% or RB and 15% OO.
I can tell the difference, bars are harder and shinier. There are definitely more bubbles. I've seen few DOS on bars 6+ months old but not that much. Too bad since I really like it in high%.
I also wouldn't really treat them as substitutes for each other.
I've seen 3l on special at Coles (for Aussies), just letting you know if you are running low on it.


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## lsg (Jan 21, 2016)

I either use rice bran oil or olive oil, (not both), as they are similar in the qualities they impart to lye based soap.  I have never had a problem with DOS when using rice bran oil, but I always add a little Vit E to my oils.

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapmakingoils/tp/qualitiesofsoapmakingoils.02.htm


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## paillo (Jan 21, 2016)

A year or so ago I used up a 35-lb container of 50/50 olive pomace and RBO from Soapers Choice. Really, really liked it, was less than 20 percent of my total recipe, which was also CO, palm, PKO flakes, avocado and castor. (Since then I've cut down the number of oils.) Will likely order it again. Unless, of course, y'all have good reasoning against it.


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