# substitute for Castor oil



## Kazsioned (Apr 30, 2011)

HI, I am wanting to make some soap but cannot get any castor oil in my hometown in Wales. which oil can I use as a substitute? I want to make a neem soap
THanks
Kazsioned


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## judymoody (Apr 30, 2011)

What kind of qualities are you looking for in your soap?  How cleansing/moisturizing do you want it to be?

Castor oil adds nice bubbles but there are other ways to make that happen.  It's not essential, by any means.


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## Kazsioned (Apr 30, 2011)

*castor oil substitute*

HI, I would like some bubbles but it is not essential as I am looking for  something My daughter can use . 
Her skin is very sensitive and we've had success in buying some neem soap from india through the fair trade shop but I wanted to make our own soap, I have been waiting for w hile to have time to make the neem soap reciepie only to find I dont have the castor oil :-( 
So any help on substitutes will be greatfully received

 ( if you have an alternative good recipie for sensitive skin we'll try that one too 

Thanks,
Kazsioned


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## carebear (Apr 30, 2011)

There is no sub for castor, just leave it out. 

Pure olive oil soap is supposed to be the most mild and gentle, tho it's not really delightful to wash with ( unless you cure it for months, and even then it's not magnificent IMO).


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## Jezzy (Apr 30, 2011)

You can get castor at a good price at

http://www.gracefruit.com/butters-oils- ... r-oil.html

They should sell castor at a pharmacy! It use to be used as a medicine. That is where I got mine the first few times.


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## lsg (Apr 30, 2011)

Although these are not a substitute for Castor oil they do produce bubbles----Babassu , Coconut, Palm Kernel.  
Palm, Lard, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Kokum Butter, Beef and Sheep Tallow produce creamy lather.
 Olive Oil & Sweet Almond Oil are conditioning, so by using SoapCalc you should be able to come up with a pretty good recipe.
Dissolving 1 tsp. sugar ppo in the water before adding lye will also produce bubbles.


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## ToniD (Apr 30, 2011)

oops,  lsg left out what to add to produce bubbles.   Probably wanted to type sugar.  So easy to leave out words!      

Anyway, do you have the ingredient list for the soap you buy at the fair trade shop?   That will help you narrow down what ingrediants work for your daughter.


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## Araseth (Apr 30, 2011)

Boots sells castor oil if you need it really really quick, or order from gracefruit.com like Jezzy suggests


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## Kazsioned (May 1, 2011)

*Thank you everyone for your help*

 
Thank you so much for all your prompt replies.
However, here come the novice  questions :-( sorry.

If I substitute one of the other suggestions- say, coconut oil, do I still use the same quantity as my recipie says for the castor oil?

 lsg what does ppl mean I dont understand the abbreviation?

Toni D thanks for the suggestion to look at the ingredients for the fair trade soap - The next time I buy another one I'll have keep  wrapper :wink: 
Can you please tell me more about adding sugar to the water you add to lye? Ive never read about this before?

Araseth - Boots didn't have any castor oil :-( neither did Superdrug, Holland and Barrett, or the local pharmasy :-( 
Thanks to everyone
BTW  just some randomness- we went to Cheaster yesterday ( 6 Miles from Wrexham) and on the way we saw some photographers with long lenses. Just down the road to where we saw them, is the Duke of Welsminsters home - could this be where  Prince William and Kate are spending their weekend retreat after  their wedding the day before? - after all it is where Charles and Dianna came before going on honeymoon???? AND its just down the road to Anglesea where William and Kate live ???? Or is this my wild imagination?????????


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## lsg (May 1, 2011)

ToniD said:
			
		

> oops,  lsg left out what to add to produce bubbles.   Probably wanted to type sugar.  So easy to leave out words!
> 
> Anyway, do you have the ingredient list for the soap you buy at the fair trade shop?   That will help you narrow down what ingrediants work for your daughter.


Yep, sorry about that.  I can never seem to see my mistakes even with the preview option.  
Kazsioned, by ppo, I meant per pound of oils.
You need to run any recipe through a lye calculator, you can't just substitute ingredients.  Different oils and butters take different amounts of lye, so using SoapCalc will help you create a recipe with the right amount of lye and liquid.


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## Kazsioned (May 2, 2011)

*Thanks again for the help*

Hi Everyone - Thanks again for the help.
I am not sure how to use a soap calculator so I have decided to order some castor oil from gracefruit so that I dont get the ingredients wrong- and cosenquently burn myself or my daughter :?
Although I have decided not to subsitute I have learn such a lot-    
1- a company to order from who appears to have everything for the soap and cosmetic maker   
2- to add sugar to the water before adding to the lye
3- New friends who are willing to share their secrets with me a novice soapmakeer. I hope I will get tot he stage where I can also share tips to novice soap makers.
4- you can subsitute more oils ( but you need a Lye calculator )
5 -oils and butters which add bubbles to your finished product.   
5- to try a simple recipie for my first atempt at cold prress soapmaking- if anyone has any to recomend woudl be good please so that I can venture out on a new hobby 

Me thinks I will be back for more advice !
Thanks averyone ,
Karen From Wales


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## Jezzy (May 2, 2011)

If you aren't sure on how to a lye calculator it is best that you post your recipe here and let someone look at it first. Many recipes you find in books or on the net could be faulty and be lye heavy. Just to play it safe ;-)


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## Kazsioned (May 2, 2011)

Hi Jezzy THANK YOU so much - here is the recipie I wianted to do:-
125 gms coconut oil
125 grams olive oil
90 gms palm oil
35 gms almond oil
35 gms neem oil
90 gms castor oil

71 gms caustic soda
200 gms water
1tsp each of- rosemary, lavender,tea tree and lemon essential oils
it also states that you can add an additional 3 tbsp castor oil to add at trace stage ( creates a frothy lather and great for shampoo)
so if anyone can help so that I can try this recipie with something else instead of castor oil then I may be able to make this today )))))))))
THanks again
Karen from very sunny Wales


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## lsg (May 2, 2011)

I ran your recipe through SoapCalc and it showed  lye requirement at 70.198 grams and water requirement at 190 grams.  

You could try this recipe:

Coconut Oil 150 grams
Olive Oil 125 grams
Palm Oil 90 grams
Sweet Almond Oil 35 grams
Neem Oil 35 grams
Lard 60 grams

Lye   71.624 
Water  188.1 grams
Add one or two tsp. of sugar to the water and stir to dissolve before adding the lye.  This should help with the bubbles.

If you don't want to use lard you can try this combination, although it is not nearly as conditioning as the recipe with Castor oil.

Coconut Oil 150 grams
Olive Oil 125 grams
Palm Oil 90 grams
Sweet Almond Oil 35 grams
Neem Oil 35 grams
Palm Kernel Oil  90 grams

Lye 78.635 grams
Water  199.5 grams
Disslove sugar in water before adding lye as in the above recipe.


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