# Using Ingredients from Costco



## bookreader451 (Aug 24, 2019)

I was at Costco yesterday and their avocado oil was only $9.99 for a liter.  The coconut oil was a great price too.  Is there anything wrong with using oils from the grocery store?  I have ordered all my oils from suppliers and If I can get them cheaper I am all for that.  I just want to be sure the quality of my soap won't suffer.  Any insight from an experienced soaper?


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## Obsidian (Aug 24, 2019)

Grocery store oils are fine. I have used oo, coconut and avocado from costco.


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## Deborah Long (Aug 24, 2019)

@bookreader451  I use coconut oil from Big Lots and Olive oil from Costco.  Never tried their avocado oil, but as long as the ingredients are okay, why not?  My grandma made lovely soap from lard she gathered in her kitchen, after all!


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## cmzaha (Aug 24, 2019)

Costco Avocado oil is fine and I buy it for cooking. I purchase 35lbs of Avocado from a somewhat local supplier, for soaping and lotion. The biggest problem with Costco Avo is it is usually quite green, and my bulk refined AVO is light in color. Similar to the color of Costo pure OO. The Cosmetic Grade from Soaper's Choice is also good and I never could tell a difference.


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## Mobjack Bay (Aug 24, 2019)

I buy my OO and CO in the local grocery store and usually my Avocado oil, as well, but only when it’s on sale.  I recently found that a regional Walmart has avocado oil in a bigger size and at a better price than what I buy locally on sale.  It is a light green color and is not leaving a noticeable tint in my soap.


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## bookreader451 (Aug 24, 2019)

thanks.  I thought it would be okay but I was also reading about DOS and bad oils.  So much to learn


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## Mobjack Bay (Aug 25, 2019)

bookreader451 said:


> thanks.  I thought it would be okay but I was also reading about DOS and bad oils.  So much to learn


I live in a relatively rural area and don’t have many convenient options unless I order online.  I’ve resisted doing that to date because of the shipping costs for the smallish quantities I’m using. Having larger quantities of oils sitting around my house doesn’t seem like a good strategy either.  Although expiration dates can be misleading, I don’t buy oils locally unless the expiration dates are at least a year out.  Of the two spots of DOS I’ve seen in soap I haven’t given away, both seem to be linked to a factor other than the oil itself. That’s two spots of DOS out of hundreds of bars of soap I have sitting around my house, including at least 100 that are over 3 months old.  One of the DOS spots is in a high SF soap that has a suspicious dot of something red in the middle of the DOS spot (no red anything used in the soap) and one is where I tried to stamp a hemp soap end piece with a piece of silver jewelry as a test.  The other soap that I still have from those batches is fine to date.


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## bookreader451 (Aug 25, 2019)

So it may not be as common as I am thinking.


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## Mobjack Bay (Aug 25, 2019)

bookreader451 said:


> So it may not be as common as I am thinking.


So far for me I would say DOS is a rare occurrence, but to be ultra safe, I started using ROE about a month ago.  I have been contemplating using citric acid or EDTA for extra protection over the longer term.  Member DeeAnna has information about using these additives on her Soapy Stuff website, here.

Below are a few threads that discuss the frequency and likely causes for occasional random spots of DOS versus an entire batch being off.  

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/is-there-a-reason-for-dos.63281/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-much-dos-is-too-much-dos.69786/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/soap-spoilage.69752/


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## cmzaha (Aug 25, 2019)

I have some 100% AVO soap that is close to a year old and it has no trace of dos. I have been adding AVO to soaps for years.


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