Castor Oil

[thessalystra]

Hello everyone...

Seeing that a lot of people use castor oil in their soaps, I have some questions. How significant is the effect of 5% castor oil in CP soap? What is the main reason to include castor oil? Is it the lather or the benefits for the skin or something else?

I'm using only palm, olive, and coconut oil for now, and feel quite happy with it, so I wonder if adding castor oil really makes a difference.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[lsg]

I add Castor oil for lather. Castor oil has a low oleic number so it does not decrease the longevity of the soap. It also has a high conditioning number. Try a small batch with 5%-8% Castor oil to see if you like the difference.

 

[2lilboots]

I use castor oil in every batch of soap I make. Usually around 4 percent of my oils. Years ago I read that it boosts lather so I will stick with it.

 

[thessalystra]

Ah, I see.

For lather, does it make any difference if I use sugar instead of castor oil?

 

[lsg]

I have used both, together. I mostly just use Castor oil because it has other benefits.

 

[thessalystra]

I see.. Thank you.

 

[Zing]

Castor oil at 5% was a gamechanger for me and I use it in every recipe. I also use sugar.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Castor 'supports' lather rather than creating it. Sugar will help to create extra bubbles, and castor will help them stick around a bit longer.

 

[thessalystra]

I see. I got confused because I read that castor oil improves lather but sugar does that as well. It's clearer now. Thank you.

 

[Garden Gives Me Joy]

[...] It also has a high conditioning number. Try a small batch with 5%-8% Castor oil to see if you like the difference.

Yes, I highly recommend it for extra conditioning, especially if you have dry skin. If you pinch the 5% to 8% from the percentages of coconut and or palm oils, I imagine you will more likely see the difference and appreciate that difference even more if your skin is dry and or you have dry weather.

 

[DeeAnna]

Castor oil soap of itself doesn't lather much if at all, so it's not the lather-making ability of castor oil soap that makes castor a useful ingredient.

The ricinoleic acid supplied by castor oil DOES increase the solubility of the soap somewhat. Sugar and other lather-boosting additives act in a similar way -- they increase the solubility of a soap by interfering with the crystalline structure of the soap. Ditto for using a small amount of KOH -- a "dual lye" soap is slightly more soluble than an all-NaOH soap, so it lathers a bit better.

Regardless of the ingredient you include to increase solubility, if you get more soap on your wet hands or wet washcloth for the same amount of effort, you get more lather even if the lather-boosting ingredient you use doesn't actually create its own lather.

The other aspect of using castor is that it adds stability to the lather created by the other fatty acids in the soap. If the lather lasts longer, there's more lather to enjoy for a longer time.

All that said, I don't use castor anymore. I know many people swear by it and I respect that, but I've learned it doesn't work great miracles in my soap. I think a person owes themselves to give it a try and see how it performs for your particular soap.

 

[soap newb]

Hello everyone...

Seeing that a lot of people use castor oil in their soaps, I have some questions. How significant is the effect of 5% castor oil in CP soap? What is the main reason to include castor oil? Is it the lather or the benefits for the skin or something else?

I'm using only palm, olive, and coconut oil for now, and feel quite happy with it, so I wonder if adding castor oil really makes a difference.

Thanks in advance for your help.

You can make great soap without castor oil, especially with the 3 oils you're using, but adjusting for 5% castor will make it better.

 

[thessalystra]

I see. I'll try putting some in my soap and see the difference. Thing is, a lot of CP soaps in the market use it, but I wasn't sure if it really does what it's advertised for or it's more for labelling benefits.

I bought some soaps with castor oil in them but I can't feel the difference. But then again I don't know how much they put in, or what's the composition of the other oils in them. So I guess I need to experiment myself.

Thanks a lot everyone

 

[Savage Daughter]

Personally, I find castor oil give my soaps a beautiful, creamy lather which I love, and which everyone who uses my soaps love.

I also use coconut sugar or honey, which gives amazing results. I see someone else also mentioned they tried molasses, which I also intend on doing after seeing the lather they got.

I also like adding a tiny splash of avocado oil, which pumps things up significantly. I don't even bother measuring / weighing it as it's such a small amount, but I can tell the difference between batches with it & without it. Likewise the castor oil.

 

[LiliKuenca]

I may be another one that doesn't use castor oil anymore. My decision was primarily financial as in the UK is a bit expensive and couldn't justified using it. Good later without it but good to try it and see if it makes any visible difference.

 

[thessalystra]

I tried making one with castor oil, then, I spilt my oil so that I got 7% castor oil instead of 4% that I planned.

I have another batch planned to see if I like castor oil.

 

[CloudShave1487]

I tried making one with castor oil, then, I spilt my oil so that I got 7% castor oil instead of 4% that I planned.
View attachment 73600

I have another batch planned to see if I like castor oil.

Hello, I was reading the thread and stumbled upon your photo here. They look lovely. I really like (I can't see very well) the honey comb look to it. And the color. The lather on that soap is gonna be amazing after the cure. Would it be alright if you could show me what kind of lather your soap has? Is it cold process?

 

[thessalystra]

Hello, I was reading the thread and stumbled upon your photo here. They look lovely. I really like (I can't see very well) the honey comb look to it. And the color. The lather on that soap is gonna be amazing after the cure. Would it be alright if you could show me what kind of lather your soap has? Is it cold process?

Thank you..

Yes, it's cold process. But it's still less than a week old. I will show the lather here perhaps after curing. Since I spilled more castor oil than necessary, I'm curious as well.. *fingers crossed*