Conditioning oil + NaOH = conditioning soap? Or just soap?

[CamillaHB]

Sorry if this question has been answered already somewhere.

I was wondering what happens to all the wonderful (but expensive) conditioning oils such as shea and cocoa when you use them in soap.

They saponify, obviously, but does this soapmolecule have conditioning properties in itself or is it basically just soap - if you know what I mean?
It seems like a poor deal if you have to add for instance 100g shea to get 5g (your superfat) in the finished soap.
Is that just the way it is, or does the shea soapmolecule retain some of the shea butter's conditioning properties?

 

[dagmar88]

A lot of oils have conditioning properties in soap; and they don't have to be expensive.
For example, olive, castor, rice bran and soybean oil.

However; soap will always be cleansing, not 'moisturizing'.

http://www.soapcalc.net/info/SoapQualities.asp

 

[carebear]

that's a question in a lot of minds. I tend to be cynical, but that's my nature.

 

[Fragola]

Thinking of the fatty acid profile of shea or cocoa - probably 90% of their contents can be found in dirty cheap oils. It's never a good deal buying them.

From my understanding, oils and stuff are conditioning for 2 reasons:

1. They depose a protective layer onto the skin. The actual soap molecules are cleaners, not conditioners. They quickly grab stuff from your skin and jump happily down the drain.

However, it is entirely possible to design a soap recipe to leave a little something behind (or even a lot). But I am not sure how you'd feel about a soap which dirties you instead of cleaning.

2. They nourish the skin. Many ingredients are added to the soap which are supposed to achieve that purpose.

Regarding your example with shea butter, from what I hear, it contains an important percentage of unsaponifiables, which will remain unchanged in your soap.

It seems like a poor deal if you have to add for instance 100g shea to get 5g (your superfat) in the finished soap.

That's a valid question if we're talking about a common item. On the other hand, if we're talking about a luxury product, that is the whole point: you pay that hefty price precisely for that extra je ne sais quoi.

 

[soapbuddy]

Soap is a wash off product. If you want moisturizing or "nourishing", use a lotion, which stays on the skin.