Do I need to use solid oils or can it all be liquid?

[jshooner]

I have watched so many videos and read so much on the soap making process. There always seems to be both hard and liquid oils used. What would happen if the fats in the soap where all liquid? Just wondered. Thank you

 

[Hazel]

It would work but I'd say they'd take a lot longer to get hard. You might find zensoaps' single oil swap results helpful. http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm

 

[jshooner]

Thank you! I will check it out. I have made soaps before, always using a mix of the two. I love learning everything I can on the subject and hate to waste any good oils. Thanks!

 

[Hazel]

You're welcome!

 

[judymoody]

The mix of oils you use will affect the qualities of the lather in your finished soap as well as how quickly it solubizes in water. If you play around in soapcalc.net for awhile you can see what each oil brings to the table with respect to bubbly lather, creamy lather, conditioning, cleansing, etc.

Classic Castille soap is 100% olive oil, water, lye and nothing else. It takes a long time to cure and makes a nice gentle soap. Some soapers make 100% coconut oil soap (with a steep lye discount so it's not too drying). It's all a matter of what qualities you're looking for.

 

[Lindy]

I agree that using just soft oils is absolutely fine. If you are worried about it being a bit soft add some Sodium Lactate. With my Castille (100% Olive Oil) I can unmould within 36 hours. Mine gets rock hard really, really fast..... Something else you can do is increase your lye concentration.