OO vs SAO vs RBO at 75%
- Thread starter szaza
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Yes, I think HO sunflower+RBO would be a great combo 
I'd like to try OO+RBO as well, see if they can balance each other out..
haha how is it that any time I try to test something I end up wanting to test more..?!
I'd like to try OO+RBO as well, see if they can balance each other out.. haha how is it that any time I try to test something I end up wanting to test more..?!
The soaps are now almost 11 months old (edit: sunflower is 9.5months old) and I thought it was about time for an update. I used them at the kitchen sink for a day alternating between the different soaps, but didn't notice enough of a difference to tell them apart. This morning I tested them the same way I did before: wash 3 times in a row with one soap and then wait a bit (didn't really time this, I guess it was +-20mins?) before washing 3x with the next.
I started with sunflower: lather was nice, rather fluffy, better than I remembered at least and my hands didn't feel tight after washing 3x.
Sweet almond oil had a similar lather to sunflower, though it somehow felt a bit more lubricated. My hands did start to feel a bit dry after this one, but it being the second soap might also play a role in that.
Rice bran oil still had the creamiest lather, though it was fluffier than I remembered. My hands felt slightly softer after using this, though still a bit dry.
Olive oil was the last one. I expected it to have more/bigger/fluffier lather than the others, because that's what happened the last few tests, but the lather was quite similar to the other soaps in shape, feel and size. I was also a bit afraid it would dry my hands out completely being the last one in the test and being the harshest in previous tests. My hands felt squeeky clean after washing and felt a tad dry/tight, but not as much as I'd anticipated. This one might be getting milder with cure.. (or maybe my anticipation was incorrect)
None of the soaps appear to have developed signs of rancidity so far. I also didn't notice any slime. They do suck up water and form a gel when left in water for a while, but I wasn't able to produce any slime threads with my fingers.
I started with sunflower: lather was nice, rather fluffy, better than I remembered at least and my hands didn't feel tight after washing 3x.
Sweet almond oil had a similar lather to sunflower, though it somehow felt a bit more lubricated. My hands did start to feel a bit dry after this one, but it being the second soap might also play a role in that.
Rice bran oil still had the creamiest lather, though it was fluffier than I remembered. My hands felt slightly softer after using this, though still a bit dry.
Olive oil was the last one. I expected it to have more/bigger/fluffier lather than the others, because that's what happened the last few tests, but the lather was quite similar to the other soaps in shape, feel and size. I was also a bit afraid it would dry my hands out completely being the last one in the test and being the harshest in previous tests. My hands felt squeeky clean after washing and felt a tad dry/tight, but not as much as I'd anticipated. This one might be getting milder with cure.. (or maybe my anticipation was incorrect)
None of the soaps appear to have developed signs of rancidity so far. I also didn't notice any slime. They do suck up water and form a gel when left in water for a while, but I wasn't able to produce any slime threads with my fingers.
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Interesting! Do you have any idea what it is about OO that makes it drying? It's "middle of the road" when it comes to FA profiles, which is where I start when I'm developing a recipe. RBO has the most linoleic+linolenic, which I think produces a silky/lubricating feel and it also has the most stearic+palmitic, which produces creaminess. SAO has the most oleic, which is the FA most often blamed for sliminess, but I think the soaps I've made with HO sunflower, in particular, also feel silky rather than slimy (in recipes with 45-55% oleics). None of these oils have appreciable amounts of lauric or myristic. I wonder if there is something else in some oils that can account for the drying effect.
Not the faintest.. I've been wondering the exact same thing.
Just wanted to add that RBO also has more unsaponifiables than the other oils (as far as I'm aware of), which might also influence lather and skin feel.
@runnerchicki found a post on the Riceland website that mentions there are waxes in their RBO. That's the brand I've been buying, It's cloudy at room temp (low 70s F) and doesn't clear until it gets above 125F or thereabout. I assumed it had something to do with the palmitic and stearic content, but perhaps the waxes are contributing to cloudiness. Others are using RBO that is quite clear and perhaps more refined. There are a couple of relatively recent threads with pics.
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