Soon to be soap....once I get all the oils that is

[DeeAnna]

If a person doesn't want to use polyunsaturated oils, that's fine, but there is nothing horribly wrong with using soybean, canola, corn, and the other "soft" oils. Yes, if you use a high percentage of polyunsaturated oils combined with a high superfat, you're going to get a softer soap that is more likely to go rancid, but they provide conditioning and creaminess to a soap at a moderate to low cost. Using any oil in soap is all about understanding the chemistry, and here are the key points I've learned--

Keep the total percentage of these oils at 10% or under. This is going to keep the combined linoleic and linolenic (polyunsaturated fat) percentage reasonably low, as VanessaP pointed out earlier in this thread.

Keep your superfat (aka lye discount) on the lower end of what you are comfortable using (I use 6%).

Use distilled water to minimize the amount of dissolved metals in your soap (metals act as catalysts for oxidation, aka rancidity).

Buy fresh oils, store them properly (in a dark, cool area and exclude air from the container), and use them promptly.

 

[Marilyna]

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Keep the total percentage of these oils at 10% or under. This is going to keep the combined linoleic and linolenic (polyunsaturated fat) percentage reasonably low, as VanessaP pointed out earlier in this thread.

Keep your superfat (aka lye discount) on the lower end of what you are comfortable using (I use 6%).

Use distilled water to minimize the amount of dissolved metals in your soap (metals act as catalysts for oxidation, aka rancidity).

Buy fresh oils, store them properly (in a dark, cool area and exclude air from the container), and use them promptly.

Seems like there wouldn't be much point in using it if you can only use 10% total. I do agree with the rest of your points, though.

I use 32% soft oils (canola & soybean) with great results.

 

[lizflowers42]

Seems like there wouldn't be much point in using it if you can only use 10% total. I do agree with the rest of your points, though.

I use 32% soft oils (canola & soybean) with great results.

Cost reduction of more expensive oils...like a filler oil.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Seems like there wouldn't be much point in using it if you can only use 10% total...."

Well, hmmm, most folks use castor at 5-10% and get definite results. Shea or avocado is nice at 5-20%. If I'm adding a polyunsaturated oil to boost creaminess and conditioning, 10% does contribute to the party. Used as an filler for cost control ... well, yes, then you'd want to use a higher %. Obviously YMMV.