Storing Carrier Oils and Butters

TwoScoops67 · Oct 29, 2017

Hi Everyone :smile:,

I've read a few tidbits of advice about refrigerating or not refrigerating carrier oils and butters. Some say yes, others say not necessary, while still more say only this and that one. I don't think it could be bad doing so with all of them (heavy on the "think" part), but wanted to get some input.

I have the basics: CO, PO, PKO, OO, etc., and a few others like AO, jojoba, hemp and some butters. Would it be better, or at least advisable to store them in the fridge, rather than in my equipment tote? I have a medium sized tote that currently houses all my glass/plastic ware, spatulas, ramkins, etc., that I have all my ingredients in as well. It sits lidded on our piano bench in the living room, and is out of direct sunlight 95% of the day.

Room temp is most likely around 71F -75F, but during summer can rise up a little more. Any thoughts on this? I could easily put them in the fridge...with SWMBO approval of course, lol. But I could also just blame it on yous guys! :evil:

lsg · Oct 30, 2017

I have frozen CO, PO and some butters with no problem. Jojoba is long-lasting. Hemp is prone to rancidity, you might add some rosemary oleoresin to prolong shelf life.

toxikon · Oct 30, 2017

Like lsg recommended, ROE is an antioxidant that can extend the shelf-life of your oils. It needs to be used in a very small percentage, otherwise it can actually end up doing the opposite - shortening the shelf-life. It should be used at around .02%. Meaning if you had 1000g of oils, you'd only use .2g of ROE. I usually only add a single drop to my opened oils.

Anyhoo. I don't bother refrigerating or freezing my main oils (lard, tallow, coconut, castor, olive, avocado). But once and a while when I buy a small, exotic oil (like jojoba, argan, meadowfoam, neem) I will store them in the freezer.

Also keep in mind that oils and butters should be kept out of the sunlight to extend their shelf life as well.

TwoScoops67 · Oct 30, 2017

Thanks a bunch! this is really helpful and of course raises a few more questions.

lsg said:
Hemp is prone to rancidity, you might add some rosemary oleoresin to prolong shelf life.

I saw this in another post, and purchased some along with t-EDTA. Both in small amounts. I actually used some ROE in a shave soap but i was hesitant to combine it with the t-EDTA as I'm still trying to absorb natural vs non-natural and how I feel about that.

toxikon said:
I usually only add a single drop to my opened oils...
...Also keep in mind that oils and butters should be kept out of the sunlight to extend their shelf life as well.

So it sounds like ROE can be used pretty widely. I guess I had thought that it only made sense to use it in a product rather than ingredients. Are there any contraindications for ROE in any oils, as long as its used in the correct amounts?
All my butters and oils are in a closed tote bin currently, so no direct sunlight gets at them, but it is possible for radiant heat to act on the bin a few moments a day when the sun passes a window. That really was what prompted my post.
Does anyone feel that adding ROE to my opened carrier oils, and putting everything (oils & butters) in the refrigerator is overkill? Or is it better safe than sorry? Thanks for all input.

MorpheusPA · Oct 31, 2017

There aren't technically any contraindications for ROE in anything, but I wouldn't bother adding it to any oil that has a long life; its assistance isn't significant in those cases. It would also be very difficult to incorporate into any solid oils unless you melt them first.

Since that causes problems with palm, I'd strongly advise not melting, adding ROE, and re-hardening unless you plan on constantly re-mixing it to keep the palm from separating.

But for any oil that has a shelf life under a year or so and is liquid? Go for it.

If you have space in your refrigerator, you can store any oil or butter in there that you wish! It'll help extend the lifespan, even with ROE in the oil. Just make sure to warm the oils on the stove to the proper soaping temperature.

Kittish · Oct 31, 2017

If I had the room, I'd refrigerate my oils and butters, and maybe even the waxes. As it is, they're in a closed cabinet that's centrally located in the house so is pretty stable temperature-wise. My 76* coconut oil is staying solid, with the house temps hitting 78 and 79 for most of the day.

I add ROE to my soft oils when I open the jug. I've diluted my ROE in jojoba to make it easier to disperse through the oils. If I recall, I mixed 4 oz of ROE with 8 oz of jojoba.

Here's an article DeeAnna wrote about using ROE: https://classicbells.com/soap/ROE.html