Why don't you like olive oil?

[JillGat]

I've noticed a number of posts here with recipes that sub out olive oil for rice bran oil or other liquid oils. What are the reasons for those of you who don't use olive oil in their CP recipes? Thanks!

 

[szaza]

I do use olive oil, but like to vary. My skin doesn't really like super high OO in soaps (it becomes dry when I use them).
RBO soap makes my skin feel very soft and moisturized, although RBO has accelerated on me a few times (this might be dependent on the brand/batch, not everyone has this experience).
I personally like HO sunflower oil, it's the cheapest oil available to me, traces very slow and doesn't dry my hands (but it doesn't have the amazing skin feel of RBO either)
A lot of this is personal preference, so try different oils and see what you like.

 

[SeaSuds]

Olive Oil makes my skin itchy, even in low amounts my skin knows it's in there I use Sweet Almond instead but I also love high oleic sunflower although it's very hard to come by here

 

[Ladka]

I stopped using olive oil cause I don't see any advantage over high oleic sunflower oil I use now: the latter is much cheaper and performs equally well for me.
I even stopped using it in my creams/salves where olive oil feels too oily for me, and also sunflower oil absorbs better into my skin.

 

[shunt2011]

High OO makes my skin feel tight and dry. Which in turn makes it itchy. I do use it but at a very low percentage. I like avocado or sunflower better.

 

[Cosmo71]

Interesting thread. I am needing more olive oil as I have used it in almost every recipe of my cold process soap thus far. I will try some sunflower oil but first need to find out what "high oleic" means and how it differs from regular sunflower oil. I live in a rural area and can't get all the fancy oils locally. Shipping adds substantial costs.

 

[BattleGnome]

Oleic acid is one of the fatty acids common in oil profiles. Some of the forum’s favorite soap calculators automatically calculate a soaps’s fatty acid profile when you put in a recipe (like the forum’s calculator that gets linked when you type the word). Olive oil is a very common oil that’s very high in oleic acid. oleic acid also creates a “slime” or “snot” on the bar that many people don’t like (I’ll let you check the search for that one, lots of threads about how to get rid of it).

high oleic sunflower is exactly that. Sunflower oil with a high oleic acid profile. It has less oleic acid than olive oil but otherwise a similar feel in the finished soaps. I think HO sunflower is also called fry oil (but check the label, I forget if saturated or unsaturated fats are the indicator). I live in rural Michigan and can easily find a good sunflower, but most of my shopping happens at Walmart.

as to your original question: I don’t like how my skin feels after olive oil soaps. I switched to sunflower because of the cost and threads on the forum about substitutions but ended up liking the skin feel. I still get mushiness on my soaps that feels similar to the start of the oleic slime but my bathroom is also a bit damp (so it’s probably related)

 

[DeeAnna]

....first need to find out what "high oleic" means and how it differs from regular sunflower oil. I live in a rural area and can't get all the fancy oils locally....

See this thread about HO vs regular fat -- Sunflower & extra virgin olive oil blend (edit: Never mind. I see you've already found this and other related threads on the diff between HO and conventional fats.)

I live in the rural backwaters too. HO sunflower isn't all that "fancy" -- check your larger grocery stores. If I go to the city (La Crosse, WI) I can even get Wisconsin-made HO sunflower.

 

[TheGecko]

I use 35% OO in my soap and have never had any issues.

 

[GemstonePony]

Olive oil tends to make my skin itch, some* Olive oil in the USA is cut with cheaper inexpensive oils that make that problem even worse for me, and the price point for Olive oil that is hopefully actually only from olives seems roughly even with the price point of Avocado oil. Avocado is my oil of choice, but it's not cheap either.
Also, this isn't a business for me, I'm just looking to make the best soap for me, so I'm happy to pay a few extra dollars per bottle for an oil my skin agrees with.
*Edited

 

[Obsidian]

I'm another one who doesn't much care for OO. It makes my skin dry and tight if I use too much.
I only use 25% though so I will use it if I have it on hand. I prefer sunflower but its expensive and hard to find here so I usually use ho safflower. Its cheap, easy to work with and makes a nice white soap.

 

[sarahmarah]

Is HO Sunflower practically interchangeable with HO Safflower? I’m looking to cut some costs on olive oil and I can get either locally.

 

[cmzaha]

Is HO Sunflower practically interchangeable with HO Safflower? I’m looking to cut some costs on olive oil and I can get either locally.

I would use HO Safflower in place of HO Sunflower if it were me, it makes very nice soap although I do not use it often. I use HO Sunflower or Canola and no OO. I usually keep HO oils in the 13-15% range. I just prefer the feel of Avocado, HO Canola, Sunflower, or HO Safflower over OO. To me, OO soaps always feel sticky.

 

[jcandleattic]

High OO makes my skin feel tight and dry. Which in turn makes it itchy. I do use it but at a very low percentage.

Exactly this. I find in large quantities it is more drying to my skin than coconut oil. I do use it in my recipe but in a smaller quantity.

 

[JillGat]

I had always thought that olive oil is what made a soap milder and less drying... interesting to hear the different experiences. Does sunflower oil have a shorter shelf life than OO, though? I also like rice bran oil, which some sources say is cheaper than olive oil, but I can't find it to buy anywhere.

 

[TheGecko]

most Olive oil in the USA is cut with cheaper inexpensive oils

Please cite your source for this statement.

 

[Susie]

Please cite your source for this statement.

There have been many studies about this over the years. And some "olive oils" are not 100% olive oils. If you find an olive oil that proves to have the shelf life that olive oil is supposed to have and is a consistent product year after year, chances are you have a real olive oil. I use the Member's Mark sold at Sam's, and have for years, so I feel fairly comfortable with it whether it is 100% pure or not. YMMV.

 

[TheGecko]

There have been many studies about this over the years. And some "olive oils" are not 100% olive oils.

"Some" is not the same as "most".

 

[Claudette Carignan]

I’ve only used olive oil in my CP soap making so far. I have bought RBO and palm oil but haven’t had the chance to make soap in months.

 

[GemstonePony]

Please cite your source for this statement.

Oh shoot, it was a conversation with an FDA inspector. I'll amend my statement to what studies have shown.