Just as we combine ingredients to add flavor, color and texture to the foods we cook, the various oils combined in soap recipes are chosen for the properties they add to the soap, like lathering, cleansing, and moisturizing. Some oils have good cleansing properties and make a firm bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower but would tend to be harsh and have little lather unless they were combined with other oils that add moisturizing and conditioning properties to the soap. On the flip side, if we used only oils with good moisturizing properties, it would tend to be a softer bar of soap that would lack cleansing properties. The trick is to find a perfect blend of oils to produce soap that has a fluffy, stable lather and cleans, moisturizes, and conditions the skin.
Before I understood how the blend of oils can affect a bar of soap, my personal soap purchases were largely based on the scent and artistry of the bar. If it looked and smelled good, I was all over it! After time, I realized some of the loveliest bars I purchased were nothing more than ‘pretty’. Many of them lacked a blend of quality, skin-loving oils, probably because those oils are more expensive and cut into the seller’s profit margin.
Palm, olive, and coconut oils are the three most common soap making oils that are used in many soap recipes. Palm oil provides firmness to the bar, coconut oil provides cleansing and lathering, and olive oil provides gentle skin-loving properties to the soap. As I began to make my own soaps, I focused on recipes that incorporated additional skin-nourishing oils, butters, and milks to create more luxurious bars of soap. Some of my favorites are:
Almond Oil
Naturally rich in vitamin A, E, and D, almond oil hydrates and enlivens skin. It has natural antioxidant properties, promotes cell renewal, and helps eliminate dead skin cells.
Avocado Oil
The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents in avocado oil help your skin stay smooth, strong, and elastic. It soothes, hydrates, and moisturizes dry, chapped skin and can help shield skin from UV rays and skin damage.
Shea Butter
Incredibly nourishing, moisturizing, and helps reduce skin inflammation and wrinkles. It’s naturally rich concentration of vitamins (A, E, and F) and fatty acids make skin softer and stronger.
Is a wonderfully light, non-greasy oil which makes it a good moisturizer for individuals with oily skin. It is slightly astringent, so it helps tighten pores, which limits oil production.
Hazelnut Oil
High in fatty acids, it moisturizes, brightens, tightens, and tones the skin.
Rice Bran Oil
Has amazing hydrating/moisturizing properties and promotes skin healing. Great for dry, sensitive skin. It improves skin elasticity and skin tone which can diminish signs of aging.
Cocoa Butter
Easily penetrates and moisturizes the skin. Softens rough, dry skin and makes it feel luxurious! (My favorite butter!)
Avocado Butter
With its rich caramel color and soft coffee aroma, this butter has high levels of lecithin and vitamin E. Hydrates and softens skin.
Coffee Butter
The fatty acids in castor oil easily penetrate the layers of skin and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin to repair and soften skin. Reduces wrinkles and fine lines. Also adds a wonderful lather to soaps!
Castor Oil
Is rich in super moisturizing essential fatty acids and triglycerides. The essential fatty acids in goat’s milk have a unique pH and are easily absorbed by our skin. Goat’s milk is loaded with vitamin A and contains lactic acid, which aids in the gentle slough off of dead skin cells and helps to hydrate and brighten the skin.
Goat's Milk
(almond and walnut) – nut milks provide the added benefits of nut fats, which nourish, soften, and moisturize skin, leaving it looking fresh and healthy.
Nut Milks (Almond and Walnut)
Rich in vitamins A and C and natural proteins, which contribute to smooth, radiant skin.
Coconut Milk
These and other wonderful natural oils, butters, and milks are used in various combinations in Lakeside Handcrafted Soaps. See individual soap descriptions for contents.
Enjoy!
Kim Ballo
Lakeside Handcrafted Soaps, Muskego, WI
Allergy Warning: Lakeside Handcrafted Soaps are created in the same facility and equipment where nut and dairy products are used in some soap recipes and should not be used by those with known sensitivities and allergies to nut and/or dairy products.
Note: Lakeside Handcrafted Soaps are created in a small batch process and are hand cut. Slight variances in color, size, and weight can occur. Bars are at least 4.25 oz/each.