Olive Oil

Olive oil is derived from the Olea Europaea tree. There are five grades of this oil. Extra Virgin, Virgin, Grade A, Grade B and Pomice. Extra Virgin and Virgin are great for cooking. B grade and pomice oil are sometimes extracted with the use of chemicals. That leaves A grade, the one I prefer to use in natural homemade soap recipes though all grades are commonly used.

A few of Olive Oil's qualities are as follows:

- the mild scented oil ranges in color from clear yellow to gold to olive green.

- is the main ingredient of castile soap recipes.

- high in oleic acid.

- said to help with skin cell regeneration.

- acts as a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin.

- creates a protective layer, holding in moisture without smothering the skin.

- produces a soap with a conditioning, stable lather.

- lather is somewhat thin but is very mild and suitable for sensitive skin.

- extra virgin is slow to saponifiy but as you progress down the grades saponification speeds up with the increase in unsaponifiables...Pomace can be quite quick to trace.

- even though it is a soft oil low in palmitic and stearic fatty acids, olive oil produces a hard bar.

Lauric	Myristic	Palmitic	Stearic	Ricinoleic	Oleic	Linoleic	Linolenic
		11	4		72	10	1
Hardness
Cleansing
Full Lather				F/L
		Stable Lather
				Conditioning

This information is provided for reference use only and is not meant to substitute the advice of a licensed health care professional.