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.