USP or 100% pure castor oil?

by Dawn
(Glen Cove, NY)

Hi, I am new to soapmaking and am so grateful to you for your help.

I want to try castor oil in my soap and I was in an Indian supermarket and saw 2 different castor oils side by side on the shelf. One is 100% pure castor oil and the other is USP pharmaceutical grade castor oil. Can either be used in soapmaking?

Also they had a sale on olive oil that is labeled 100% pure olive oil (acidity 0.1-.1%). I have never seen this acidity label on a can of olive oil before. Is this OK for soapmaking?

Thank you so much for your help.
Dawn

Answer:

Had to go and check on what my castor oil said!! I use Castor Oil USP. Do not use sulphated castor oil in soap making.

The olive oil I use is also labelled 100% olive oil. It is not virgin, extra virgin or pomace oil but rather the A or B grade which can sometimes also contain the virgin oil. I prefer the A and B grade since it has a golden colour to it and not a green tint. The golden colour results in a whiter coloured soap.

I've not encountered acidity labelling on the cans before but I can't see a reason why it shouldn't work just fine.

Cathy