oil properties
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this chart lists [many of] the oils used in soapmaking showing their component fatty acids. depending on these acids, an oil is classified as a hard or soft oil because of the prominence of hard or soft fatty acids. the charts shows the percentages of these acids and the quality each imparts to the soap.
 
in the case of "hard bar", this quality [obviously] only applies to bar soap. when used in liquid soap, these hard fats contribute to producing a clear transparent soap. the softer fats, which would produce a soft bar, contribute to producing a cloudy liquid soap.
 
also for liquid soap, soft oils high in oleic acid create a higher, more stable lather than those with a lower oleic acid content. *
 
-- see "lye table" for a chart listing the oils with their sap, ins, and iodine values
-- see "oils & butters" for a list [of those most commonly used] with their descriptions, characteristics, and benefits.
-- see the "soap calculator" for determining lye and water requirements and analyzing soap formulas.
 
for the sake of consistency, all the fatty acid values (with the noted exceptions) were obtained from one source, "kathy miller's soap pages". those exception are avocado butter, beeswax, evening primrose oil, kokum butter, lanolin, neem tree oil, peanut oil, shea oil, stearic acid, and walnut oil, whose fatty acid values weren't listed on the chart and were obtained elsewhere.

soft fats hard fats
fatty acid oleic linoleic linolenic ricinoleic lauric myristic palmitic stearic
properties conditioning
* higher, more stable lather		 conditioning conditioning conditioning
fluffy, stable
lather		 hard bar
cleansing
fluffy lather 		hard bar
cleansing
fluffy lather		 hard bar
stable
lather		 hard bar
stable
lather
oils amount (or range) of each fat expressed as a percentage
almond, sweet 64 - 82 8 - 28 --- --- --- --- 6 - 8 ---
apricot kernel 58 - 74 20 - 34 --- --- --- --- 4 - 7 ---
avocado butter 45 - 65 1 - 10 2 --- --- --- 15 - 25 3 - 20
avocado oil 36 - 80 6 - 18 --- --- --- --- 7 - 32 1.5
canola 32 15 9 --- --- --- 1 ---
castor 3 - 4 3 - 4 --- 90 --- --- --- ---
cocoa butter 34 - 36 3 --- --- --- --- 25 - 30 31 - 35
coconut 4 - 11 1 - 2 --- --- 39 - 54 15 - 23 6 - 11 1 - 4
corn 28 - 37 45 - 56 1 --- --- --- 12 - 14 2 - 3
cottonseed 18 52 1 --- --- --- 13 13
emu 50 14 --- --- --- 0.4 21 9
eve. primrose 5 - 10 70 - 77 9 --- --- --- 5.5 - 7 .2 - .4
flaxseed 14 - 39 7 - 19 50 --- --- --- 4 - 9 2 - 4
grapeseed 12 - 28 58 - 78 --- --- --- --- 5 - 11 3 - 6
hazelnut 65 - 85 7 - 11 --- --- --- --- 4 - 6 1 - 4
hempseed 12 57 21 --- --- --- 6 2
jojoba 10 - 13 --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
kokum butter 30 - 42 0 - .4 --- --- --- --- 2 - 6 50 - 62
kukui nut 20 42 29 --- --- --- 6 ---
lard (pork) 46 6 --- --- --- 1 28 13
macadamia nut 54 - 63 1 - 3 --- --- --- --- 7 - 10 2 - 6
mango 34 - 56 1 - 13 --- --- --- --- 3 - 18 26 - 57
neem tree 50 13 --- --- --- --- 18 15
olive 63 - 81 5 - 15 1 --- --- --- 7 - 14 3 - 5
palm 38 - 40 9 - 11 --- --- --- --- 43 - 45 4 - 5
palm kernel 18 --- --- --- 47 14 9 1
peanut 48 32 --- --- --- --- 11 2
safflower 10 - 20 70 - 80 --- --- --- --- 6 - 7 ---
sesame seed 37 - 42 39 - 47 --- --- --- --- 8 - 11 4 - 6
shea butter 40 - 55 3 - 8 --- --- --- --- 3 - 7 35 - 45
shea oil 68 - 78 6 - 10 --- --- --- --- 4 - 7 8 - 15
soybean 21 - 27 46 - 53 8 --- --- --- 9 - 12 4 - 6
stearic acid --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 99
sunflower 16 70 1 --- --- --- 7 4
tallow (beef) 37 - 43 2 - 3 1 --- --- 3 - 6 24 - 32 20 - 25
walnut 14 - 21 54 - 65 --- --- --- --- 6 - 8 1 - 3
wheat germ 13 - 21 55 - 60 --- --- --- --- 13 - 20 2