Oil Substitutions in Soap Making for Beginners (What You Can Swap & When)

Running out of an oil mid-planning is such a common beginner headache. The good news is, you can substitute oils in soap making – but not all swaps are created equal. In this guide, we’ll look at how different oils behave in cold process soap and when it’s safe to substitute one for another without ruining your batch.

📋 Planning your first recipe, lovely?

Make life easier with my free Soap Making Checklist for Beginners – it includes a simple prep list and reminders so you don’t forget any oils or steps. For a full beginner-friendly path, including reliable recipes and video lessons, take a peek at the Botanical Soap Making Beginners Course (£99).

👉 Get the Free Checklist– 👉 Explore the Beginners Course

Almond Oil, Sweet

Use apricot kernel, sunflower, or rice bran instead

Apricot Kernel Oil

Use sweet almond, sunflower, or rice bran oil instead

Argan Oil

Oil Substitutions for Soap Making

Castor Oil

No oil is a direct substitute, but you can replace with any other liquid oil and add lather boosters such as honey, aloe, milk, sugar.

Cocoa Butter

Replace with kokum butter, lard, or tallow, or as a second choice: shea or mango butter

Coconut Oil

Use jojoba if available, or kukui, meadowfoam, avocado, sweet almond

Avocado Oil

Use hemp oil, or sunflower, sweet almond, apricot kernel

Use babassu oil or palm kernel oil in equal amount. OR Add 5 to 10% castor oil to the recipe + 10% cocoa or kokum butter + the rest of the amount as sweet almond, rice bran, or olive oil.

Babassu Oil

Replace with coconut oil, or palm kernel oil

Canola Oil

Use olive oil or rice bran, or sunflower oil if it's 25% of the recipe or less

Grapeseed Oil

Use kukui, jojoba, argan, meadowfoam, or hemp Hempseed Oil

Replace with avocado, or sweet almond, apricot kernel, rice bran, sunflower

Jojoba Oil

Replace with argan, or meadowfoam, kukui, tamanu, apricot kernel, or sunflower

If you’re finding oil substitutions a bit overwhelming, remember you don’t have to design everything from scratch. Inside my Beginners Course, you get tried-and-tested recipes plus guidance on how to tweak them safely once you’ve built your confidence – so you can experiment without wasting your oils.

👉 See all the course modules here

Kokum Butter

Oil Substitutions for Soap Making

Meadowfoam Oil

Replace with argan, jojoba, kukui, sweet almond, apricot kernel, sunflower

Neem Oil

Replace with tamanu oil, or sea buckthorn, rosehip, argan, jojoba, meadowfoam

Olive Oil

Replace with cocoa butter, lard, or tallow, or second choice: shea or mango butter

Kukui Nut Oil

Replace with jojoba, argan, rosehip, meadowfoam, apricot kernel, sweet almond, sunflower

Lard/Tallow

Use rice bran oil instead of olive oil, in equal amounts. OR Use canola oil to replace up to 35% of the olive oil + replace the rest of the olive oil amount with one or more liquid oils such as sunflower, sweet almond, rice bran, avocado, or apricot kernel. OR Use sunflower oil to replace 20 to 25% of the olive oil + replace the rest of the olive with up to 10 to 15% each of sweet almond, apricot kernel, rice bran, canola, hemp, or avocado oil.

Palm Kernel Oil

Use coconut oil or babassu oil instead

Replace with cocoa or kokum butter up to 15 or 20% + 5% castor oil OR use a combination of 5% castor oil + 10 to 15% cocoa butter + 10 to 15% shea butter + 10 to 15% mango butter.

Mango Butter

Replace with shea butter, or lard, tallow, cocoa or kokum butter Palm Oil

Use tallow or lard instead, in equal amounts. OR Use 15% cocoa or kokum butter + 5% castor oil + the rest of the amount as olive or rice bran oil. OR Use olive oil in its place + cure the soap for an additional month or two. (Lather will be reduced.)

Rice Bran Oil

Use olive instead, or canola, sunflower, sweet almond, apricot kernel, avocado

Rosehip Seed Oil

Oil Substitutions for Soap Making

Shea Butter

Replace with mango butter, or lard, tallow, cocoa or kokum butter

Sunflower Oil

Replace with sweet almond, apricot kernel, avocado, hemp, rice bran, olive oil

Tamanu Oil

Replace with rosehip seed, sea buckthorn, neem, or argan, jojoba, meadowfoam, kukui, hemp, avocado

Replace with argan, jojoba, sea buckthorn, tamanu, kukui, hemp, avocado, sweet almond, apricot kernel oil

Sea Buckthorn Oil

Use rosehip seed oil, tamanu, hemp, avocado, kukui instead

Your next step, lovelyIf this post has you excited about making your own soaps, here’s where to go next:

1. Download the free Soap Making Checklist – perfect to keep on your counter on soap day so you don’t forget anything when the lye comes out.

2. Join the Botanical Soap Making Beginners Course (£99) – a calm, step-by-step online course that takes you from “I’m nervous” to “I made this!” with videos, recipes and printable guides.

           👉 Get the Free Checklist– 👉 Explore the Beginners Course