Oil Substitutions in Soap Making for Beginners (What You Can Swap & When)
Updated: Jul 24
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.
Here is a list of Oil Substitutions you can use in Soap Making
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: use jojoba if available, or kukui, meadowfoam, avocado, sweet almond
Avocado Oil: use hemp oil, or sunflower, sweet almond, apricot kernel
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
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 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.
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
Kokum Butter: 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: 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
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: 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
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: 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
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
Your next step
If this post has you excited about making your own soaps, here’s where to go next:
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.
Join the Botanical Soap Making Beginners Course (£149) – a calm, step-by-step online course that takes you from “I’m nervous” to “I made this!” with videos, recipes and printable guides
Comments