Olive Oil for Soap Making
Olive Oil is a liquid liquid oil dominated by oleic (69%), palmitic (14%), linoleic (12%). Dominated by unsaturated fatty acids, it produces a gentle, skin-loving bar. Bars high in it need extra cure time or a hard oil alongside for firmness.
Quick Facts
How Much Lye for Olive Oil?
With a SAP value of 0.136, fully saponifying olive oil takes 0.136 grams of sodium hydroxide per gram of oil (at 0% superfat):
| Oil amount | NaOH (0% superfat) | KOH (liquid soap) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 13.6 g | 19 g |
| 500 g | 68 g | 95 g |
| 1000 g | 136 g | 190 g |
Real recipes use a superfat discount (typically 5%) and almost always blend several oils. Always run your full recipe through the Soaply lye calculator rather than weighing lye from a single-oil table.
Predicted Bar Properties
Derived from the fatty acid profile, for a bar made of 100% olive oil:
Fatty Acid Profile
| Fatty acid | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Palmitic | 14% |
| Stearic | 3% |
| Oleic | 69% |
| Linoleic | 12% |
| Linolenic | 1% |
Substitutes for Olive Oil
The closest matches by fatty acid profile, which is what actually determines how an oil behaves in soap. Swap by weight and re-run the lye calculation, since SAP values differ:
Build a recipe with Olive Oil
The free Soaply calculator handles the lye math, water, superfat, and property predictions for any blend of 100 oils.
Open the lye calculatorMore Liquid Oils
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