About
Canola oil is a common, inexpensive oil that can replace part of the olive oil in a recipe. Rich in oleic acid (61%), it makes a mild soap with a creamy, stable lather, and it traces slowly.
However, it also contains 21% linoleic acid and 9% linolenic acid, two polyunsaturated fatty acids that make it more fragile than olive oil: the soap is softer and more likely to go rancid (orange spots, stale smell). It is usually kept to 10 to 25% of the oils, combined with more saturated oils and butters.
The profile shown here is that of canola, the common food-grade rapeseed oil low in erucic acid. High oleic canola oil, richer in oleic acid and lower in polyunsaturated fatty acids, keeps better and can be used in larger proportions.
SAP value: 186 mg KOH/g, i.e. about 126 g of sodium hydroxide for 1 kg of oil at 5% superfat.
Recommended usage rate
From 10 to 25% of the oils in the recipe.
Values
How much lye for 1 kg?
For 1,000 g of Canola Oil with 5% superfat:
These amounts apply to a soap made with this oil only. For a blend of oils, use the calculator.
Fatty acid profile
Soap qualities (oil used alone)
Values for a soap made with 100% of this oil, compared with the recommended range for a complete recipe.
Oils with a similar profile
Fats whose fatty acid composition is closest to this one: useful to find a substitute.