Fat


Oil is liquid at room temperature and comes from plant sources. It is used in cooking and soapmaking. Essential oil is the fancy version of oil. Also see fat.

Vegetable fats and oils may be more costly than tallow or lard but their quality affords a superior skin-care product.

The more saturated an oil, the less soluble its soap will be in water, which also means its lather will be weak though longer lasting.

Scents are more stable in vegetable soap because vegetable oil is odorless compared to animal products.

(The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps by Susan Miller Cavitch, 1959. Page 7-8, 12, 18-30.)