Jojoba oil in soap making
Published by The Soap Brain Team
Jojoba oil is a special-case soap-making oil. A gram of it turns to soap with about 0.066 g of NaOH (lye). It behaves differently from most oils and is used in small amounts, mostly for skin feel and staying power. Most soapers use it at 5–10% of their oils.
Fatty-acid profile
Jojoba oil is a special-case ingredient: its main fatty acids fall outside the eight the quality formulas track, so it behaves unusually in soap. It is valued for skin feel and stability rather than for building lather or hardness on its own, and is normally used in small amounts within a blend.
Jojoba oil's make-up sits outside the eight fatty acids the quality formulas track, so it is handled as a special case in the calculator.
Jojoba oil in the bar
Jojoba oil gives a mild, low, slick lather on its own. Blended with a bubbly, cleansing oil it contributes body and mildness while the partner oil supplies the bubbles.
Jojoba oil traces at a fairly typical pace; how fast the whole batch moves will depend mostly on the other oils, your temperatures and any fragrance you add.
Jojoba oil is versatile in a blend — it can lean cleansing, conditioning or hardening depending on what you pair it with, so treat it as a flexible middle-of-the-recipe oil.
Using Jojoba oil in a recipe
One gram of Jojoba oil needs about 0.066 g of NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to turn fully to soap, within a documented range of 0.065–0.068 g/g across sources. The calculator below uses this value; always confirm the lye weight before you mix.
Its iodine value is about 82 — a moderate value, a good all-round balance of hardness and conditioning. Iodine value is only a rough guide, not a hard rule, but it gives you a feel for how a bar built around this oil will wear.
Most soapers use Jojoba oil at roughly 5–10% of their oils.
Maker's note: Not a true oil but a liquid wax, so it acts as a stable superfat and conditioning agent. Our lather and hardness numbers understate what it actually adds to a bar.
Calculate lye for Jojoba oil
The calculator below is pre-loaded with Jojoba oil. Enter your weights, add other oils, and it works out the exact NaOH (lye) weight, water and quality numbers. Always weigh lye, oils and water — never measure by volume, wear gloves and eye protection, and add lye to water (never the reverse).
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Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is backed by at least two independent references, listed below — so you can check our work instead of taking our word for it.
- SoapCalc oil list — SAP, iodine
- From Nature With Love — Saponification Chart — SAP range
- Singapore Soap Supplies — Jojoba SAP — SAP is an approximation (wax ester)
SAP data last updated · 51 oils covered.
Jojoba oil soap FAQ
- Can you make soap with 100% Jojoba oil?
- It is not recommended. Jojoba oil shows its best in a blend, usually up to about 10% of the oils. On its own the bar would be unbalanced — too soft or low-lathering for everyday use.
- What superfat should I use with Jojoba oil?
- A 5% superfat is a safe, common starting point for recipes using Jojoba oil; adjust to taste once you know how the finished bar feels. Never drop to 0% or below without a deliberate reason — the calculator will ask you to confirm it.
- Does Jojoba oil speed up or slow down trace?
- Jojoba oil traces at a fairly typical pace; how fast the whole batch moves will depend mostly on the other oils, your temperatures and any fragrance you add.