Why Use Olive Oil in Soap? Skin Benefits and Our 1999 Eczema Journey
- daacree2002
- 19 hours ago
- 9 min read
If you have ever picked up a handmade bar and wondered, “Why use olive oil in soap?” the short answer is simple: olive oil helps make a bar that feels gentle, creamy, and kind to skin.
The longer answer is more personal.
I started making soap in 1999 because my daughter struggled with eczema. Like many parents, I wanted something simple, comforting, and less harsh for her daily routine. I was not trying to build a soap business at first. I was trying to solve a problem at home.
After three years of trials, recipe changes, and careful observation, olive oil soap proved to be the best base for us. It gave the bar the mild feel I was looking for, without leaving skin feeling tight or overly stripped. That foundation became the starting point for everything that came later. Today, I make more than 60 soap types, but olive oil remains at the heart of the work.
This post shares why olive oil matters in soap, what it can do for the skin, and what I learned through years of making and testing bars by hand.
Olive oil makes soap feel mild and comforting
Olive oil has been used in traditional soapmaking for a very long time. Castile soap, one of the oldest and best-known styles of soap, is made with olive oil as the main oil or only oil.
There is a reason that tradition lasted.
When olive oil turns into soap through saponification, it helps create a bar that is:
Gentle-feeling on the skin
Creamy rather than overly bubbly
Conditioning in feel
Less likely to leave skin feeling squeaky or tight
Suitable for many people who prefer a simple, mild bar
Some oils create a big fluffy lather. Others make a harder bar. Olive oil brings something different. It adds a soft, smooth, almost lotion-like quality to the way soap feels in the hand and on the skin.
That matters because soap does more than remove dirt. It affects the way skin feels after washing.
A harsh bar may clean well, but leave skin feeling dry within minutes. A better-balanced bar cleans while still feeling comfortable. For dry or sensitive skin, that difference is easy to notice.
Our soap story began with eczema in 1999
When my daughter was dealing with eczema, I began paying closer attention to everything that touched her skin. Laundry products, bath products, lotions, and soaps all mattered.
At that time, many store-bought bars felt too strong for her. Some were heavily scented. Some left her skin feeling dry. Some simply did not feel right for everyday use.
So I began making soap.
The first batches were experiments. I tried different oils and different combinations. I watched how the bars cured, how they lathered, how they felt during washing, and how skin felt afterward.
It took about three years of trial and error before the answer became clear. Olive oil made the best base for the kind of soap I wanted to make.
That did not mean every bar was plain or exactly the same. It meant the foundation mattered. Once the base was right, I could build from there.
What started as a home effort to help my daughter became a long-running soapmaking practice. Now there are more than 60 soap types, but the lesson from those early years still guides each batch: start with ingredients that respect the skin.
What olive oil brings to skin
Olive oil is rich in fatty acids, especially oleic acid. In soapmaking, those fatty acids play a major role in the finished bar’s character.
It is also known for naturally occurring compounds such as vitamin E and plant antioxidants. Soap is a rinse-off product, so it should not be described the same way as a leave-on oil or cream. Still, the choice of oils affects how a bar feels, how it lathers, and how it leaves the skin after washing.
Here are the skin-friendly qualities olive oil contributes to handmade soap.
It helps reduce that stripped feeling
Skin has a natural barrier that helps hold moisture in and keep irritants out. When cleansing is too aggressive, skin can feel tight, dry, or uncomfortable.
Olive oil soap tends to feel mild because it creates a gentler type of lather. It does not usually produce huge, airy bubbles on its own. Instead, it creates a creamy wash that feels softer on the skin.
That creamy feel is one reason many people with dry-feeling skin prefer olive oil-based soaps.
It creates a conditioning wash
In soapmaking language, “conditioning” describes how a bar feels after washing. A conditioning bar leaves skin feeling more comfortable, not raw or overly cleansed.
Olive oil is one of the classic oils used for this purpose. It helps create a bar that feels smooth during use and pleasant after rinsing.
A well-made olive oil soap can be especially nice for:
Hands washed often throughout the day
Dry-feeling arms, legs, and feet
Skin that does not like harsh fragrance-heavy bars
Anyone who prefers a simple, traditional soap
It supports a creamy, low-irritation routine
People often think more lather means better soap. That is not always true.
A mountain of bubbles can feel fun, but the most bubbly oils are not always the gentlest in high amounts. Coconut oil, for example, can make a wonderful hard, bubbly soap, but alone it can seem drying. I do add Coconut Oil to the mix along with sustainable Palm Oil to balance out the creaminess, lather and hardness of the bar.
Olive oil balances that out. It helps keep the bar kinder and creamier. In my experience, this balance is one of the biggest reasons olive oil earned its place as the base of my recipes.
It works well with simple ingredients
Olive oil is also a beautiful base because it plays well with other thoughtful ingredients. Once I found the right olive oil foundation, I could create different soap types while keeping the same gentle spirit.
That is how one base grew into more than 60 soaps.
Different bars may include ingredients such as clays, botanicals, goat milk, oatmeal, honey, or essential oils, depending on the recipe. But the base still matters most. If the foundation feels harsh, extra ingredients cannot fully fix it.
A good soap starts with a good oil blend.
Why handmade olive oil soap feels different from commercial bars
Most people use the word “soap” for many different cleansing bars, but not all bars are made the same way.
Many commercial bars are syndet bars, which means they are made with synthetic detergents rather than traditional soap. Some work very well, especially for certain skin needs. Others include fragrances, colorants, or detergents that may not suit everyone.
Handmade soap is different because it is made through saponification. Oils combine with lye and transform into soap. When properly made and cured, there is no active lye left in the finished bar.
A major benefit of handmade soap is that glycerin forms naturally during the process. Glycerin is a humectant, which means it helps attract moisture. In many mass-produced soaps, glycerin may be removed and used in other products. In handmade soap, it often stays in the bar.
That natural glycerin, combined with an olive oil-rich recipe, helps explain why handmade soap can feel so different.
You can often feel the difference in three places.
The lather feels creamier
Olive oil soap does not need to shout. It has a quiet, creamy lather that works into the skin without feeling aggressive.
The rinse feels cleaner but not harsh
A good bar should rinse away well. It should clean without leaving a heavy coating, but it should also avoid that overly tight feeling.
The skin feels more comfortable afterward
This was the part I cared about most during those early years. I wanted a bar that made daily washing feel less like a problem.
What olive oil soap can and cannot do for eczema-prone skin
Because my journey began with my daughter’s eczema, this part matters.
Olive oil soap is not a cure for eczema. Soap is not medicine, and eczema can have many triggers. Weather, stress, allergens, fabrics, foods, detergents, and skin barrier health can all play a role. Anyone dealing with ongoing eczema, broken skin, infection, or severe irritation should talk with a healthcare professional.
This article is informational only and is based on personal soapmaking experience.
With that said, many people with dry or sensitive skin look for a gentler cleansing routine. Olive oil soap may be a good fit because it can feel mild, simple, and less stripping than many harsher bars.
For eczema-prone households, the goal is usually not to find a miracle product. The goal is to reduce avoidable irritation wherever possible.
That may mean choosing soap that is:
Mild and well cured
Not overloaded with fragrance
Made with a conditioning oil blend
Gentle enough for frequent handwashing
Simple enough to understand
For my family, after years of soap trials, olive oil became the base that made the most sense.
Why curing time matters so much
One thing people do not always see is the waiting.
Handmade soap needs time to cure. During curing, excess water evaporates and the bar becomes harder, longer lasting, and milder in feel. Olive oil soaps especially benefit from patience.
A fresh bar may technically be soap, but that does not mean it has reached its best quality. Time improves the feel.
That matters because a good olive oil soap is not just about the ingredient list. It is about the process.
A thoughtful maker pays attention to:
Recipe balance
Proper measuring
Safe soapmaking methods
Full saponification
Adequate cure time
How the bar feels in real use
Those details shaped my early soapmaking years. I learned that the best bar was not always the prettiest one or the most strongly scented one. The best bar was the one that felt good day after day.
How one olive oil base became more than 60 soap types
Once I had a base I trusted, creativity opened up.
That is how the collection grew from one purpose-driven recipe into more than 60 soap types. Each bar can have its own personality, but the goal stays the same: make soap that feels good to use.
Some bars may feel extra creamy. Some may include exfoliating ingredients. Some may have a gentle scent. Some may be made for people who prefer a very simple bar.
The olive oil base gives those soaps a shared foundation.
It is a little like cooking from a trusted family recipe. Once the base is right, you can create many variations without losing what made the original work.
The early eczema journey taught me to ask better questions about every batch.
Does it feel mild?
Does it rinse well?
Does it leave skin feeling comfortable?
Would I feel good using this in my own home?
Those questions still matter.
What to look for in a good olive oil soap
If you are choosing an olive oil soap, look past color, shape, and scent first. Those things are enjoyable, but they do not tell the whole story.
A good bar should feel balanced.
Here are a few signs to look for.
Olive oil appears high in the ingredient list
If a soap is described as olive oil soap, olive oil should play a meaningful role in the recipe.
The bar has been properly cured
A well-cured bar lasts longer and usually feels better. Soft, rushed soap can melt away quickly.
The scent level makes sense for your skin
Strong fragrance is not always better. If your skin is sensitive, a plain or lightly scented bar may be the wiser choice.
The maker can explain the recipe
A soapmaker does not need to reveal every exact formula, but they should understand why they use the oils they use.
The soap feels good after repeated use
The real test is not one wash. It is how your skin feels after using the bar over several days.
The simple reason I still use olive oil
I use olive oil in soap because experience taught me to trust it.
Back in 1999, I was a parent trying to help my daughter with eczema. I did not begin with a perfect recipe. I began with a need. After three years of trials, olive oil soap became the base that worked.
That base has now carried years of soapmaking and more than 60 soap types.
Olive oil helps create a bar that is creamy, mild, and comfortable to use. It supports the kind of soap I wanted then and still want now: simple, thoughtful, and made with skin in mind.
The answer to “Why use olive oil in soap?” is not only about tradition or ingredients. It is about how the finished bar feels in real life, at the sink, in the bath, and in the hands of people who want something gentler.
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