Teach Soap

Johnny

The smallest batch I make is about 1.7 pounds or 775 grams of fats.....lye and water amounts vary.

For this amount of fats, I use about 20 cc's of EO (cc = ml). Sorry.....scientist so I measure most things metric.

I agree with soapbuddy and add my EO's mixed with about 5% superfat of refined shea butter. Shea butter has a molecular structure that prevents interaction and modification from caustics meaning it won't saponify like other fats so you'll get the best results mixing your EO's and adding them with superfatted shea butter.

Kinda agree that lye will take whatever it wants but it acts like a fair stepmother in that it distributes.....and takes in equal amounts from all the kids (fats). If you're using 80% olive oil in your batch and do a 7% superfat, then most of what the wicked stepmother (lye) leaves behind too superfat will be olive oil. Make sense?

I know I'm not verbal and written acuity is lacking so not sure if I describe things accurately.

Thanks Irena and Europa. Thanks Irena for reminding me about the BB Fragrance Calculator. You had me upset for a week almost I was going to have to shred a whole batch when you told me that, "For Lemongrass, a safe usage rate is 0.68 oz. per lb. of oils so 1.48 ounces per lb of oil is too much. I would shred it and add it to an unscented batch."

but i typed it into the Brambleberry Fragrance Calculator and it says for lemongrass in 190 ounces of oils I can use up to 9.5 ounces of essential oils- so I am well within the safety limits using 7 ounces and therefore if you concur then i think i am not going to shred it.

It is one thing to be irritating to the skin and another thing to be sensitizing, meaning I will be forever stuck w/ an allergic reaction to the EO or some component of the EO. That thought keeps me pretty cautious. Is there an authoritative place to determine maximum usage for EOs in cold process soap? Where does BB get the info for the fragrance calculator from- the IFRA or what?

Lastly you said that, "CP soap does not require more EOs than M&P soap.", but the BB Fragrance calculator says for an equivalent amount of oils using M&P then the max usage rate for lemongrass EO is 5.23 ounces, vs 9.5 ounces in CP soap.

This is IFRA guidelines for Lemongrass. I couldn't find the a soap section, but it contains % for everything else. As you can see safe usage levels are much lower.

Application Max. Usage Level
1.A - Lip Products of all Types (Solid & Liquid) Lipsticks, Balms & Wax (Clear or Colored) 0.05%
1.A - Toys 0.05%
1.B - Body Waxes for mechanical hair removal 0.05%
2 - Deodorant and Antiperspirant Products of all types (spray, stick,roll-on, under-arm & body, etc.) 0.06%
2 - Fragranced Bracelets 0.06%
3.A - Hydroalcoholic Products Applied to Recently Shaved Skin (EDT) 0.25%
3.B - Hydroalcoholic Products Applied to Recently Shaved Skin (Fine Fragrance) 0.25%
3.C - Baby Creams, Lotions, Oils 0.25%
3.C - Body Paint for Children 0.25%
3.C - Eye Products of all Types (eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, eye make-up, make-up, etc.) including eye care 0.25%
3.C - Men's Facial Creams, Balms 0.25%
3.D - Tampons 0.25%
4.A - Hydroalcoholic Products Applied To Unshaved Skin (EDT) 0.75%
4.A - Ingredients of Perfume Kits 0.75%
4.A - Scent Pads,Foil Packs 0.75%
4.A. - Scent Strips for Hydroalcoholic Products 0.75%
4.B - Hydroalcoholic Products Applied To Unshaved Skin (Fine Fragrance) 0.75%
4.C - Body Creams, Oils, Lotions of all types (except baby products) 0.75%
4.C - Body Paint for Adults (excludes Children’s Products) 0.75%
4.C - Foot Care Products 0.75%
4.C - Fragrance Compounds for Cosmetic Kits 0.75%
4.C - Hair Deodorant 0.75%
4.C - Hair Styling Aids, Hair Sprays of all Types (pumps, aerosol sprays, etc.) 0.75%
4.D- Fragrancing Cream 0.75%
5 - Baby Powder and Talc 0.37%
5 - Dry or Waterless Shampoo 0.37%
5 - Facial Masks 0.37%
5 - Hair Permanent & Chemical Treatments (e.g. relaxers) but not hair dyes 0.37%
5 - Hand Cream 0.37%
5 - Hand Sanitizers 0.37%
5 - Wipes or Refreshing Tissues for Face, Neck, Hands, Body 0.37%

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I see your point Irena but since that doesn't say for soap, or more precisely for CP soap (bc there IS a difference in EO usage rates between CP & M&P), then I feel certain the usage rates built into the BB Fragrance Calculator is correct for soapers & I probably don't need to shred that batch. Unless you feel strongly about it I think I'm not going to shred it.

I tried to proof-check the BB Frag Calc doing lemongrass in lotion and if i do ten ounces of oils then the calc spits a max usage rate of 0.15 ounces or 4.25 grams, which according to the IFRA usage rates you posted lemongrass ought to be added to lotion at 0.25% which would be 0.25 ounces (of lemongrass EO in 10 ounces of oil) so the BB Frag Calc errs on the side of caution in this case, by 17%.

This might be a good question to ask the BB Customer Service people where exactly the info for the usage rates for the Frag Calc are derived so we can check ourselves if we want in case we're using an EOs (or FO) not listed on the Frag Calc.

I would ask BrambleBerry where their usage rates came from. Some of their calculations seem a bit on the high side to me. I also have a problem that teaspoons and tablespoons are listed. This is not an accurate method of using either fragrance or essential oils.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I have been making HP soap and, I too have been going by a "standard" measurement. I was using 1 ounce per pound when making CP and now that I am making HP I have been using .5 ounces per pound, adding it at the end of the process so the lye doesn't eat it.
I have never noticed a "suggested usage rate" listed on my EO's that I buy. ............
I have a question on this topic also. I started out determined to make "all natural, vegan soap" I was determined to only use EO's, not chemicals were going to get into my products! Well, several hundred (eh hem...thousand???) dollars later, I am wondering if EO's in soap are really worth the expense???? Since you literally wash it off as you are putting it on, is the extra cost, and fading scent, really worth it?? How much benefit can that EO be providing in those few seconds or minutes? My thought originally was "well, okay, they may not provide any benefit, but at least they are not putting chemicals on your skin"
I know companies don't have to list what is in their FO, but is there anyway to find out what kind of chemicals are being used? Of course they have been "tested safe" but so have the thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of other chemicals we are subjected to everyday! I am torn! I want to stay natural, I want to spend half the money and have it last twice as long.....since I am still not using any preservatives do you think that makes up for the chemicals in the FO?
What do you all think is the real benefit/danger to EO/FO???

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-Wendy
There are no negatives, only slow positives.

Fragrance formulas are proprietary. There is no way to know which components are actually in it. Whether EO or FO is a personal choice. Personally, I use both. The only EO's I stay away from is Wintergreen (the real stuff), Birch, Mugwort and camphor. I'm sure there are a few others, but these are all I can think of right now.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Using EOs isn't all that expensive, so long as you pick ones that you can buy a 16 ounce bottle of four no more than $55 or $60 bucks.