Teach Soap

So, I noticed (unless I am overlooking it, which if I am sorry!) that BB doesn't carry Peppermint FO, only the EO. I have a customer who is wanting Peppermint Salt Scrub. My candle supplier has peppermint FO and their info sheet says it is Skin Safe and OK for MP soaps. Should I go with that, or possibly should I just go for the BB Peppermint EO? I have never used EO's before, but I am looking at an "organic Peppermint EO" from BB that says with a 1-3% usage rate it is "edible and lip balm safe" . I guess EO's have much higher costs than FO's -harder to obtain, I guess? Anyways, I guess my question is, is that 1-3% the appropriate usage rate, or is that just in reference to the amount you must not exceed in order to be lip safe. Has anyone worked with Peppermint EO? Looks like I can get a LARGE 16 oz bottle of the FO from the other supplier and it can be used for MP and candles, should I do that? or are the benefits great enough (for a footscrub) that the cost outweighs the other option?

Thanks!

It depends; which one would you be more comfortable with? I would prefer an EO, but used at a lower amount, so it doesn't irritate the skin since it's in a scrub.

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

I love BBs peppermint EO for my CP. . It's very refreshing in hot weather and this time of year its very popular. I sold out of it at my last craft sale. People said it smells like candy.

Hi, beautyinabasket,

I use BB's Peppermint EO (1st distillation) and really like it.

It took me a while to settle on a usage rate. I was so afraid of using too much because Peppermint EO is so strong and can be a skin irritant in excess, so I thought it best to err on the side of caution. After a couple of batches of slowly upping the amount of peppermint EO I used, I finally settled on 1/2 tsp per pound of M&P base, which, if my math is right, works out to about a .5% usage rate, maybe a bit more.

Don't know if that amount is to your liking -- you may want more or less. Fragrance is so personal, but with EOs, certain cautions must be kept in mind, and with some you can use more, and others you should use less. I have seen recipes calling for as much as 2% or more of peppermint EO, but that just seems like a lot of peppermint, and I wouldn't risk it irritating someone's skin or someone finding it just plain overpowering and unpleasant.

Looks like Anne-Marie calls for 1 ml peppermint EO (2nd distillation) per 4 ounces M&P soap base in her new tutorial: http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2009/12/ ... canes.html. (A milliliter equals about .034 ounces.) So, again if my math is right, I guess that's a bit more than a .75% usage rate. (Please check my math.) Don't know if there's a big different between 1st distillation and 2nd distillation, usage rate-wise.

(I'm curious, fellow soapers --- what usage rate do you like for peppermint EO? Just wondering if I'm high or low or about right ... )

Make sure you warn customers not to use peppermint soap near their eyes or other sensitive mucous membranes or areas.

Also, pick up a book on essential oils. I like "The Directory of Essential Oils" by Wanda Sellar. Not specific to soaping, but gives you good EO profiles and warnings.

Hope that helps!

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This is why the EO's are intimidating to me. Not as easy to make a custom order type deal without having tried it and waited a few weeks. My customer wants it for footscrub. Thanks!

The best way to know is to read all you can about that particular FO or EO and experiment. If I'm not familiar about a particular ingredient, I won't do a custom order with it til I know exactly how it behaves over time and what the safe usage rate is.

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