Teach Soap

I am working on my recipes and I have decided to work in grams from here on out due to its accuracy.

I've learned how to convert but because I need to be very precise I have some questions.

Are Fragrance oils added into the recipe or on top of the recipe? Meaning if the recipe adds up to 100, do I add on the Fragrance after 100% or in the 100%?

Same for preservatives.

When I was making sure everything reached the desired amount of grams for a four ounce jar, the total was more than the total amount of grams.
That's because I took the FO and preservative out of the 100% and added it on making it 101.5.
(FO is 1% and Optiphen is .5%. Both will be added once lotion or cream goes under 176 degrees I'm thinking 140 degrees. Is this okay?
I used it like that because I know after my lotions and creams come below the recommended degrees, then I add them both into the recipe which is why I didn't include them into the total.

Ewax is 3-5%
Stearic Acid 3-5%

Am I right a bout the Ewax and stearic acid?


When making a scrub and bath bomb do I still use the 100% rule? And add it after everything else is mixed.
When I'm making anything do I still include 100% rule including HP, CP and M&P soaps with additives?

When making lotions do I need to let water phase sit for 20 mins before adding oil phase?
That means I heat it on hot or low for 20 mins or wait until it comes to a boil then let sit for 20 mins then add oil/wax phase?

Oh and rounding up your grams? What's that a bout? If its 28.37 grams we round to 28.4 grams right? Why do this if we want to be as accurate as possible because I see a lot of this happening in recipes.

I am in the US by the way if that helps any.

Thanks everyone for all of your help and support!

I am a bit pressed for time, but I can address a few things quickly.

For me: I calculate everything, including fragrance and preservative, as part of the 100% . I use the batch calculator at Wholesale Supplies Plus, and it makes it very easy.

Your other questions can be best answered by reading a blog written by a woman named Susan in British Columbia. You can find it at this link:
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/

On the right hand side, there is a good listing of topics. She also has an E-Book specifically on lotion making that is available for a small donation to her youth work. It is WELL worth the money.

It may seem easier to get answers here than to do your own research, because yes, you need to do a LOT of reading to make sure you understand everything. I promise you, it is worth your time if you want to do this right.

Sometimes on these forums, people will see questions like yours and ignore them, because we may feel, rightly or not, that you are looking for easy answers instead of doing the research yourself. Or sometimes, it is because you asked stuff that would take hours to type out and explain. That is probably the case here.

good luck, and go read!