Teach Soap

Hi all,
I've been reading this forum for months (thanks for all the excellent info!), and making CP soaps just for fun, but last week I experienced the first thing I needed to share with y'all.
Maybe somebody can shed some light on what happened?

I was mixing up the same recipe i always use, and that's been super-reliable:
Avocado 1.5oz
Coconut 4.6oz
Olive 5.4oz
Palm 6.2oz
PK 7.7oz
Shea 2.3oz
Lye 4oz
water 8.3oz
Generally all i adjust is the essential oil(s) and the coloring. This time i experimented with:
Sweet Birch EO 1.5 oz
Vetiver EO less than .1 oz
apricot seeds .2 oz

I had mixed my melted oils and lye together at a temp just a bit too hot to comfortably hold my hand in (maybe 115F/120F?); just like always.
Then i mixed in the apricot seeds, with no apparent effect. Everything was very liquid, and seemed far-from-trace.
But - when i poured in the EOs, i got INSTANT PUDDING! The apricot seeds made it look like a bowl of instant cream-of-wheat.

So - quick as i could i split it into two, mixed my colors in (white and red), but then i had to spoon it into the mold... it was already setting up!
I've never had a trace happen so fast before, even at higher temps. Usually i get impatient with stirring and use a wand blender to move things along. But not this time!

Can anybody help me understand what caused it to trace so fast? Is this common with Sweet Birch? Did the apricot seeds contribute?
I'm completely mystified.

All ideas welcome - and thanks again for all the help and expertise you're sharing. It makes a novice soaper much more confident!
Cheers.
Todd

It's the birch. It's also not safe at the amount that you are using. I would convert your recipe into grams for better accuracy.

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

Welcome Todd!

Birch is a sensitizer (makes you allergic over time), skin irritant (it has methyl salicylate or however it's spelled; it's the same thing as in some topical analgesics a la aspercreme), and it's a no no for pregnant women because it's a stimulant. I don't use it. Always ask your suppliers for appropriate usage rates for various EOs or FOs. If you don't have access to the supplier info, then you can try looking up the rates recommended by the International Fragrance Association ().

Oak moss has similar notes to birch. Oak moss is used for its earthy, smoky and leathery notes. IFRA has usage rates for it in various types of products. I have a bottle of it and use it every now and then, though mostly in blends.

If you're going to be using a lot of EOs, Tisserand has a great book on EO safety that's great to have as a reference (). It's pricey, though. During my essential oil training, many of the doctors taking the classes were hauling this volume around with them. Several of the docs were cosmetic specialist types who wanted to understand EO formulating to create their own lines of cosmetics for their medi spa practices, which was interesting to me.

I lookup each EO before I use it now. Irena has taught me that, as well as not to make medical claims and hell, about half of what I know about soaping. Tammy here is an expert on EOs, also. We learn by doing. Grats on your batches of soap!

Irena, Robert...
Thanks a million.
I much appreciate your expertise, and willingness to share.
I'll be more careful about my EOs in the future!
Todd

I didn't know all this about Birch so thanks for the info! Btw, PKO accelerates so I used to add it to recipes so they would trace faster. It doesn't sound like this was an issue for you but if you need to slow down a recipe, replace some of the PKO with "slow" oils like olive oil. Have fun!

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!

Thanks Linda - good advice!

I've ordered the Tisserand book that Robert recommended. It IS a bit pricey, but so is working with EO's, and the book will last longer.
Also, once I've done some reading on EO's I'm going to re-batch my Sweet Birch experiment with a new batch of something mild, to dilute the Birch down to a safe level.

Thanks again to everyone!
Todd

As others have stated, Sweet Birch Oil can be skin sensitizing and Birch extracts have caused adverse reactions in up to 50% of people with an allergy to Birch pollen. It is restricted in its use for a few reasons though.
You should know that Betula lenta (sweet birch) has a 98% salicylate rate, as well as the fact that Methyl salicylate is freely absorbed by the skin and can be absorbed transdermally in sufficient quantities to cause poisoning in humans, by lhe high blood levels of the Salicylic acid (aspirin's main ingredient).
Therefore, children, the elderly, those on anticoagulants (blood thinning medications), those with aspirin sensitivities, pregnant and lactating women should not use ANY product containing this ingredient, and ALL products containing this ingredient need to carry warning labels.
YES, just washing with a sweet birch soap could cause someone with an aspirin sensitivity to head to the er or to the morgue........ Less likely, but still possible, for a shower to lead to a compromised person hemorrhaging, so again, an er or morgue trip. So I would not use that soap at all, but IF you do, I would make darn sure that it is sufficiently labeled with the warnings and that your insurance was in place.


ANd yes, Robert Tisserand's book(s) are well worth the price. You can also follow his blog and he does webinars on occasion as well!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy