Teach Soap

I wasn't sure if this would go here or in the FO/EO forum, so sorry if it needs to be moved!

I've read that FOs in the bottle can be a little different from how they turn up in the soap. If I wanted to test how a fragrance oil would turn out in a finished soap does it matter what recipe is used? Say I tested it in something like 100% olive oil soap, assuming I used the same ratio, and accounting for the fact that various oils have their own natural scents, would it turn out relatively the same in any soap?

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"Effective questioning brings insight which fuels curiosity which cultivates wisdom"

I know that some oils will definitely change how an fo smells in a finished batch but not all. I used Cranberry Fig in a batch with neem oil in it. I didn't really care for it. Then I used it in a batch with olive, coconut, and avocado. LOVE IT! Neem oil is very overpowering though (and smells aweful oob) but does cure out some but it did change the fo. It also changed Berry Wine. I would do a small batch (16 oz converted to grams for accuracy) of your regular recipe to see how you like it.

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Haven

Do you have any individual molds? If not why not save up some butter, yogurt or other small containers. Then make up a batch of your regular soap and just test each F/o in one bar. I have done this with my 12 bar mold from BB. I take photos along the way so I can document discoloration. It is a fun project to do and everyone in my family gets a different bar. I will also take one FO and say blend it with different scents and see which one comes out best.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Thanks guys! I've not actually made any soap yet, so I don't have a particular recipe per se. I plan to try some in the next couple of weeks or so though. Just need procure the ingredients, single purpose vessels for mixing and whatnot, and appropriate lye safety gear. Continue reading up in the mean time. I've already been looking into it for the past month, and this forum has really helped tie up a few of the loose ends of questions I still had.

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"Effective questioning brings insight which fuels curiosity which cultivates wisdom"

I always test new FOs using my regular recipe so that I know if it's the scent causing the problem and not the new recipe I decided to try.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I would recommend your first batch be plain, no fragrance or colour. Just so you can see how a "normal" batch reacts before adding anything that could mess with trace. I tend to wait until I get a bunch of samples to try, then mix up a batch of soap and make the equivalent of a bar with each scent. This way you get all of the testing done at once, and you can watch each one for signs of acceleration and discolouration. I use mold for my fragrance and colour testing batches. Super convenient!

Hope this helps some!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist