Teach Soap

I'm three months into soapmaking. I've made eight batches with pretty positive results and enjoy what I'm doing. Of course, I'm learning little things as I go. One thing I've yet to really grasp is EO and FO. I understand that people like the scent of a bar of soap. That explains why you add fragrance oils. But what does an essential oil do that a fragrance oil cant?

Secondly, why do some recipes call for both EO and FO? If EO are more expensive and don't last as long, why use them at all?

Whether you use EO or FO is a matter of personal preference. Essential oils are natural while fragrance oils are lab made. Yes, you can mix the two. Either way, make sure that you are using them at a safe % and go by weight.

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

EOs come from plants. They may have some theraputic benefits. For example, tea tree and lavender EOs are antibiotic and anti-fungal. Lavender FO (fragrance oil) doesn't have those properties.

Some recipes may call for both EOs and FOs b/c the EO is relatively inexpensive, like peppermint. Peppermint EO is pretty cheap - on par with most FOs - and the reviews of peppermint FOs I have read don't seem very positive. Some people have sensitivies to artificial fragrances and choose to work only with EOs. And vice versa.

sometimes an FO can help anchor and EO. According to forum posts, quite a few soapers like to use both lavender EO and lavender FO in their lavender soaps, b/c the FO anchors the EO and helps it stick around.

Some EOs can be very badly behaved in soap, so people prefer an FO. (And vice versa.)

What is a safe level of eo fragrance? I use about 4% the weight of my oils in CP, so got a 190 ounce batch I add about 8 ounces of EOs.

A good reason to use EOs is by they really increase the suds, cleaning ability, & antibacterial properties. They r good for your skin too.

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

Huh. I guess that's news to me since I thought IFRA usage rates for EOs & FOs were only applicable to M&P but not so much CP. I just figured out how much EOs I need to add to get the scent I need considering the batch size. That's about 4% of the weight of the oils. Does that sound like too much to you? Can people get sensitization from putting too much EOs in CP soap?

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

I made a batch w/ lemongrass at that strength level. What do you think i should do throw it out? It turned out a little stronger smelling than I needed i should've used only 75% of the scent that I did.

It seems like when I mix EOs in CP soap I don't get a distinct enough smell so I've just started using a lot of one oil, but I will try to change that practice as a result of this information. I didn't know that was an issue w/ CP since sap is a chem reaction i thought the EOs were fixed n safe or smthng. Thank you SB. I will try using some bases, middles, & highs so that I don't have to use so much of one oil. It'll just be a little trickier to reach the scent level i need.

So you think i should throw out the 4% lemongrass soap? It was a pretty big batch i hate to throw it out but if you say so maybe i will.

For Lemongrass, a safe usage rate is 0.68 oz. per lb. of oils. How much did you add per pound?

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

Dangit that soap turned out real nice i don't want to throw it away it looks like fudge i could almost eat it it smells so good.

Uh ok so 190 ounces of oils is 11.875 lbs and i used 8 ounces of lemongrass so i guess ummm 11.9 / 8 = 1.48 ounces per lb of oil.

What's the verdict Irena do i have to throw it away? When i use the general rule for 0.75 ounces per lb of soap I don't get a strong enough smell as I want so I just increased it to where I needed it. This batch came out a little strong smelling, i admit...

1.48 ounces per lb of oil is too much. I would shred it and add it to an unscented batch. You want to be safe that it doesn't irritate the skin.

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

If added at the right time during trace (I mix with about 0.05% of shea butter because much of it doesn't saponify), essential oils will provide the botanical benefits that you won't get through FO's.

Drawback is that you have to use much more, pay much more, and the EO's fragrance dissipates much faster. IMHO

so how much EOs do you add per pound EuropaPress? I agree with the botanical benefits of EOs vs FOs. EOs also add cleansing ability. Just add some eos to a bottle of liquid soap and observe the difference in bubbles, lather, & cleaning ability before and after.

Thank you Irena. Where can I get that info for myself on max usage rates for EOs in CP soap please? Doesn't CP soap require more EOs than M&P soap?

There is no need to add anything at trace. Lye at trace is still very active and it will take whatever it wants. There is no guarantee that any particular oil or butter will end up as a superfat. There is a better chance with using unrefined shea butter, as unrefined has more unsaponifiables. The rest of it will still saponify. I add everything right up front and let the lye take whatever it wants.

You DON'T use much more essential oils EuropaPress. Adding more essential oils then is recommended can make the soap irritating. If you want an essential oil to stay in CP soap, use an anchor like Vetiver, Litsea or Patchouli. Some, like orange oil do fade in soap no matter if you add the maximum safe %.

BrambleBerry has a fragrance calculator for some essential oils. Others, you will need to research each one. Always go by the actual weight or at least ml's. Teaspoons and tablespoons are not accurate.
CP soap does not require more EOs than M&P soap.

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