Teach Soap

Good day,
I have made some lovely soaps, but find that they never smell strongly enough. I use Lavender Essential Oil, and Fragrances of Patchouli, Ylang-Ylang, Rose Geranium amongst others.
What quantity should I put into a batch of 2 lbs. i.e. 32 ozs. of base oils?
Do I need orris root to keep the fragrance in the soap for longer?
Please let me know which fragrance is the most popular in CP soap and which to avoid in CP soaps? I have read tht there are some which reacts badly to CP soap. Please advise.
Regards
carolann

I've always read one ounce of fragrance per pound of oils in cp...and .5 to .75 oz in hp...I use 1/2 oz per pound in my hp and the scents hold up...well the 4 months I've been making soap

I use 1/2 an oz. per lb. depending on which FO or EO Im useing and go up and down from there. Lavender, Almond and Juniper Sage for example are really strong FOs and I'll back off as much as a 25% on them. On the other hand Vanilla Select, Patchouli and Oatmeal I've upped about 25%. Im trying to find a good balance but the fragrance oils are not all the same strength. IMHO. By the way I've gotten them all from the same place. BB . so they aren't watered down or out of code (date)

Hello Linda,
Thanks for that. I will be more careful measuring amounts exactly in future.
I am from South Africa and order directly from Bramble Berry. Holly is always so helpful, just wish the postage was not so much.
I am hoping the fragrance will be more pronounced once the 6 weeks curing has past. I am still learning as I go along. Trial and error is the best way.
Kind regards
Carol-Ann

Carolanne -

I also order BB fragrance oils and here is some that I have learned from:

In my opinion these need more than .7oz: Pink Grapefruit, Pearberry(tempermental in cp soap)

I put 2.5oz of these FOs in 41oz of oils and it was too much for me: Ocean Rain, (Matcha tea, I thought I would like this one, but guess I'm not a tea smelling person), Spellbound Woods (this fragrance turns Brown, not tan, not dark tan, but brown, lol), Moonlight Pomegranate

in 41oz of Oils, I put 1.7oz of peppermint & .7oz of rosemary. It has a nice smell after 3 weeks of cpop. I think I will try spearmint next time with the rosemary.

Wasabi at .7oz, Blackberry/sage .7oz, Lavender bouquet .7oz, Ginger/Lime .7oz, Pumpkin Spice .7oz.

Spring Fling will knock your socks off at .7oz, very perfumy smelling to me, I'm hoping my niece will take those bars, lol

It really all depends on the scent. Citrusy ones you may find you need more of...piney ones you might need less of...if you use essential oils you need less (usually). It's all part of the grand experiment...and what you like, and who is using your soap. Someone may prefer things with light scent, some may prefer heavy. I've found that getting scent from quality distributors helps with the amount that you need to use. Get what you pay for kinda thing....

Yes, just stating what I have learned from some of the fragrance oils that I have used. Taking into consideration that this is my experience with them, not necessarily someone else's.

I usually go by the following rule of thumb for CP: 0.5 oz/pound for fragrance oils and 0.7oz/pound for essential oils. As everyone else has said, personal experience will tell you whether you need to adjust up or down from there to suit your taste (or smell )

_________________
Kim

Hi Carolann,

I have had some of the same frustrations with those very EOs you mention. I just love the fragrance, but find it's hard to capture it fully in soap. I have had more luck following the guidelines that kbn mentions and in soaping at cooler temps, and even using the freezer rather than have the soap overheat and drive off the scent. Often for a few days the scent is pretty faint, but tends to develop and bounce back within a week or so. Also, I visit this site for ideas on amounts and combinations that seems to help. I'm no expert, just wanted to share my experience to date, as I also try to capture those wonderful scents. Good luck.

Some fragrances need to go as high as 1 oz. PPO. If you don't gel, there is a better chance that the scent will stick.

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

Dear Carolann, If you smoke you won't be able to smell fragrences as well as someone who dosen't. Just FYI................
And Im not trying to pick on smokers.

Hello Linda,
Ha ha!! Fortunately I don't smoke, but I know what you mean. Smokers can never smell anything and are always congested.
My only vice is making soap and enjoying a bit of red wine.
Thanks for your advice - I have obviously not been putting enough fragrance and essential oils into my soap. Maybe trying to penny pinch a bit?

Kind regards
Carol-Ann

Dear Carolann, If you like Wine you might want to try BB Berry Wine. It's up in my top 10 best sellers.

Hello Linda,
I think I will stick to the Roses and floral fragrances - does Red Wine really sell nice?

Please help me with the following - I have a Cucumber Soap recipe which says blend the whole cucumber flesh, seeds and skin and all and pour that into the soap at trace. What sort of shelf life will this soap have with something that can rot in it? Surely it should be strained?

Secondly, infused paprika and Tumeric natural colour in Sunflower oil - how much can I put in before the soap is too oily - I made soap and the colour was not dark enough, so I added more and more until it was darker - the soap is beautiful, but just a bit oily so that you can notice it.
Will it dry out over the next 6 weeks?

I look forward to your reply. Carol-Ann

_________________
http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com