Teach Soap

I've written a couple of threads regarding my displeasure with BB's orange & orange-related EO's & FO's and how they disappear in CP soap in a matter of days once the soap hits the curing racks. Everything from the Mandarin to the Orange X 10 (x 10 what?). In a matter of days, the scent is gone and I was using 2 to 3 times the amount of the orange than my other FO's & EO's. I understand that mixing other scents will hold the orange. But I don't want to mix with Plumeria or Burgamot......I want just straight orange.

Due to some problems, I've started purchasing my EO's & FO's elsewhere. No disrespect to BB because they are a great company. I just think they need to do some adjustments before regaining my trust again if they want my business.

The place where I've been purchasing my EO's & FO's suggested the use of Benzoin to stabilize the orange. I purchased and tried some of this and it seems to work. Unfortunately, the company didn't know usage rates and I may have been a little overzealous in my applications. So far it seems to be working as I have a batch of Orange EO from "Company X" mixed with some Benzoin that has been on the curing rack for 2 weeks and it still smells like a freshly cut orange.

Has anybody else here experimented with using Benzoin and if so, could you recommend a usage rate for CP?

Thanks and go Bears.

Benzoin is a known sensitizer, so I don't use it in soap. If you wanted for the orange EO to stay and still smell like orange you could have used litsea which also smells citrusy. Lots of places sell orange EO; that doesn't mean then one or another will stay better in soap by itself. I'm sorry you had problems. Did you ask this question on the forum before you made the soap? Sounds like you aren't familiar with orange oil in soap.

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

Soapbuddy. Do you mean a photosynthetic? Makes you more sensitive to sunlight or other elements.

You are correct. I don't have much experience or knowledge using FO's & EO's. I posted a thread "Where did the orange go" many months ago and was told by other soapers and even BB staff that to get orange to "hold" in CP soap, I had to blend it with something else. What was recommended to me as blending FO's & EO's were: Burgamot, Mint, and Plumeria. This is the first I've heard of Litsea. But you can be certain that I'm going to purchase some. Could you please recommend a usage rate and ratio? Thanks and go Bears.

Thanks for your note.

I'm so sorry that you're not liking the Orange 10X. I'm incredibly impressed with it, having been a CP soaper for over 17 years and never having anything hold up (ever!) in CP soap that was a citrus Essential Oil. Citrus Essential Oils are notoriously unreliable and cannot hold up to the difficult environment in CP soap. That lye and the high pH it causes kills citruses every time.

Energy Fragrance Oil is a great option for that but if you're trying to stay all natural, the Orange 10X is the way to go. The Orange 10X means it's literally been re-distilled 10X to get all the volatile components to flash off (or steam off), making it a more concentrated essential oil that in my experience, holds up great in CP soap. In fact, I like it so much that I'm using it an upcoming SoapQueen.TV episode for CP Soapmaking.

I agree; I wouldn't use Benzoin powderr. A, it doesn't work (based on my experience) and B., it is a known sensitizer meaning it will slowly cause the user to become allergic to it over time.

One trick with blending citruses - use Lemongrass EO or Litsea EO. They are fantastic for citrus base notes and really do help to anchor.

We are sorry to lose you are a customer. I can say with confidence that any Orange EO you get elsewhere will perform the same in your soap as ours does. We import directly from farms. We don't cut oils with anything. So, as long as it's an apples to apples comparison, our Orange and Citrus EOs will perform the same as another vendors.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. I'm always happy to help.

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Bramble Berry Customer Service
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www.brambleberry.com
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Try blending 5 parts of orange to 1 part of litsea. So for a lb. of oils/butters you would need 0.8 oz. of orange to 0.2 ozs. of litsea. I haven't tried a combo with lemongrass, but that sounds like a good one too. Good luck on your next batch.

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

Thanks soapbuddy I'll try it with the next batch. It's just been incredibly frustrating trying to get a decent orange and having to shred an entire batch or sell as "unscented". BTW....the benzoin is a liquid not a powder. And sorry about the Bears comments. I get a little jumpy this time of year especially when they make it this far.

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

What about adding another citrus scent with it like lemon? I read in a soap making book that if you add flowers, fruits, etc. to your CP soap it helps hold in the scent. Maybe some orange peels or powdered orange peel would help? I can't say for sure because I haven't tried it yet, but might be worth a try.

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

Thanks it is nice to know because I planned on making some orange too, didn't know there was an issue with it until I read this. Thanks for all your tips Soap Buddy.

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

I'm actually surprised the BB Orange 10x didn't hold for you. We use it for one of our most popular soaps with no other additives and I have a bar thats a year old and still holding. To get it to really stick we had to use 1oz pp of oils. But it's still there fresh and orangey. Since this one is also non photo-sensitizing we're currently testing it for lotion, it's so fresh and cheery! Wholesales supplies plus has a Orange EO 15x that in a jam we had to try, I don't know why but it smelled different, but you could give that a whirl.

I must say I was leery of trying to make an orange soap ( for my kid in florida who wanted some) after trying another orange EO ( which faded very quickly). I got the 10x orange FO an added a little patchouli, some ground orange peel and oatmeal . I made it 7 months ago. I've got the last bar in my bathroom right now and use it every morning. It still smells wonderful. Im sure I used it at a little over 1/2 oz per lb. plus a dab of patchouli.

sorry the 10x orange is EO not FO.

Thanks LindaWise, that's good to know. I'll try the orange x10 again. Perhaps I just didn't add enough the first time around. I've mixed orange with patchouli, spearmint, and bergamot before with good results. If you want to try something that's been a good seller for me, try orange-plumeria about a 5:3 ratio. It's awesome. Hawaiian with a kick of citrus.