Teach Soap

I'm about to make melt and pour soap in larger quantities than I used to, and I'm not going to be using the drop-by-drop method of mixing fragrance blends anymore, instead using weight and percentages. Does anyone make up a batch of a blend (X parts of this, Y parts of that) and store it in a brown glass bottle to meld or do you make it on the fly in the soap? Is it worth the extra effort, or is it largely a matter of convenience? It just seems easier to weigh .25 oz of Summer Rain already made than it would be to figure out what 4 parts of .25 ounces would be, especially since my scale is a little fuzzy on increments of less than .05 of an ounce.

I save my empty brown FO bottles, and I clean them with the salt n shake method on the Teach Soap site until no scent remains. I would like to put these to good use as an added bonus.

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Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen
www.etsy.com/shop/AngieLady
Sunshine Bath & Body

I reuse my amber glass bottles for custom blends. I prefer to make them ahead of time, so all the components have had a time to marry and blend.

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

_________________
Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen
www.etsy.com/shop/AngieLady
Sunshine Bath & Body

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

I have a whole drawer of my own blends, and yes, I find it MUCH easier than making small batches for lotions, soaps or whatever. I think you get a more consistent blend when you mix the larger quantity too, I find it is easier to mess up a tiny amount. So blend away!

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

Tammy

@Soapbuddy: True that! Last time I spilled EO, it was spearmint, so my kitchen smelled like chewing gum for weeks. That was pretty nice, actually.

@LavenderLady I was noticing that my soaps from batch to batch weren't consistently scented, and/or the scent profile would morph over time. I'm hoping pre-blending will help fix both issues. I'm making soap to sell now, and I'd like to be as consistent as possible considering it's a handmade product.

_________________
Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen
www.etsy.com/shop/AngieLady
Sunshine Bath & Body

Angie, When I began selling all those years ago I had to standardize my blends, and since I had been really huge on just "nosing" it, this took some work. On more than one occasion I would have a great blend, only to realize that I had gotten carried away with myself and had forgotten to write down exactly what I was doing in one or more steps. I was rather like a mad scientist and would get so focused on the scent creation, that I would add a jig of this and some drops of that without bothering to take a note! I finally got a tape recorder and talked through it, then transcribed later, because I just couldn't help myself when I got in the zone!

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

Tammy

_________________
Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen
www.etsy.com/shop/AngieLady
Sunshine Bath & Body

For blending I use q-tips and small glass jar with a lid. If you have any baby food jars that would work.

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

_________________
Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen
www.etsy.com/shop/AngieLady
Sunshine Bath & Body

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