stronger scented soap

I have made a couple of batches of soap and both were okay but I am looking for a stronger scent (rosemary/mint). I followed the directions - called for Clary Sage, Rosemary and Peppermint. Is there a special formula as to how much scent you can add to each batch? I used essential oils and I am sure some are more potent than others. Any help would be gratefully appreciated!

Where did you get the directions you followed for this mix? Did you google EO usage rages in cold process soap? Here's a decent usage rate calculator: http://www.eocalc.com/enter-your-own-blend/

I don't tend to use much EO in my soap as I prefer fragrance oils, but I used this site to determine percentages per pound of oil the few times I have.

Hi..thanks for the quick reply. It was a recipe I found online. Are fragrance oils stronger scented than EOs?

Besides just using a calculator as a general guide you will also need to follow IFRA guidelines. Some EO's and FO's are only safe at a certain percentage and the IFRA will tell you what that % is for each scent you use. Some suppliers will have this information, some will not. For the ones that don't, you can call the supplier and ask for the MSDS sheet and they should have that readily available.

How big were your batches, and how much EO blend did you add, and what is the blend's ratios?

stronger scent soap

The recipe called for 24 oz olive oil, 14 oz coconut oil, 6 oz castor oil, 16 oz distilled water, 6.2 oz lye, 0.8 oz peppermit EO, 0.8 oz Rosemary EO, 0.4 oz Sage EO...the quality of the soap is great - creamy and lathers well - but if possible I would like to have more scent if possible...maybe it is not possible...

Thanks for everybody's help on this. I am just starting out and am primarily making soap just for us but who knows where this might lead- I really enjoy the process of making the soap!

thesunflowercupboard said:

Hi..thanks for the quick reply. It was a recipe I found online. Are fragrance oils stronger scented than EOs?

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It depends.

EO vs FO is not really about strength - it's about safety. EOs have properties that can be beneficial but they can be over used. For example, mint EOs can have a cooling effect - but too much can irritate the skin. A mint FO won't have that cooling feeling.

I think almost all of us here us mint EOs vs FOs in soap, etc. Mint is similar in cost to mint FOs, it is safe, it behaves well in soap, the scent is strong and the scent sticks well.

OTOH, many of us don't use citrus EOs in leave-on products, because they can cause photosensitivity. Meaning that if you use orange EO in lip balm, the user could get a bad sunburn on their lips.

ETA: Ran it through Brambleberry's fragrance calculator - 60 oz (oils + water). Rosemary, Clary Sage and Mint had the same rates - 1.5 oz (light), 2.55 oz (medium), 3 oz (heavy). Your blend was a total of 2 oz, so you are in the light-medium range. So you could increase the amount.

There are some other steps you can take - if you hot process your soap, then there is less active lye in the soap batter to gobble your fragrance. You can also soap cooler and not gel - heat can burn off some of the components.

dixiedragon said:

For example, mint EOs can have a cooling effect - but too much can irritate the skin. A mint FO won't have that cooling feeling.

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Perhaps other mint FO's lack that cooling effect, but not so with WSP's Peppermint Stick FO, that's for sure. It cools so much that my hubby and son have taken to calling my soap made with it my 'evil' soap because of the cool, tingling sensation it causes them 'down there'. My ex-BIL, on the other hand, loved the cool tingles from it and often requested soap made with it before he became estranged from the family. I can feel the cooling effect of the FO, too, but find it quite refreshing to use on a hot summer's day.


IrishLass