Is Adding Essential Oils Before Cooking in HP Bad?

[TheCleanFighter]

Just wanted to know if anyone else has added essential oils and additives BEFORE a cook.

I usually do a series of small batches and add my essential oils and botanicals at the end, but I have a situation which is making me re-think things in order to keep the ratios uniform.

I have to do a large quantity of soap for a friends bridal shower as a gift on short notice.

I wanted to know if there is any risk or loss of quality in the scent or oils if I add them before I split them into several different crockpots to cook. It's a 12lb batch (18lb w/ water) and I am going to mix and blend in one large stainless pot then pour the contents into several crockpots to cook. They are not of equal size and make so I can't split the soap up several ways and have it be accurate. I could weigh in 3 separate containers and then transfer to the crockpot and more than likely that is what I will do. I was just curious to know if the overall concesus to cooking essential oils is bad.

It's also an oatmeal soap and I typically add fine ground oatmeal at the end before I am ready to mold. Does cooking oatmeal that's finely ground affect things rather than adding it at the end?

I am probably going to mix, weigh and then transfer to keep things even but was just curious on the opinion of cooking essential oils rather than adding them at the end.

 

[shunt2011]

You may cook off some of your scent if you add them before the cook. I only do 1 HP and I add the fragrance after the cook when it's cooled down a bit. As for any other additives you could add them at any time I would think.

 

[TheCleanFighter]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking the same thing. That it would probably only effect the scent a bit. But figured that I'll just ask since this is a forum and someones usually got the answer to what you're looking for.

 

[LunaSkye]

Every essential oil has a flash point, which is the maximum degree point you can heat it up before you start to lose all the benefits. The flash point of each EO varies. Patchouli will flash at 200 degrees but bergaptene-free bergamot oil flashes at 58 degrees.

My advice for you is to research the flash point of each EO you plan to use and do a CP soap if any of them flash around 170 degrees or lower.

 

[Obsidian]

I wouldn't do it, some of the scent will cook off and it would be a waste of EO. Not sure what cooking oatmeal will do, I'd probably save it for the end too.
Does it have to be HP? Would it be easier to do CP? Doing HP only speeds up the soaps readiness by a couple days, it still needs to cure just like CP does.

 

[TheCleanFighter]

Thanks. Here's a cool quick-reference chart by wholesalesuppliesplus.

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/pdfs/essentialoilchart.pdf

 

[TheCleanFighter]

I wouldn't do it, some of the scent will cook off and it would be a waste of EO. Not sure what cooking oatmeal will do, I'd probably save it for the end too.
Does it have to be HP? Would it be easier to do CP? Doing HP only speeds up the soaps readiness by a couple days, it still needs to cure just like CP does.

Can't do CP. It's for a Bridal shower that is this weekend. It's for my best friends, wifes, sister. So in order to make it packable and usable, it's gotta be HP.

I'm gonna weigh each quantity separately and then transfer and already have the additives portioned. Was just curious to know what everyones take on it is and it is pretty much what I thought it would be.

 

[Hazel]

Every essential oil has a flash point, which is the maximum degree point you can heat it up before you start to lose all the benefits..

Flash point is just the lowest temperature an oil can vaporize and become ignitable by a spark. Flash point is important for suppliers to know for shipping. However, you do want the soap to cool a bit before adding EOs and even FOs.

 

[LunaSkye]

Flash point is just the lowest temperature an oil can vaporize and become ignitable by a spark. Flash point is important for suppliers to know for shipping. However, you do want the soap to cool a bit before adding EOs and even FOs.

The lowest point before it vaporizes? Thank you for the correction because I do remember having some citrus EOs that evaporated before finished. *^_^ Sorry for the misinformation on my part (grateful to learn or relearn).

 

[Hazel]

You're welcome. Don't worry about it because people also have to correct me. I've been known to post incorrect info. Also, I was confused by flash point when I first started and it had to be explained to me. But it was good that you pointed out how heat can be destructive to EOs. I don't use them a lot in CP just because of how hot soap gets during the gel phase and the causticity of lye.