The soap gods are jerking my chain....again.....

[My Mountain Soaps]

So i made a 5lb batch of oatmeal soap, i used .5 ounces of cypress eo and .5 oz of juniper eo, they smelled great together when i placed them side by side and smelled them.
Last i cut the soap, and my 4 month old walker hound was at my feet at the time. I smelled a horrible smell, and was about to make the dog leave, thinking that he cut a dusty. WRONG- it was my soap. It smelled like three day old dead shrimp.
I smelled it again today, and i can smell the cypress coming through more, and the dead shrimp smell is going away. I hope it continues to go away, or i may get to try my first re-batch. Which, i have to say, is awesome that i have been soaping for four years, and this may be my first re-batch. Either that, or i can market this soap to cat owners- maybe i can hoodwink them into thinking that it would be easier to give your cat a bath with shrimp smelling soap.
for those of you who may be interested (And want to re-create this wonderful smell ha ha), here is the recipe:
50% deer tallow
25% coconut oil
20% palm oil
5% beeswax
.5 oz cypress eo
.5 juniper eo.
i just had a thought, it is the deer that may have interacted with the oils to create that smell. And i wanted to create an outdoorsy smell, i sure got one!!!

 

[Dennis]

Deer tallow explains why the Walker was hanging around. Did he (she?) run the deer the tallow came from? Ah, Walker hounds. Good dogs.

 

[Obsidian]

Give it a few days, see if the scent changes. I had once batch that smelled like ammonia and vomit, that went away after a few days and the nice scent came back.

 

[judymoody]

No milk in the soap? That can smell off in recently cut soap.

I suspect the tallow. I have soaped with elk tallow and I could detect the odor underneath the EOs. It faded over time but never completely went away.

Also, I would use more EO. For 5 lbs of soap, I'd use 2-2.5 ounces. With only 1 ounce of scent, it will be harder to cover up the off odor.

 

[paillo]

I agree with judymoody about the small quantity of EO. I like mine rather strongly scented, so tend to go with .7 to 1 oz. PPO depending on whether it is a 'sticker' or not. And yeah, give it a few days or weeks, it may mellow out and smell lovely in the end.

 

[My Mountain Soaps]

Deer tallow explains why the Walker was hanging around. Did he (she?) run the deer the tallow came from? Ah, Walker hounds. Good dogs.

Ha ha, no he did not run the deer. That is illegal here in colorado, and besides we have him specifically for rabbits. My husband does falconry, and needs a rabbit dog. So we got him. This is my first hound, he is 4 months old, and i have fallen in love with the breed. They are so calm!!! even as a puppy he is the easiest puppy we have ever had. and i have had dogs all my life! He is a drastic change from the high drive dogs we also have, a lab and a jack russel.

Judymoody, no i didnt use milk in this one. The two or three times i have used milk in other recipes it was a disaster, so i have to learn a bit more about using milk.
thanks for the input everyone!

 

[kazmi]

A lab and jack russell - yikes! Together??!! Just the terrier would be a handful. I bet the two keep you on your toes LOL

 

[My Mountain Soaps]

Oh you have no idea. ha ha. We competed with the lab in hunt tests, and the jack russel is the side show. Now add a hound....... oh my No wonder the cat is in such a bad mood.....

 

[My Mountain Soaps]

Well it is now two days later and the dead shrimp smell has gone away. The juniper and cypress have come out, although it does smell a bit bitter. I am sure it will continue to settle smell wise. Other wise the soap looks great!