Where did my scent go?

[Jencat]

This is the recipe I used for my first soap:

Total oil weight 4
Water as percent of oil weight 38 %
Super Fat/Discount 5 %
Lye Concentration 27.547 %
Water : Lye Ratio 2.63:1
Ingredient Pounds Ounces Grams
Water 1.52 24.32 689.46
Lye - NaOH 0.578 9.247 262.142
# √ Oil/Fat % Pounds Ounces Grams
1 Palm Oil 30 1.2 19.2 544.31
2 Coconut Oil, 76 deg 30 1.2 19.2 544.31
3 Olive Oil 30 1.2 19.2 544.31
4 Almond Oil, sweet 10 0.4 6.4 181.437
Totals 100 4 64 1814.368
Sat : Unsat Ratio 47 : 53
Iodine 54
INS 162
Fragrance Ratio 1.44
Fragrance Weight 5.76 Oz

I used 2.88 oz of Lavender EO and 2.88 oz of Lemongrass EO (both from ED). The soap barely has any scent now. It feels great though, so I want to try the recipe again. Any suggestions on where I went wrong with the scent?

 

[Paintguru]

You are actually really high on the EO (I calculated you at 9% of your oils, which is over the typically recommended 3%...granted you are using Lavender though). You should be super potent.

 

[Jencat]

I used the Brambleberry Fragrance Calculator http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx and it said to use 2.88 oz for medium scent for 4 lbs of soap. Or is it supposed to be 2.88 oz if that is the only EO I'm using?

 

[Obsidian]

It should be 2.88 oz total EO, not that much of each.

 

[Jencat]

It should be 2.88 oz total EO, not that much of each.

Thank you! Though now I'm really confused as to what happened to the scent.

 

[kazmi]

How long ago did you make your soap? I find that after curing my EO scent gets much softer but when I use it I can still faintly smell it. Plus I think we become sensitized to the smell so even though it seems that it's not there others can smell it. Also do a search here to read up on what others do to 'anchor' their EO scent.

 

[Jencat]

How long ago did you make your soap? I find that after curing my EO scent gets much softer but when I use it I can still faintly smell it. Plus I think we become sensitized to the smell so even though it seems that it's not there others can smell it. Also do a search here to read up on what others do to 'anchor' their EO scent.

I made it on September 1. Unfortunately my DH can't smell it either. I read some of the threads on anchoring scents so I have some things to try next time. Thanks!

 

[dixiedragon]

Where did you buy your EO? I am wondering if you got a low quality or adulterated EO? Get a few other people to smell it and see what they say. You and your DH may not have a strong sense of smell in general, or you may be a bit "nose blind" to lavender in particular.

 

[judymoody]

I have seen many bad reviews of the EOs sold by ED.

I would find that level of scent overpowering so I suspect it's a quality issue with your EO.

 

[Jencat]

Where did you buy your EO? I am wondering if you got a low quality or adulterated EO? Get a few other people to smell it and see what they say. You and your DH may not have a strong sense of smell in general, or you may be a bit "nose blind" to lavender in particular.

We might have adapted to the scent, so I'll have to ask someone else if they can smell it. I usually have a very strong sense of smell though. DH thinks I'm weird because I can walk into a room and smell things like sliced cucumbers and can smell rice cooking from several rooms away.

 

[Jencat]

I have seen many bad reviews of the EOs sold by ED.

I would find that level of scent overpowering so I suspect it's a quality issue with your EO.

That's what I was afraid of. I had read in one of the threads about ED's lavender EO fading too fast. Luckily the lavender and lemongrass are the only two I purchased from them.