Adding Fragrance Oils to CP soap

[Candace Stutson]

Hello,
I am an experienced CP soap maker, but just began using FOs rather than EOs in my soaps. I am finding they accelerate way too fast OR discolor my soap a great deal. I saw one little thing somewhere where they advised to hand stir FOs, rather than stick blend. I have also read that adding the FOs to the oil mixture before the lye water helps reduce acceleration. Any ideas? I have made about 4 disappointing batches so far and I am getting frustrated. Maybe I should just stick with EOs?
Thank you for any wisdom you have...
Candace

 

[Arimara]

Where are you getting your FO's from?

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Hello Candace Welcome .
Most Company's that sale FO will tell you how they behave in CP' & always check the reviews for additional info on a particular FO. I like using both FO / EO in my CP soap. FO cost much less' & usually last longer depending what you use. Happy Soaping

 

[lsg]

I agree with Peach Clean, always read reviews for FOs before ordering.

 

[Candace Stutson]

Where are you getting your FO's from?

I got them from Aztec...
Stick with Brambleberry, tried and true???

 

[Arimara]

I got them from Aztec...
Stick with Brambleberry, tried and true???

I heard aztec is fine, though I haven't used them. just look at the reviews for the FOs you tried and maybe you can pick up some pointers for them.

 

[math ace]

What kind of fragrances are you drawn to? I've done a lot of testing over the last couple of years and could make some recommendations.

 

[Jersey Girl]

There is so much valuable information on this forum regarding fragrance oils and how they behave in CP soap recipes. Because of my research and advice from experienced Soapers here I have never had a batch of soap seize, although I have had batches accelerate. Florals tend to move fast. Start searching the forum. Research...you will gain much knowledge.

 

[dibbles]

If you haven't found this yet, it can be very helpful SMF Fragrance Oil Review

I don't add FO to my oils unless I am doing a one color soap, or if I know from my own experience that the FO won't accelerate at all. I stir them in at emulsion. Once my batter reaches emulsion I only hand stir. Bramble Berry certainly has many FOs that don't accelerate, but they aren't the only ones. Nurture testing results seem to be pretty accurate, and there are also lots of reviews to go by as well.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Here is a great thread that may help.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/help-need-a-fragrance-suggestions-for-cp-soap.75683/

 

[Pamela Carver]

Hello,
I am an experienced CP soap maker, but just began using FOs rather than EOs in my soaps. I am finding they accelerate way too fast OR discolor my soap a great deal. I saw one little thing somewhere where they advised to hand stir FOs, rather than stick blend. I have also read that adding the FOs to the oil mixture before the lye water helps reduce acceleration. Any ideas? I have made about 4 disappointing batches so far and I am getting frustrated. Maybe I should just stick with EOs?
Thank you for any wisdom you have...
Candace

So much to consider when picking your fragrance oil. Vanilla content will drastically effect the color from tan to dark brown, the higher % the darker. I have added to oils but only if it’s one that behaves...hmmm. Some sites have very good descriptions of color and behavior. If they do not purchasing a small amount to test first works for me. I mostly use EO too though

 

[Candace Stutson]

This is very helpful. I have now researched a bit and found that I probably made multiple mistakes.
(1) water discount (2) unknown floral FO (3) soaping with lye water too hot (4) over stick blending (5) adding a color to the floral FO which also caused acceleration.

Thanks so much for the information!

If you haven't found this yet, it can be very helpful SMF Fragrance Oil Review

I don't add FO to my oils unless I am doing a one color soap, or if I know from my own experience that the FO won't accelerate at all. I stir them in at emulsion. Once my batter reaches emulsion I only hand stir. Bramble Berry certainly has many FOs that don't accelerate, but they aren't the only ones. Nurture testing results seem to be pretty accurate, and there are also lots of reviews to go by as well.

Thank you for everyone's replies. This is very helpful.

I have now researched a bit and found that I probably made multiple mistakes.
(1) water discount (2) unknown floral FO (3) soaping with lye water too hot (4) over stick blending (5) adding a color to the batter, along with floral FO, which also caused acceleration.

Thanks so much for the information!

 

[linne1gi]

Hello,
I am an experienced CP soap maker, but just began using FOs rather than EOs in my soaps. I am finding they accelerate way too fast OR discolor my soap a great deal. I saw one little thing somewhere where they advised to hand stir FOs, rather than stick blend. I have also read that adding the FOs to the oil mixture before the lye water helps reduce acceleration. Any ideas? I have made about 4 disappointing batches so far and I am getting frustrated. Maybe I should just stick with EOs?
Thank you for any wisdom you have...
Candace

Definitely hand stir fragrances in - the less stick blending you do the better. I basically only stick blend for about 5 seconds total. A great supplier for fragrances is Nurture Soap - they test all their fragrances in CP soap and post their testing results - and they are very good about disclosing if the fragrance discolors as well.

 

[user 49910]

Hello,
I am an experienced CP soap maker, but just began using FOs rather than EOs in my soaps. I am finding they accelerate way too fast OR discolor my soap a great deal. I saw one little thing somewhere where they advised to hand stir FOs, rather than stick blend. I have also read that adding the FOs to the oil mixture before the lye water helps reduce acceleration. Any ideas? I have made about 4 disappointing batches so far and I am getting frustrated. Maybe I should just stick with EOs?
Thank you for any wisdom you have...
Candace

I was having issues such as what you've been experiencing too.

So I thought... why not try adding the fragrance oils to the oils prior to adding the lye/water solution? In addition, I have read online that adding a clay such as a white kaolin or bentonite to the recipes helps to "fix" the fragrance oil to the batch and improves scent retention. I use 1-1/2 teaspoons of clay per pound of oils; which is a little on the heavy side since the "recommended" amount of clay is 1 teaspoon per pound of oils.

I have done two batches so far, by adding kaolin clay to my lye/water mixture to help hydrate it, since clay is hygroscopic. I added the fragrance oils to my warmed oils and did a short pulsing of the stick blender to ensure a complete combination of the oils. Then I added my lye/water mixture and blended to a thin trace, about like the consistency of melted ice cream or thin gravy. There was no speed up of trace, and gave me ample time to pour the mixture into my soap loaf molds.

I don't use colorants, except for titanium dioxide, I don't swirl or make multi-colored soaps. I just make them basically plain and simple, which the majority of my customers seem to prefer.

End result is that my two batches came out very well. The scent retention was much better than in the past when I did not use a clay. So from here on out I will be using this process for my cold processed soaps.

 

[cmzaha]

So I thought... why not try adding the fragrance oils to the oils prior to adding the lye/water solution? In addition, I have read online that adding a clay such as a white kaolin or bentonite to the recipes helps to "fix" the fragrance oil to the batch and improves scent retention. I use 1-1/2 teaspoons of clay per pound of oils; which is a little on the heavy side since the "recommended" amount of clay is 1 teaspoon per pound of oils.

Clay does not "fix" fragrance. A fragrance will hold in cp soap or it will not, which is another reason to read the reviews about a fragrance. We all get stuck with fragrances that do not hold at times.

 

[linne1gi]

Clay does not "fix" fragrance. A fragrance will hold in cp soap or it will not, which is another reason to read the reviews about a fragrance. We all get stuck with fragrances that do not hold at times.

Well, in my opinion, it does. Clay will help "hold on to" the fragrance, so when the water evaporates out of the soap, the fragrance will remain. I have done several experiments personally, using kaolin clay and using other materials (arrowroot powder, bentonite clay) to help hold on to the fragrance. I have done soaps with the same fragrance with and without clay. 3 months later the soap with the clay still has a strong scent, but the soap without the clay, has no scent. I can't speak for everyone, but it definitely works for me.