Making soap now and want to add EO

[jkm8113]

Making my first batch of soap on my own, and I have everything mixed and am just waiting for the lye solution to cool down before adding to my oils. If I want to add some EO, can I do that without changing the amount of oils and lye mixture? I presently have

2 oz Castor Oil
8 oz. Coconut Oil
22 oz. Olive Oil
4.41 Sodium Hydrxide
10.56 Water

Basic Bastille soap recipe


Could I add 2-3 ounces of oil to this mixture?

What about color?

Am still learning and have read so much about the littlest thing seems to throw off batches of soap, and I am not sure if this would be one of those or not.

 

[jkm8113]

Well, my lye and oil got to the same temp, and I needed to move on, so I added 2 ozs of Lavender EO, seemed kind of strong, but I like heavy scent. It seemed to trace rather quickly, but that was ok for what I needed. I went ahead and poured it into my little molds and I guess I will find out if I should have added the Lavender or not tomorrow morning. Guess this is how you learn, trial and error.

 

[new12soap]

for 2 lbs of base oil, 2-3 oz of essential oil sounds like a lot to me. it depends on which EO you are using, but I have seen that in general folks use them at around 0.5 oz per pound of oil.

just saw you added 2 oz of lavender, I am sure it will be fine just a very strong fragrance.

and no, you do not calculate fragrance oils or essential oils as base oils, you just add them before you mold. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[jkm8113]

Thanks, yes, I can tell it will be strong, but my smeller isn't that good, so strong is good for me. I appreciate the response.

 

[judymoody]

EO usage rate is generally .5 to 1 ounce PPO. Potential irritants like mint or cinnamon or clove much less. Citrus which tends to fade, up to 1.25 oz PPO. You used 1 oz PPO of lavender which should be fine.

 

[jkm8113]

I have checked the soap and it seems to have hardened already and there doesn't seem to be much heat coming off the molds at all. The first batch of soap I made stayed warm until the next morning and this has only been in the molds for about 6 hours. Do I have a problem with this batch? Does no heat mean that it is ready to take out of the molds?

 

[Hazel]

I'd leave it in the mold until the next day. If you lost too much heat, it's not a problem because it will still saponify. It just might take a little longer for the lye to get used up and you may end up with partial gel. That's not a problem. Just an aesthetic issue. :wink:

 

[jkm8113]

I did leave them overnight and checked them just a little while ago. I had used small tupperware type containers for molds and I did put the lids on before I covered them with towels and a blanket. Some of the containers had small beads of moisture on top but other than that, look fine. I am wondering if I should not have snapped the lids shut, but just placed them over the top of the containers. I did take one that had no moisture out of the container and it looks fine.

 

[Hazel]

Congratulations on your first batch!

Maybe it would have been better not to snap the lids shut but I'm sure it's fine. Curing will take care of excess water. Please let us know what you think of the soap after curing.

 

[jkm8113]

I will report back. :mrgreen: Thanks for your responses and help.