Natural scent?

[ilovedoxies]

I am new to the world of soap making but I am hoping to find ingredients that I can scent my soap with naturally.

I live in an area where it is very difficult to find things for soap making. Palm oil dose not exist and coconut & olive oil is very expensive. So I've settled on a simple lard, lye, and water recipe.

I've had to order scent online. I'm not happy about not being able to smell it before I buy and with shipping and everything, it can get very expensive.

Are there any spices, herbs, or other products that I can add at trace that will make my soap smell good?

I tried a recipe that called for baker's chocolate and it said it would smell. It didn't. Perhaps I should have put it in at trace instead of with my oils like it said?

 

[Martin]

Are you close to a Walmart? That is where I get my Olive oil and Coconut oil.

Sonja

 

[ilovedoxies]

Yes, I do live near a walmarat. I found the olive oil, but couldn't locate any palm or coconut oil.

Are the palm and coconut oils really necessary?

Can I use just plain veggie oil?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

You can use about any mixture of oils that are available at wally world. To name a few, you can use corn, liquid and solid soybean (crisco and liquid veg.), lard, canola, sunflower, and sunflower. As for fragrances, you might want to visit your local farmers market and see if somebody makes essential oils locally. Somebody near me makes Lavender EO and it is dreamy. You could also invest in (or build) an essential oil still and harvest herbs growing in the wild like, chamomile and sassafrass.

 

[Tabitha]

Essential oil are all natural. You can buy them online or at healthfood stores. They are the most common way people scent their soap naturally.

 

[Lisa]

Ginger and basil work well in cp, maybe experiment with different herbs and flowers.

Blessings

 

[Birdie]

You would probably be better off getting your EOs from a reputable online supplier than at a healthfood store. And trying to distill them your self would be costly not to say time-consuming.
There are very few botanicals that will lend a scent to soaps and none that will be as strong as you'd like.

You may want You might want to start here to find suppliers near you: Supply Index

And any questions you have about soapmaking, or supplies & suppliers, ask away1 That's why we are all here. :wink:

 

[digit]

Some suppliers offer sniffies or 1oz samples. Sign up for their mailing lists for notifications of sales and specials which can be helpful to the pocketbook. Keep a wish list handy. Some vendors offer flat rates for only FO or EO orders. Keep an eye out for members having a garage sale. Birdie is right......I can order good quality EO's and have it shipped for a lot less than buying it locally.

Also look around for other soapmakers in your area. Maybe you can share orders and shipping. Especially if you do not order bulk or just want a few small items.

Unfortunately, shipping costs have increased dramatically. I look at where the vendor is located and shipping costs before I order. Some vendors start shipping at $8-9 no matter how small the order is, and others calculate exact shipping. Sometimes it is better for me to pay a bit higher price (same quality) for an item when I already have a larger order at one vendor.

Digit

 

[ilovedoxies]

Shipping is getting ridiculuous. I ordered 2 bottles of FO from brambleberry and paid almost as much for shipping as I did for my items.

I would like to try the ginger. How much? I have a nice 2 lb recipe that I like.

 

[doolittle]

Does your wal-mart have a pharmacy? The reason I'm asking is, I just made a trip to the area Wal-mart. And noticed that the pharmacy had coconut oil in it. I ask about Wal-marts that don't carry it. They said they can order it for those customers that want it. However, I have to warn you it is alot more expensive then what you find in the grocery section. Next time you go in there you might see if they will start ordering it (grocery section). As for palm oil I have had no luck finding it either. If you have a allidis close check there for your olive oil.

Kathy

 

[lathermaker]

If you have a Health Food store around they have palm oil that is marketed as Margarine. I believe it is the "Spectrum" brand in about a 2# tub.