neem oil

[nonna oakie]

I am going to try a neem soap. I understand the odor is garlic-like. What fragrance is going to be o.k.?
Or should you even put a fragrance?

 

[DeeAnna]

There are many threads about this topic. Here are some search results using Google: https://www.google.com/search?q=nee...orum.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

I started this thread -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/karanja-oil-vs-neem-oil.64102/ -- and some posters told me the smell mellows out a lot over time. After making my first batch of neem soap, I agree.

Here's another recent thread that I thought was especially helpful -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/neem-oil.69716/page-3#post-711398

 

[cmzaha]

Tea Tree, Lemongrass and Litsea work well with neem soap

 

[nonna oakie]

Thank you soo much for the info. I did not know where to find info on neem. I am only
going to use 4% of neem in my soap, so maybe that is just "barely" neem use. Just got it from Bramble Berry. Hope it is going to be o.k.

 

[steffamarie]

I used it at 2% and it has a pretty noticeable odor. It is fading a couple weeks into the cure, and I'm hopeful that it will continue to do so, but for the time being it's not something I'm ready to use on my body lol

 

[cmzaha]

I use neem at 20% in soap

 

[Candybee]

I use neem at 15% in my neem oil soaps and the scent never goes away. I find it has a natural earthy garlic scent. I use tea tree and lavender but more as part of the formulation for a healing soap rather than to "scent". Even at 15% the natural odor of the neem still comes through and you can't mask it. But I don't try as what I am striving for is more about soap quality and that is what my customers want in a neem soap. If you really want the benefits of the neem to come through you need at least 15-25% in your recipe to help your skin noticeably improve. So I just learned to embrace the natural odor and so do my customers. Some people actually like the scent. It does mellow a bit after the cure but the higher the % the stronger the odor. EO's I use do help a little too but the natural odor is still there.

 

[DeeAnna]

I made an 85% neem soap earlier this year. The neem scent has softened a lot in the 8 months since I made it. It never was horridly horrible, but it's certainly mellowed with time. I suspect neem soap is a lot like pine tar soap -- once you use any amount of neem or pine tar, the soap is going to have that distinctive odor. The old saying comes to mind: "In for a penny, in for a pound!"