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Oh, these are fantastic Mr Harris, color me impressed!! And a big batch it was too. They look delishious, like good enough to eat, almost like chocolate fudge vanilla ripple...mmmm. (Sorry, I am a bit peckish right nowšŸ˜)

I love the color scheme, and the white that breaks up the tan and brown. I wish I could smell them!
 
The scent is an FO - Frankincense and Myrrh. The soap mellows the smell wonderfully. I think it will be a real winner. The FO discolors to a medium tan and I was attempting to work with that. I just hope the swirls don't get swallowed up in the discolor.

That is the one thing about soapmaking that can be a bit boring, the fact that only time will tell šŸ˜“

But at least you will get to know how things will work out if/when you do it again, and you can increase the white a bit or not add any fragrance to the white to keep some contrasting swirls.
 
That is the one thing about soapmaking that can be a bit boring, the fact that only time will tell šŸ˜“

But at least you will get to know how things will work out if/when you do it again, and you can increase the white a bit or not add any fragrance to the white to keep some contrasting swirls.
Unfortunately, what I learned from using this FO is limited. I've used up my stash of it and the supplier went out of business. But I can, as you say, use more white or not scent the accent color(s).
The FO was Frankincense and Myrrh from Missy's Candles. Smells great! Too bad she went out of business. I do have a FO bottle of Three Wiseman staring at me (from Candora - a Canadian supplier). I have no idea how it will behave and I HATE to do experiments! I should use that one pretty soon since Christmas is around the corner. It has a small amount of vanillin in it.
 
Unfortunately, what I learned from using this FO is limited. I've used up my stash of it and the supplier went out of business. But I can, as you say, use more white or not scent the accent color(s).
The FO was Frankincense and Myrrh from Missy's Candles. Smells great! Too bad she went out of business. I do have a FO bottle of Three Wiseman staring at me (from Candora - a Canadian supplier). I have no idea how it will behave and I HATE to do experiments! I should use that one pretty soon since Christmas is around the corner. It has a small amount of vanillin in it.

Ah, I see! Too bad, it is so typical when finding things we like and it just disappears!

I went to their site and downloaded the SDS. It contains 3% vanillin, so it will be somewhat darker. Just plan your colors accordingly.

Also, according to the SDS it contains a few things that may accelerate trace, (terpenes, cinnamal and one other thing I can`t remember right now, a long winded chemical name)
But even so it may also perform just fine without issues! It depends on the composition of the fragrance elements. Just keep it in the back of your head and work effectively and I think you will be fine!

Without knowing this fragrance I would perhaps get the batter to a stable emulsion, (not light or medium trace), then divide the batter, color it and add the fragrance in each segment after the color. If it misbehaves then you have at least bought yourself a littlebit of extra time, but you can also use it to your advantage (i.e make a layered soap instead of a swirled one).

Now, I know you said you don`t like experiments, but this one will take just a minute to do! (No, seriously, I promise!)

If you are going to make soap again one of these days, with a fragrance you already know and have worked with before, then you could make the batter to that regular soap as per usual, but before you add the fragrance you are going to use - just sacrifice a littlebit of the batter (enough for a bar, 100 grams) and put it in a plastic cup. Then just add some of the Three Wise Men fragrance (5%, depending on how strong you ususally make your soaps), stir and see how it behaves. No need to make a separate batter to find out! (I told you, easy peasy!)

Just let it set up in the plastic cup, it doesn`t have to look pretty, it is just to help you figure out the personality of the fragrance. That way you can at least get an idea if it is a fast tracer, curdles, seizer, or whatever, and if it will discolor a lot or less, depending on things.
You will have time to do that test if you want to make soaps that are ready before christmas if you do it soon.

It may save you some grief and hairpulling experiences if you try it, perhaps you find that want to keep the design simpler if it turns out to be difficult to work with. But then you would at least know.

(Eeep, sorry for the ramble!)
 
@Bubble Agent Thanks so much for your extended response! It is much appreciated!
Unfortunately, though I have tons of EOs and FO's, they are all strangers to me. Despite years of circumscribed soapmaking, I just recently started taking notes. (Yes, I know. I know!) And it is a long time between repeat batches cuz I make 30 to 40 bars at a time. I will try that 100 gram suggestion though. That sounds doable - or easy-peasy.
And at the risk of being severely chastised, uhm .. what is the SDS?
 
You are most welcome!

Taking notes is really good, so that will help you along the way. And the more you soap and read the more you will learn about the different fragrances and essential oils you have. Soon it will become second nature to you. As long as you keep within safe usage rates in fragrances/essential oils you`ll be fine. When in doubt just ask, and there will always be someone to guide you.

Also, researching essential oils and properties is also useful. Tisserand is one of the world leading in knowledge of essential oils, so when you come across advice and information by him you can be sure he know what he is talking about.

No chastising from me, lol, no worries!
SDS (sometimes also referred to as MSDS) is an abbreviation for a type of document called a Safety Data Sheet (MSDS means Material Safety Data Sheet)

It is a type of document that follows a chemical, (reputable sources will always provide a SDS for their customers, either with a download link (like Candora) or sent by email when requested.)

A SDS will list ingredients, allergens, cautions and other types of information that the buyer needs to know. For fragrance oils it also list allowed usage rates for different products (since fragrance/essential oils is not just added to soaps, but also to other things, like balms, creams, sprays, and many other things.)

When I got my soaps assessed for sale I had to provide the assessor the SDS for my fragrance oils, etc, so I could prove that the fragrance was according to the rules per EU regulations. There are certain ingredients that are banned, so the SDS will show if a banned ingredient is present in the oil. Banned in the EU does not mean banned in Canada for instance. But at least you will get valuable info from a SDS.
 

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