# Bergamont EO--will it fade as easily in soap? Beer layer second question



## aprice522 (Jul 23, 2015)

I am getting ready to do my first beer soap and want to use cedar wood EO and needed a scent to compliment and Bergamot was suggested for a good combo...(and I have it....)

However, I know citrus seems to disappear in soap, but does bergamot as much?

I know know lemongrass doesn't fade and rosemary--would they be possible complimentary scents that I could pair???  Any thoughts?

And since I have you here thinking...doing a beer soap and wanted to try to see if I could use coco powder for a dark color base and then layer on top with the natural color

Would I have time for that?  My beer solution will be less then 50% since I reduced down so much.  I have only done natural soaps and just a few days ago did a beta carotne for orange for the first time and want to try a little fancy  :razz:  (I know, not really fancy, but baby steps...)

I plan on mixing my EOs in the oil base for time saving.
6 castor, 8 shea, 20 CO, 31 OO, 35 lard (freshly rendered last night!!)

This will be my first with this recipe and lard at all, but I think the oils will not speed from what I have learned here...

One thought is to separate the beer in two parts and add it after I have separated and colored already.  Would that work?  Just some thoughts flying through my head...

Thanks in advance!!


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## dibbles (Jul 23, 2015)

I have done a cedar and lemongrass blend, and I quite like the combination. I think it was 2 parts cedar to 1 part lemongrass. I haven't tried using beer yet, so I can't help with that.


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## not_ally (Jul 23, 2015)

I think cedar/lemongrass/bergamot/rosemary would work well together.  All the rosemarys I have used are strong, so I would add that last and slowly to make sure it doesn't take over the blend (generally w/blending I add the weakest scents first, in the greatest amounts, and then proceed in degrees of strength so it is easier to tinker, you can always add, but can't take it out.)   

I wouldn't add the beer after separating for colors, I would add it to the batter, and just take some out for the top/uncolored layer.  I've only made one beer soap, but I used the split method, and it was not at all speedy, I would have had plenty of time to color, I think.  Actually, I guess I did, I used most of the batter for the body of the soap and kept some out to which I added TD (so it looked like foam) and added it to the top and shaped, it went fine.


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 23, 2015)

I've soaped w bergamot before and it does not fade. It actually is great for anchoring other citrus b/c it it citrusy itself. It is one of the few citruses that I find comes through nicely. I made a CP bar 2 weeks ago w bergamot, lime (50:50) and a tiny tiny splash of clove (0.3%) and the main scent is definetly bergamot.


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## aprice522 (Jul 23, 2015)

dibbles said:


> I have done a cedar and lemongrass blend, and I quite like the combination. I think it was 2 parts cedar to 1 part lemongrass. I haven't tried using beer yet, so I can't help with that.




It is done and I am not so patiently waiting for the results!


I went ahead and used your combo and did the beer. 

 I mixed the beer and water and added to oils and only put the oils in the microwave for 30 seconds--so still chunks of shea and I let the lye/beer/water go ahead and do the melting.  

I added the EOs and halved the recipe.  

I mixed the bottom layer with cocoa powder....I just shook some in and it smelled chocolatey....nice color--no clue how much   

I grabbed some used coffee grounds from a few days ago that I had set out to dry and decided to do a pencil line (first decorative soap ever)--Of course I had to google that at the last minute since it was spur of the moment idea.

Poured the remaining batter of light brown (colored only from the beer) on top and gave a little sprinkle of coffee grounds to the top and here it is....

My biggest soaping yet at a grand total of 800g of oil

Please ignore the cheapest loaf pan on amazon and the box I use to support it.  I am just a kitchen hobby junkie and haven't decided to put much money into equipment yet.  Maybe some day--I do want to swirl something soon.







[/url]soaps by Angie price, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## not_ally (Jul 23, 2015)

How exciting, Aprice, I know you can't wait to unmold.  Be patient, if it was me there would be a lot of poking going on


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## aprice522 (Jul 23, 2015)

not_ally said:


> How exciting, Aprice, I know you can't wait to unmold.  Be patient, if it was me there would be a lot of poking going on



Completely why I soap at night when kids go to bed--by the time I could fiddle with it, kids are awake and I have no time to stop and obsess over it till they are in bed again.  about 24 hrs later!!


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## Spice (Jul 24, 2015)

How did your scent come out?:razz:


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## aprice522 (Jul 25, 2015)

Here is the finished product.  I am very happy with the results. I un molded at 24 hrs and cut.  This is my first time actually filling a whole loaf.  I usually make small batches because I want to test out EVERYTHING!!  But to do a layer with color I had to fill the mold!    Glad I did.  I feel I might actually be able to gift these to family and even friends and might be able to do "teacher gifts" mixed with a body butter!  

At first un mold, the scent was overwhelming lemongrass, but now it has morphed into a great mixture.

I am assuming the circle of darkness is partial gel.  I originally put the silicone mold into my cardboard box and put on the shelf, but as I was getting ready for bed...pictures of loaf volcanos kept flashing in my head and I grabbed it off the shelf, set it on the vent blowing AC sometimes...

I really prefer the darkness of the gel area, but was too worried considering my first beer soap.  Does anyone gel their.  I only have the inner pieces with the gel and I didn't freeze....so *would* I have possibly been safe to 1 towel insulate to get a gel but no volcano???

The tools in the picture are from my shopping trip today--dollar tree and the half off goodwill sale!



IMG_2025 by Angie price, on Flickr


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## dibbles (Aug 2, 2015)

Success! It looks great and I bet you can't wait to use it.


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## CTAnton (Aug 2, 2015)

Congrats Aprice!!!
Interesting to me how light your top layer came out...my beer soap came out closer to the color of your bottom layer without the cocoa powder...but I did use 100% beer...no water....gives me ideas for the next time I do that recipe...thanks!:smile:


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## galaxyMLP (Aug 2, 2015)

Wow! That's a beautiful soap. It looks like a dark beer in a glass.


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## not_ally (Aug 2, 2015)

That came out great!


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