# Cinnamon EO in CP Soap



## CelestaMoon (Dec 27, 2014)

Hi soapers,
I have just whipped up a batch of cinnamon cold process soap but i am so scared and nervous that i may have used too much cinnamon EO. it was a pretty small batch it made about 30oz and i added about 2 tablespoons of cinnamon eo. it is cinnamon bark, can anyone tell me if this was a little over board and if it will irritate the skin. i usually make a 60oz batch of soap and use about 2 tablespoons of eo but it never shines through how i'd like so i decided it was a smaller batch this time around so i wont alter the amount of eo i usually put so it would smell potent....but i had not thought of what it could do to the skin at the time and now i'm sitting here thinking of the itchy rashes this may potentially cause, what's your take.? i've got another batch to do tomorrow as i didn't have enough molds and if this isn't a smart idea id rather tweak it before continuing on with the recipe how it is. Thanks guys!


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## Lindy (Dec 27, 2014)

Cinnamon EO is a restricted oil and you should be no more than 0.4% as it is such a skin irritant.  For cinnamon I would recommend a fragrance oil and even with that use a light hand.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 27, 2014)

2 TBL = a bit under 1 ounce by weight. That's roughly 3% based on 30 oz total. 

Looking at cinnamon bark EO, I see it is a skin sensitizer. The information I have in my notes, is this EO should be 0.6% or less in skin products, but stick with Lindy's number to be safe. In either case, yeah, a little overkill.

(And for those with cinnamon leaf EO, it too is a sensitizer and should be 1% or less.)


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 28, 2014)

Thanks guys! i wish i was thinking while doing this...i wasn't thinking so much on the oil but more of getting the scent to shine through. too bad they look so cute! i guess i'll just use them for display in my bathroom and start over again tomorrow! thanks again for the advice. happy holidays!


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## Susie (Dec 28, 2014)

Try the soap once.  If you don't get a burning feeling, then you can use it for yourself.  Don't give it away or sell it.  I have used cinnamon bark EO at that concentration once(before I knew better).


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## Ruthie (Dec 28, 2014)

CelestaMoon, I think this is one time when displaying and smelling a soap, is the thing to do.  You have the right idea.


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 28, 2014)

may house smells like cinnamon hearts haha i guess i won in one way but i think the smell is going to get a little sickening after a few days so perhaps ill tuck it away somewhere nice lol!


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## boyago (Dec 28, 2014)

CelestaMoon said:


> may house smells like cinnamon hearts haha i guess i won in one way but i think the smell is going to get a little sickening after a few days so perhaps ill tuck it away somewhere nice lol!



Holy smokes, for those of you who enjoy the misfortune of others (or least me), I got a bottle of Star Anise from SMR which is actually a really nice scent. Anyway SMR fills their bottles right to the top so after I got it I wanted to mix it with other EOs and see if I could get some synergy going with my other EOs.  When I stuck my pipette into the bottle the pipette displaced it's volume and the EO overflowed all over the floor (this is where I sit to watch TV).  I wiped it up then mopped that spot several time and nothing could get the smell out.  So the spill plus using it heavy handed my first go around using it soap left my whole place smelling strongly of Star Anise.  Prior to this experience I didn't really believe in aroma therapy having any real effect on a person other than just smelling nice things makes us feel good and there are benefits to feeling good.  And this may be a placebo effect or just serendipity but I found out that star anise is often used in to treat constipation.  With the heavy handed soap and spill where I hang out most of the time well lets just say for several days I didn't have any problems in the constipation dept.


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 28, 2014)

LMAO well, i have my fair share of bowel movement...or lack there of. maybe i'll "Accidentally" spill some haha TMI


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 28, 2014)

this escalated quickly...


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 28, 2014)

Toilet humour at it's finest


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## Lindy (Dec 28, 2014)

Star Anise is also neural toxic and can bring on seizures so it also needs to be used with a light hand.


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## Moody Glenn (Dec 28, 2014)

Hello! Don't give up on having soap smell of cinnamon. Although it is a fragrance oil this product is skin safe and has a really strong (but wonderful) smell in soap and candle products. It is called "Atomic Fireball Cinnamon" and it is sold from Aroma Haven & Rustic Escentuals. I use it in my soap and it smells divine. :angel:  Here is the link:  http://rusticescentuals.com/Atomic-Fireball-Cinnamon.html


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 28, 2014)

Moody Glenn said:


> Hello! Don't give up on having soap smell of cinnamon. Although it is a fragrance oil this product is skin safe and has a really strong (but wonderful) smell in soap and candle products. It is called "Atomic Fireball Cinnamon" and it is sold from Aroma Haven & Rustic Escentuals. I use it in my soap and it smells divine. :angel:  Here is the link:  http://rusticescentuals.com/Atomic-Fireball-Cinnamon.html




Thanks, i'm sure it smells great but as i make organic and natural soaps i try to stay clear of fragrance oils. it kinda sucks cus there are so many delicious scents i'd like to try but if the fragrance oil isn't natural or organic i stay clear. there is however a great store here in Montreal Canada that sells amazing organic fragrance oils if anyone is interested they have an online store as well. https://www.coopcoco.ca/en


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## KristaY (Dec 28, 2014)

Moody Glenn said:


> Hello! Don't give up on having soap smell of cinnamon. Although it is a fragrance oil this product is skin safe and has a really strong (but wonderful) smell in soap and candle products. It is called "Atomic Fireball Cinnamon" and it is sold from Aroma Haven & Rustic Escentuals. I use it in my soap and it smells divine. :angel: Here is the link: http://rusticescentuals.com/Atomic-Fireball-Cinnamon.html


 
 Thanks for this link Moody Glenn! I just ordered it.  I love the smell of cinnamon but am always leery of using the EO because it's such a skin irritant. Can't wait to give a try!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 29, 2014)

CelestaMoon said:


> Thanks, i'm sure it smells great but as i make organic and natural soaps i try to stay clear of fragrance oils. it kinda sucks cus there are so many delicious scents i'd like to try but if the fragrance oil isn't natural or organic i stay clear. there is however a great store here in Montreal Canada that sells amazing organic fragrance oils if anyone is interested they have an online store as well. https://www.coopcoco.ca/en




I couldn't find the organic fragrance oils there. Could you link to a specific one?

Personally, I would rather use a soap with 4% of a non-organic material rather than an organic material which is used at 6x it's safe rate. Or a scent less soap.


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2014)

Lindy said:


> Star Anise is also neural toxic and can bring on seizures so it also needs to be used with a light hand.



Awesome!

Lindy you seem to be a good person to ask, I need a good reference for EOs as all the information on the internets I can find about EO safety tends to conflict with other sites and often the most prevalent information are from the people pedaling EOs so they naturally stray away from the negative.  Do you have any suggestions for books and or trusted references where I can learn more?  Ideally I'd like a book that listed sensitivity issues, rates of use ect for soap and body products.


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2014)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I couldn't find the organic fragrance oils there. Could you link to a specific one?
> 
> Personally, I would rather use a soap with 4% of a non-organic material rather than an organic material which is used at 6x it's safe rate. Or a scent less soap.



In the left hand column there is a link labeled "Organic!" Looks like it's all the organic ingredients mixed together.
https://www.coopcoco.ca/en/a-e/apple-spice
If that is indeed what the poster is referring to.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 29, 2014)

Ah, so organic essences, distilled with alcohol. No wonder they describe it as an accelerant in the item listing :Kitten Love:


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## JustBeachy (Dec 29, 2014)

CelestaMoon said:


> Thanks, i'm sure it smells great but as i make organic and natural soaps i try to stay clear of fragrance oils. it kinda sucks cus there are so many delicious scents i'd like to try but if the fragrance oil isn't natural or organic i stay clear. there is however a great store here in Montreal Canada that sells amazing organic fragrance oils if anyone is interested they have an online store as well. https://www.coopcoco.ca/en



This site has a bunch of Fragrance oils in the organic/natural line. I order from them fairly often. Great products, a tad slow on getting the order packed up, usually takes them 3 days or so. 

http://www.texasnaturalsupply.com/Flavors-Scents-Natural-s/1832.htm


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## DeeAnna (Dec 29, 2014)

Boyago -- Not Lindy, but I'm chiming in anyway. I don't think you're going to find a single reference that will give you all the info you want, especially about how EOs and soap get along with each other.

If I was stranded on a desert island and could only take one EO reference book, I'd choose Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young. I also respect the information on Tisserand's website http://roberttisserand.com/ and the Nature's Gift website http://www.naturesgift.com/aromatherapytable.htm  Aromaweb is worthwhile as a general overview http://aromaweb.com/

I've grown to be skeptical of information from most other authors in the essential oil and aromatherapy field, including Gatefosse, Valnet, Lawless, etc. The supposed properties of various EOs in these books (and many websites) appear to mostly be of the "I read it on the internet or in an older book, so it must be true" variety. I don't see much evidence of original scholarly research being done by most authors in this field. I'm not trying to say there are no nuggets of good information in these books (and websites), but I do find myself having to read them with a skeptical eye.


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2014)

That's a pretty spendy piece of lit.  I don't suppose you are familiar between the editions?  Normally for a text book not being used for a class I would assume minimal differences but this one is 13 years and a change in the second author makes me think they are indeed different books.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 29, 2014)

Yes, I'd def spring for the 2nd edition -- lots of updates. And, yes, it's spendy, but if you're serious about learning more about EOs, this book is far less $$ than taking a class.


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## Lindy (Dec 29, 2014)

boyago said:


> Awesome!
> 
> Lindy you seem to be a good person to ask, I need a good reference for EOs as all the information on the internets I can find about EO safety tends to conflict with other sites and often the most prevalent information are from the people pedaling EOs so they naturally stray away from the negative. Do you have any suggestions for books and or trusted references where I can learn more? Ideally I'd like a book that listed sensitivity issues, rates of use ect for soap and body products.



 Most of my information came from my aromatherapy training.  I did post a thread HERE that goes through the restricted oils.

 Other than those you should be staying at 3% or lower for soaps and 1% for leave-on products.

 There is a book called _*The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils*  by Julia Lawless_ that is one of my go-to books.


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 29, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> This site has a bunch of Fragrance oils in the organic/natural line. I order from them fairly often. Great products, a tad slow on getting the order packed up, usually takes them 3 days or so.
> 
> http://www.texasnaturalsupply.com/Flavors-Scents-Natural-s/1832.htm




Lovely!Thanks, i'll check it out


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2014)

Thanks you both.

Lindy- are the percentages listed on the restricted list % of total weight for leave on products? For instance:

Bergamot oil - Expressed (bergamot orange) 
Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia 
Phototoxic 0.4%


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## Lindy (Dec 29, 2014)

Yes total weight of product.


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## hmlove1218 (Dec 29, 2014)

Lindy said:


> Most of my information came from my aromatherapy training.  I did post a thread HERE that goes through the restricted oils.
> 
> Other than those you should be staying at 3% or lower for soaps and 1% for leave-on products.
> 
> There is a book called _*The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils*  by Julia Lawless_ that is one of my go-to books.



I haven't heard of mandarin petitgrain, so is that a single essential oil or is it mandarin and petitgrain EOs?


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## vuladams (Dec 30, 2014)

I've totally gone overboard with cinnamon before. My biggest recommendation is to use it as a hand, body, and foot soap... and NOT on your face. I don't let people use it that have overly sensitive skin, just to protect them when they're over. I often have various soap in the guest bath. Love cinnamon though!


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## Lindy (Dec 30, 2014)

hmlove1218 said:


> I haven't heard of mandarin petitgrain, so is that a single essential oil or is it mandarin and petitgrain EOs?


 
 Single essential oil


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## CelestaMoon (Dec 31, 2014)

vuladams said:


> I've totally gone overboard with cinnamon before. My biggest recommendation is to use it as a hand, body, and foot soap... and NOT on your face. I don't let people use it that have overly sensitive skin, just to protect them when they're over. I often have various soap in the guest bath. Love cinnamon though!




Likewise....i keep picking the cinnamon soap up to smell it, seriously smells like a candy heart! i love it


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