# Homemade soap odor



## Reba (Dec 30, 2012)

Hello, I am a new soap maker working out recipes. I have a few batches that came out with all the properties I want except the odor.  They smell pretty at first but after a few times of use they smell, having lost all their pretty smell.  One in particular I scent with eucalyptus, lemongrass, and bergamot.  I made the basic recipe with crisco, coconut oil, palm, olive, and  1 oz of sweet almond and castor.  They have sort of a funky odor.  All ingredients were purchased new so I know it can't be that they were dated.  How much EO should I have added?  I added about 3/4 oz for a 2-3 lb batch.  Would the EO cover the smell if I added more?


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## AlchemyandAshes (Dec 30, 2012)

How long have you let them cure? Are you sure the smell isn't just "new soap"? I find that at unmolding, soap has a bit of a weird smell...not like rancid oil or anything, but hard to describe. After cut, when it is exposed to air and starts to "dry out", that smell dissipates and leaves the scent of handmade soap or whatever essential oils I used.
The usual recommended usage rate of essential oils for this forum is 3% TOTAL EO, so in a 3lb recipe, .75oz is 1.5%. You could double the amount you're using and be within that 3% range. Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, and Bergamot are all pretty safe...though Bergamot can cause photo sensitivity, and Lemongrass can be a dermal sensitizer at high doses (but don't worry about it @ 3%). Most people, barring any allergies, would not have a problem with any of those if used at 3% in CP soap.
You could rebatch and add another 0.75 oz TOTAL EO if you want your scent stronger.


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## green soap (Dec 30, 2012)

I would make the same recipe unscented, to be able to decide if it is the base oils, or the essential oils morphing, or losing their strength.  I know this sounds painful to do.  

Your EO usage is pretty low, and lemongrass is the only one in the bunch that really sticks.  You could just use a little more lemongrass EO on the next batch (if you like the scent of course).


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## lsg (Dec 30, 2012)

You can use either litsea cubeba e.o. or a little cosmetic grade clay in your recipe to anchor the scent.


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## Reba (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks for the ideas.  I smelled my bottles one by one and I think I narrowed it down to coconut oil.  There seems to be a faint smell of it after I wash my hands.  Not very pleasant and smells a little like mildew.


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## Genny (Dec 31, 2012)

Reba said:


> Thanks for the ideas.  I smelled my bottles one by one and I think I narrowed it down to coconut oil.  There seems to be a faint smell of it after I wash my hands.  Not very pleasant and smells a little like mildew.



Ick. I had that problem once when I first started CP soaping.  It was because when I was heating my coconut oil bottles & didn't use up all the oil in it, I was putting the cap back on instead of letting all the moisture dry out.


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## 2lilboots (Jan 1, 2013)

Genny said:


> Ick. I had that problem once when I first started CP soaping.  It was because when I was heating my coconut oil bottles & didn't use up all the oil in it, I was putting the cap back on instead of letting all the moisture dry out.


 

When I received my first order of oils I looked at my CO and PO and said what on earth?  I put hot water in a tub in my sink, sat the jugs in the water and let the oils melt.  Then I poured them into scoop friendly containers.  I let the stuff harden before putting the lids on them.  I could see how they could get funky if not used up rather quickly.


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## Lindy (Jan 1, 2013)

Genny said:


> Ick. I had that problem once when I first started CP soaping.  It was because when I was heating my coconut oil bottles & didn't use up all the oil in it, I was putting the cap back on instead of letting all the moisture dry out.



If I get my hard oils in bottles then I melt them down and put into pails.  It makes it so much easier to deal with it and then you don't have to melt them to get the oil out.   :wink:


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## Maythorn (Jan 1, 2013)

green soap said:


> I would make the same recipe unscented, to be able to decide if it is the base oils, or the essential oils morphing, or losing their strength.  I know this sounds painful to do.
> 
> Your EO usage is pretty low, and lemongrass is the only one in the bunch that really sticks.  You could just use a little more lemongrass EO on the next batch (if you like the scent of course).


 
It must be a bad base oil. The only time handmade soap hasn't smelled good to me is when the fragrance oil has morphed from milk and that can be terrible.  I've never detected any base oil or butter in cured bars but I would like to.  I actually appreciate the scent of shea butter and cocoa butter would be wonderful with a compatible scent.  But it fades away just like honey eventually does.


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