# Carbolic scent, any new news?



## nsmar4211 (Jul 25, 2015)

Did a search and didn't see anything....

Is there a scent that smells like the carbolic soap? I can get "carbolic" soap at a local health food store, strongly suspecting its just scented and not the real thing. No way are they going to share their scent so I'm asking here. I just like the smell


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## not_ally (Jul 25, 2015)

I like the smell, too, I suspect your pine tar might come close. I'm not exactly sure what carbolic soap is w/r/t fragrance, have you checked?


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 25, 2015)

I read an old soap makers book that referred to carbolic soap a few month ago. I did some research on it. 

What makes it smell is the carbolic acid in it or "phenol". Thats the stuff in cough numbing sprays. Its ok in very small amounts however, you don't want to be around large amounts of phenol. Its not good for you. 

I personally wouldnt purchase carbolic soap or try to make any as phenol can be dangerous. 

That health food store might actually use phenol in their soap. I don't think its illegal to use phenol but, I'm honestly not sure...

Phenol has a very distinct smell and is easy to identify. There really arent any other scents that match it. 

If you DO want to try it though, I can post the recipe from that book.


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## nsmar4211 (Jul 25, 2015)

Yes please post . None of my books have that one!

I'll have to see if I can get an ingredient list the next time I"m at the store...the display is a wooden rack and the bars are just loose on it...so no information goes home .


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 25, 2015)

Well, the book I have gives everything in VOLUME and not weight. It was first published in 1979. 

It's called the art of soap making. It's been my favorite soap book so far because it talks in depth all about soap making back in the day. Even gives a history on how it started up in Europe/US. It also has many recipes of medicinal soaps I've never even heard of. The biggest problem with the book is that everything is in volume. But, to a well educated soap maker (like us on this forum), its not a big deal. 

I would get the approximate ratios based on the of phenol to soap batter. You can use density conversions then to get the amount in weight of phenol.

I hope this helps. It would be an interesting experiment.


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## Susie (Jul 25, 2015)

If you don't mind me asking, what book is that?


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 25, 2015)

Susie said:


> If you don't mind me asking, what book is that?



Not at all, I posted the title in the post above but sorry, its not very clear. Its called "Art of Soap Making" by Merilyn Mohr

Its a very enjoyable soap making book to read because it reads like a story and not just a bunch of recipes put together. I collect soap making books I find at the local friends of the library sales that we have in my city. This is by far my favorite book that I've picked up. I learned alot of things that werent easy to find about soap online. 


This is it on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/092065603X/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## Susie (Jul 26, 2015)

Sorry about that, but thank you very much!


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## nsmar4211 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks galaxy!
Andddddddd I just did a search on the library system and a library has that book (not sure how I missed it) so I'll be requesting it....

Yea, the volume vs weight....this is when high school math actually gets used LOL.

Wonder how little phenol would actually scent soap...hrmrmr..... Adding to the "after christmas" experiement list (gotta do my gift soaps first).


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## DeeAnna (Jul 26, 2015)

Please .... don't use phenol (carbolic) in your soap as a fragrance. Phenol is absorbed into the body through the skin and respiratory system and the liquid and vapors will cause serious chemical burns. 

Phenol was used as a disinfectant at a time when there were no disinfectants that were safer to use and the risk of serious infection was greater than the risk from using phenol. But things are quite different nowadays, which is why phenol is no longer used in Lifebuoy and other soaps, at least in the US. 

Although I realize tiny amounts of phenol are still added to some consumer products, that is no justification to use this chemical as a fragrance in soap. Even if the % of phenol in the finished soap would be reasonably low-risk for use on the skin -- and that is very much a questionable point in my mind -- you would have to handle the more concentrated solution while making the soap and increase the risk of a potentially toxic exposure.

I respect lye as a chemical to use with care and proper safety equipment. Phenol is a step beyond lye IMO, if for no other reason than the hazardous nature of phenol remains intact in the finished soap, whereas the hazardous nature of the lye does not. I would not work with it unless there was a very, very good reason AND I had the proper safety gear and equipment to work with it safely.


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## Seawolfe (Jul 26, 2015)

Thank you DeeAnna, that is very good to know!


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## galaxyMLP (Jul 26, 2015)

I was trying to convey that phenol should not be used in my first post but I figured that they might be curious anyway. I know it can be harmful and that's why I originally said not to use it. I know now that I should've been firmer in my explanation or provided some links to the harms of phenol however.


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## nsmar4211 (Jul 26, 2015)

Ok, so is there anything not poisonous that has the smell? Waiting on my new pine tar soap to mellow hoping its close . 

After looking at the prices of buying the carbolic/phenol (hooooo booy)....I think I"ll just pick up a few more bars of the ones at the store. Honestly, I rarely actually use it on anything other than my feet once in a while (when they are really stinky) but I do like the smell. Call me strange.... And it keeps away the bugs when the soap is stored under the sink. Here in Florida, that's a good thing. 

I love having the old recipes even if I won't use it, and that book is now on the way to my library for me to get . Besides, who knows, one day we may need to renew those old timey recipes when the newfangled stuff stops working! 

Warnings heeded but curiosity still exists .


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## not_ally (Jul 26, 2015)

I think of carbolic as having that really clean, old-fashioned, non-perfumey smell that pine tar does ..


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## DeeAnna (Jul 26, 2015)

Oh I'm a bit of a stick in the mud about stuff like this. Just too many years spent working in chemical plants.....


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 27, 2015)

I am a fan of turpentine soaps, but making it might be a tricky so I think I'll just buy it from the shops and be done with it - nothing wrong with buying certain b&b products when it makes sense to do so


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## nsmar4211 (Jul 27, 2015)

Turpentine soap? Urmmmmmmm does it realllly!! smell like turpentine? And does it clean paint off your hands? I can imagine that'd be one way to get the "garage smell" in the garage LOL. Trying to remember what turpentine smells like...don't think I have any....


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 28, 2015)

It does! We also use it as spot treatment on clothes. Someone was clearing out an old house and found a whole lot in a cupboard, really old classic stuff. The newer bars in the shops might not be so good, though


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## DeeAnna (Jul 28, 2015)

There have been several good threads on kerosene, turpentine, and other solvents in soap. I'm away from my notes or l would give the links. Some solvents ... like gasoline ... I don't think are wise to use. Like the Gent mentioned, they're mainly used for the laundry. Turpentine smells good ... like a pine forest on a warm day with a sharp solvent bite on top.


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## IrishLass (Jul 31, 2015)

We used to have a member named MikeInPdx who posted info on how to make stain sticks with either turpentine or kerosene. He hasn't been here in awhile and he deleted his recipe when he left, but there are still enough posts by him left on the forum where he talks about his recipe and method that one could piece the info together to be able to try their hand at it. Here are 2 of his posts that I was able to find:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=101789&postcount=26

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=102244&postcount=37

I've had it on my 'to do' list for awhile now to make stain sticks with 70% lard/30% Coconut Oil and 10% turpenoid ppo with a 0% s/f, based on Mike's posts, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.


IrishLass


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## DeeAnna (Jul 31, 2015)

And here's another useful thread on solvents in soap: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=45440


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