# Soap does NOT smell good..  Need help



## isha (Dec 17, 2017)

Hi all.  I'm new to soaping doing it for couple of months now.  My 1st batch cured..  N it stinks.. Kind of chemicals n stale oil smell..  My mom suggested it may be low heavy..  What am I doing wrong...??  

This is what I follow
Lye 30%
Superfat at 7%
Olive pomace oil 45
Coconut oil 35
Palm oil 25
N add few drops of essential oils. ( I don't usually weight or count!!! Cos I don't know how and couldn't find the right info anywhere ) 

So what am I doing wrong???  
Feels good while using..  Skin in soft shinny n moisturizes 
But kind-of stinks 
Any suggestions...  Can someone guide me on amount on essential oils to be used.. Per kg weight of oils In grams /ml


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## SoapAddict415 (Dec 17, 2017)

What essential oil did you use? I'm just guessing, maybe the scent morphed?

Sent from my Z828 using Soap Making mobile app


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## isha (Dec 17, 2017)

I just used lavender essential oil..  N violet food colouring


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## DeeAnna (Dec 17, 2017)

How do your fats smell? If they have a strong odor or an "off" rancid odor, then your soap will have that same smell at least to some degree. 

Only solution for rancid fat is to not use rancid fat (or learn to clean up rancid fat, which is a whole 'nother story that most of us avoid).

A strong odor that is characteristic of the fat can be covered up by an added scent, but you want to choose a scent that will blend or mask the odor and you need to use enough of the scent to do some good.

EOs generally recognized as safe are often used at rates similar to fragrance oils (FOs). A "few drops" is not remotely enough. You should be using more like 1% to 3% EOs by weight of the fats. So 10 to 30 grams EO per 1000 grams of fat.

Need to start weighing your ingredients!


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## isha (Dec 17, 2017)

Thanks..  I'm using therapeutic grade essential oils..  Which are quite strong. N hence thought few drops was be enough...  I also wanted to know.  Is in important to set soaps with diff  fragrance in separate  curing trays always from each other??? 
Currently I'm using few cardboard boxes lined with needed plastic sheets n dump.  2 different  type of soap together.  N keep in under my bed... Or on a high cupboard  where my little one can't reach 
Is that okay


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## Kamahido (Dec 17, 2017)

curaherbal said:


> Thanks..  I'm using therapeutic grade essential oils..  Which are quite strong. N hence thought few drops was be enough...  I also wanted to know.  Is in important to set soaps with diff  fragrance in separate  curing trays always from each other???
> Currently I'm using few cardboard boxes lined with needed plastic sheets n dump.  2 different  type of soap together.  N keep in under my bed... Or on a high cupboard  where my little one can't reach
> Is that okay


  Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils are just a marketing gimmick! They are no more powerful than my 100% essential oils (5X or 10X folded notwithstanding). Assuming you have pure 100% essential oils, try using Brambleberry's Fragrance Calculator to find out how many grams are needed.

For example... I make batches of soap with 2,500 grams of oils. To get the desired Lavender smell my customers like I have to use 113 grams of 100% Lavender Essential Oil.


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## penelopejane (Dec 17, 2017)

Soap without added scent should smell lovely - clean and soapy.  

I'd also check your oils. 
Pomace is extracted using chemicals from twigs, leaves and olive oil  remnants left after all the other grades have been extracted.  You  may be able to smell or taste some of the chemicals in the oil.

You will know when CO is going or about to go rancid.  It smells really, really bad!

Did you add your oils after trace?


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## Cellador (Dec 17, 2017)

penelopejane said:


> Soap without added scent should smell lovely - clean and soapy.



Personally, I don't like the smell of unscented soap. It definitely has a distinct smell...like oils and slightly sour. Kind of like Playdoh...Now, I just associate the smell with new soap, but when I first started soaping (without scent), I worried about the smell of my soaps too.

I personally think you just have new, unscented soap that's not completely cured. That smell should continue to dissipate the longer it cures.


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## Susie (Dec 18, 2017)

If you would post your entire recipe in weights, including all additives, we could see if there is something there that might be an issue.

If you want your scents to stay separate on the outsides of the bars, store separately in an OPEN place with good air flow.  You should always cure them in an open place, but the scents mix on the outsides of the bars if you store them together.  Once you use a bar a few times, the original scent comes back, but the scent on the outside can get weird if you mix two very dissimilar scents in close proximity.


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## isha (Dec 18, 2017)

It could be oil that I use..  Pomace doesn't smell bad.  But I guess it could be my coconut oil.. 

What kind of coconut oil do you guys use??
I'm in India and here most widely available oil is from copra (dry coconut)  which is cold processed..  So I get it directly when fresh extracted..  It has this    coconutty odor and has a pale yellow color.  I cook the oil for about 30 mins on low flame to get off some of the odor.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 18, 2017)

After reading what Copra was I found this in a basic search.  Sounds like it can go bad fairly easy.

http://www.noble-house.tk/en/products/food/conventional-fats/extra-virgin-organic-coconut-oil/copra

and can even be contaminated.


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## isha (Dec 18, 2017)

What kind of coconut oil do you guys use...??


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## dixiedragon (Dec 18, 2017)

Is it possible you burned the oil when cooking off the odor? Maybe try making a batch without cooking the coconut oil?

Most of us in the US use 76 degree coconut oil - we call it that b/c it's melt point is 76F. Usually that's what is just referred to as coconut oil by us. There's 92 degree (melts at 92F), liquid coconut (liquid at room temp), and virgin coconut - which is what I think you have. Virgin coconut is minimally processed and smells coconutty - which is why I love it in lip balm and lotion! 

I agree - we need your complete recipe. 

In soap, you would use essential oils by the spoonful, b/c the lye monster is going to gobble it up! Roughly 1 or 2 teaspoons PPO (per pound of oils). Use a fragrance calculator - Brambleberry has one, so does www.thesage.com.


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## penelopejane (Dec 18, 2017)

curaherbal said:


> It could be oil that I use..  Pomace doesn't smell bad.  But I guess it could be my coconut oil..
> 
> What kind of coconut oil do you guys use??
> I'm in India and here most widely available oil is from copra (dry coconut)  which is cold processed..  So I get it directly when fresh extracted..  It has this    coconutty odor and has a pale yellow color.  I cook the oil for about 30 mins on low flame to get off some of the odor.



I don’t think cooking the CO is a good idea at all. Just use it unheated and see if the coconut scent cures out. When I use CO I use cold pressed and only heat it very gently - just enough to melt it until it is clear. 

Pomace can smell in a finished soap because some of the chemicals used in the extraction method can be retained in the oil. Lye can bring out these smells.


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## isha (Dec 18, 2017)

This is the recipe.  With I guess 1tsp  of lavender eo n few drops of tea tree eo


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## jcandleattic (Dec 19, 2017)

penelopejane said:


> Soap without added scent should smell lovely - clean and soapy.



Only if you like the smell of unscented soap. IMO unscented handmade bar soap (regardless of oils used) stinks, or at least it stinks to me. I don't like the smell, at all. 

I make one triple batch of unscented soap a year, and that's it, and only for those particular clients that want unscented/uncolored bars.
As a general rule, that is plenty and I usually end up with several bars left at the end of the year, because they really just don't sell as well as others do.


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## penelopejane (Dec 19, 2017)

jcandleattic said:


> Only if you like the smell of unscented soap. IMO unscented handmade bar soap (regardless of oils used) stinks, or at least it stinks to me. I don't like the smell, at all.
> 
> I make one triple batch of unscented soap a year, and that's it, and only for those particular clients that want unscented/uncolored bars.
> As a general rule, that is plenty and I usually end up with several bars left at the end of the year, because they really just don't sell as well as others do.



This is what gets me about making soap - every mix and everyone using soap is different. Pure Castile smells lovely to me as so does high OO with AO.
I have quite a few friends and family who want unscented soap and love it.


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## isha (Dec 19, 2017)

Now I'm pretty sure that my coconut oil is the spoiler....  [emoji19]


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## toxikon (Dec 19, 2017)

curaherbal said:


> Now I'm pretty sure that my coconut oil is the spoiler....  [emoji19]



You could always try making a small, unscented batch (around 500g would be good) of palm oil and pomace olive oil to see how it smells. That might help narrow down if your coconut oil is the culprit.

You could try 60% palm and 40% olive.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 19, 2017)

jcandleattic said:


> Only if you like the smell of unscented soap. IMO unscented handmade bar soap (regardless of oils used) stinks, or at least it stinks to me. I don't like the smell, at all.
> 
> I make one triple batch of unscented soap a year, and that's it, and only for those particular clients that want unscented/uncolored bars.
> As a general rule, that is plenty and I usually end up with several bars left at the end of the year, because they really just don't sell as well as others do.


 
Me too.... 3 batches a the beginning of the year and this year I still have 1/3 of it left.


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## Seawolfe (Dec 19, 2017)

You need a LOT more essential oils for CP soap than one might guess - here is a good calculator to get an idea of how much is needed: https://www.brambleberry.com/pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
FWIW the only companies that use the term "therapeutic grade" use it on themselves for their own purposes. I also call my wine "therapeutic grade" but that doesn't fool my friends :mrgreen:


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## Saffron (Feb 20, 2018)

isha said:


> It could be oil that I use..  Pomace doesn't smell bad.  But I guess it could be my coconut oil..
> 
> What kind of coconut oil do you guys use??
> I'm in India and here most widely available oil is from copra (dry coconut)  which is cold processed..  So I get it directly when fresh extracted..  It has this    coconutty odor and has a pale yellow color.  I cook the oil for about 30 mins on low flame to get off some of the odor.



I use organic virgin unrefined coconut oil in my soaps and other body products.  It is pure white, smells divine and is delicious in Thai curries and rice.


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## ninibug09 (Feb 20, 2018)

Hi,

 I had a recipe that went terribly wrong.  I am looking for any help anyone could offer.  How do I create a new thread or forum? So far, I can only figure out how to respond to posts


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## Saffron (Feb 20, 2018)

ninibug09 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I had a recipe that went terribly wrong.  I am looking for any help anyone could offer.  How do I create a new thread or forum? So far, I can only figure out how to respond to posts



Hello and welcome.
To start a new thread, go to Forums, then click on Beginners Soapmaking Forum. Now click on 



  at the top rhs of the page.

You'll need to post your full recipe, including the superfat %, the process and any fragrance oils/ additives used  in order for someone to diagnose the problem.


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