1st time using an essential oil

[Kaolin washer]

I just made my 1st 2bl batch of soap using some Lemon grass essential oil . my formula is 260g of infused olive oil,infused with fennel& rosemary ,97.5g beef tallow,97.5shea butter, 97.5g coconut oil,and 32.5g grollig china clay, 52g of Mahavire potash feldspar,and 13g honey, with a 4% lye discountso my lye was 75.25 g and 157 g distilled water . I mixed the china clay in the water and then screened it two timesand then added the lye to it . I mixed the feldspar with a flat trowelin some of the olive oil and then added it to the whole with the honey. mixed all the oils together added the lye at about 115f and mixed with the mixer, and i tell you i only added about 10 drops of lemon grass oil and i think this was the longest batch to trace ever but it finnaly did trace and poured in the mold nice and was hard the next morning and cut nice and smells beautiful. not like some of the store soaps that smell like burnt plastic. . now after i went digging this morning my hands where really dirty from digging in the top soil looking for treasure and i grabbed a bar of the soap and it just cut off the dirt like a charm, and left a nice smell , now i dont know if 10 drops is going to keep the smell but maybe it will , I have to say I like this essential oil thing, and this soap would lend itself to using some colors, and making some swirls or something

 

[ResolvableOwl]

10 drops are about 250 mg, i. e. 0.05% of the oil weight, which is truly not much, and well below any usage rate recommendation/limit. But thankfully, lemongrass is one of the more well-behaved citrusy scents (much more reliable in soap than actual citrus EOs), and you are actually lying when you say you've “just” used lemongrass, since you had given the fennel and rosemary a fair chance to give off their scents to the OO as well (mmmh, I can very well understand that you love the scent!). Plus, clays are regularly used to “anchor” EO scents, i. e. make them stick better to the soap.

 

[Kaolin washer]

I have a 10 ml bottle how much of it should i use in a 2lb batch of soap ?

yes i did use a talbe spoon of fennel seed and another table spoon of rosemary powder that was infused in the oil , but how much essential oil does that put in the 2lb s

 

[ResolvableOwl]

That's a question for those who regularly use EOs in CP soap (I don't, hence I can at best give some vague, generic pointers, but by no means seasoned advice.)

yes i did use a talbe spoon of fennel seed and another table spoon of rosemary powder that was infused in the oil , but how much essential oil does that put in the 2lb s

Enough to convince you for the moment. Give the soaps some time (2 weeks at a bare minimum, 2 months are better) and recap if you still like the strength.

I have a 10 ml bottle how much of it should i use in a 2lb batch of soap ?

Online fragrance calculators like Fragrance Calculator or Enter Your Own Blend » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator help to estimate typical/safe usage rates. They do not help you judge if you like the aromatic strength of the final product, nor if the EO will last or fade with time.
Browse SMF or feel free to just ask – many experts around here eager to share their experiences!

 

[Zing]

Congrats on your first batch and welcome to another Minnesoh-tan!
I scent exclusively with essential oils. Eocalc is my first stop for usage rates. If they don't list one, then I use Lye Calculator and Fragrance Calculator . Measure in grams, not drops.
My favorite scent is a 50/50 lemongrass & rosemary and a titch of cedarwood essential oils.
Enjoy your soap!

 

[earlene]

Quite nice soap. I really like lemongrass EO, as well as the grass itself. It's one of my favorite flavors in Thai cuisine. And it grows very nicely even from store-bought shoots from the grocer (unless they cut off the root shoot, then it doesn't).

I have a very pretty feldspar ring I bought many years ago at a Grateful Dead concert or maybe it was at a Rat Dog concert. Anyway, I've never really read about anyone using ground feldspar in soap. Where do you get it and is it like using pumice?

I agree with you that some color would be nice and probably fairly easy to incorporate into this recipe. Since it traced so slowly, I hope you try your hand at some swirls with it, because it sounds like you'd have plenty of time to work with the batter.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I have a 10 ml bottle how much of it should i use in a 2lb batch of soap ?

Depending on the safe usage rates of the essential oil, I tend to go for more like 25 - 30g for a 2 pound batch.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Like @KiwiMoose I use between 25-30 g of EO/ FO the soap calc here will tell you suggested amount to use' always look for amount usages where you purchased it, it will usually tell you.

Feldspar is a beautiful gem /mineral gained more popularity in US in the last ten years, never thought of using it in soap interesting, You may want to consider using a chelator cause of the additional minerals your adding to avoid DOS. Your soap is beautiful what color was your Feldspar you used in the soap?.
Happy Soaping .

 

[Kaolin washer]

Quite nice soap. I really like lemongrass EO, as well as the grass itself. It's one of my favorite flavors in Thai cuisine. And it grows very nicely even from store-bought shoots from the grocer (unless they cut off the root shoot, then it doesn't).

I have a very pretty feldspar ring I bought many years ago at a Grateful Dead concert or maybe it was at a Rat Dog concert. Anyway, I've never really read about anyone using ground feldspar in soap. Where do you get it and is it like using pumice?

I agree with you that some color would be nice and probably fairly easy to incorporate into this recipe. Since it traced so slowly, I hope you try your hand at some swirls with it, because it sounds like you'd have plenty of time to work with the batter.

Fedspar. is the parent material of Kaolin,Fedspar is silca alumina Pottasium ,sodium silicate,with a platy.crystal close to mica, if its sodium dominant, its a sodium feldspar . if its potasium dominant its called pottash feldspar and makes up 60% of the crust of the earth. it is used to flux ceramics, but when it gets Hydro therally altered to kaolin by acidic ground waters it is altered to kaolin, i have used both in my pottery making, also used to make glazes. i find it to be a wonderfull filler and exfoliant in soap along with kaolin, you can get it very cheep at clay supply stores

Like @KiwiMoose I use between 25-30 g of EO/ FO the soap calc here will tell you suggested amount to use' always look for amount usages where you purchased it, it will usually tell you.

Feldspar is a beautiful gem /mineral gained more popularity in US in the last ten years, never thought of using it in soap interesting, You may want to consider using a chelator cause of the additional minerals your adding to avoid DOS. Your soap is beautiful what color was your Feldspar you used in the soap?.
Happy Soaping .

the feldspar i used in this batch is white,Mahavar potash feldspar 200+ mesh. i keep my total oils at 85 to 90 % lest the soap wash away to fast, or who know s gets DOS, so far have not got DOS using it