Afraid to start playing w/my new aroma chemicals

[not_ally]

It is so weird, most new things I am eager to try and usually do w/alacrity, but occasionally I am just nervous. No rhyme or reason to it either. I just ordered a bunch of aroma chemicals and am nervous about testing them. The other thing I am reluctant to start with, v. strangely, is clay, which is so routinely used, and seems to be good w/r/t anchoring scents as well as other thigns.

I am a chicken, in strange soap related ways. There is zero downside if I fail the first (or subsequent) times out with either, so not sure why I am so weird about them.

 

[galaxyMLP]

I bet you'll find aroma chemicals are just dandy to work with. At first, I would mix them with another FO or use them in lower amounts. Most FOs are aroma chemicals anyway. I bet those are highly concentrated though.

I've never used any of course. Just speaking from what I think might happen.

As for clay, its really easy to work with and adds a slickness to soap (hard to explain I guess) to me, adding bentonite clay took away some of the "slimyness" of Castile. Just make sure you hydrate them or mix your FO in them and then add a bit (maybe 1 oz per pound) more water to your recipe.

I would guess that adding the FO directly to your clay would help get the FO to adsorb (adsorb, not absorb) to the clay better and help retain scent. Water can't be adsorbed to clays. That's why activated charcoal works really well. It makes oils stick like glue to it. I'm going to try to start incorporateing clays into all of my recipes.

 

[snappyllama]

I like to blend in the clay to my oils before adding the lye so I can make sure they are incorporated without over blending my batter.

 

[commoncenz]

Jump in there. You can't reach the highest of the highs without stretching yourself at least a little

 

[Momsta5]

I really love using clay. It gives a nice feeling to the bar and I find that the bars that I use it in are great for shaving. My teenager has skin issues and it seems to help him (when he can be bothered to wash his face that is) after a breakout.

I'm going to give soaping with FO a try with the sample sale. My problem is that I love playing with the EO's that stress my budget the most. So I have been buying what I can find on sale, this is hit and miss. So the sale is a great opportunity to try FO versions without breaking the bank.

 

[TeresaT]

this is very interesting. what are "aroma chemicals" and where do you get them? (oh, wait, are you talking about wale vomit?)

 

[MoonStruck]

Try making the smallest batch you are comfortable making and test the aroma chemicals like you would fragrance oils. That way if something goes wrong or doesn't work, you aren't wasting a lot of oils or aromas. Do you have an MSDS for them? You might be able to get a usage rate idea from there.

Clays are great. I haven't used them recently because I don't have any but I love black clay with activated charcoal for a rich black.

 

[not_ally]

It is just weird, I have done so many batches, with so many random ingredients, I am just scared of clay. Why, who knows? I have had various kinds of it just sitting around staring at me for the past couple of years I am going to jump in, though. Moonstruck, good to know about the black clay, it is really hard to get a rich black, although were do you get black clay, I don't think I have ever seen it?

Teresa, aroma chemicals are highly concentrated chemical recreations of scents, although I may be mis-describing them. You have to be careful using and testing them b/c they are so concentrated. They are a tricky bunch, some of them you cannot even smell OOB, you have to put them on a tester, others smell almost nothing like the end result until you start testing/adding. There is v. little information about using them in soap, even though most suppliers use them to make FOs, so it is kind of hard to figure out how to do it, how to dilute/what to dilute in/how to blend, the questions are kind of endless b/c there is so little info. I ordered several basic ones from Perfumer's Apprentice.

I got curious about them b/c I wanted something to make my ocean FO's more ocean-y, and a couple of the ACs are supposed to be good for that, then once I started researching it was down the rabbit hole. A couple of the soap suppliers have a few of them in stock, mostly you have to buy them (there are 1000's of different ones) from perfume supply places.

 

[MoonStruck]

New Directions Aromatics carries black clay.

It's tough being a pioneer, not_ally but you'll rock it!

 

[not_ally]

I am OCD enough that I will give it a pretty good try, Moonstruck! If I can figure out a good amber blend you will be the first to know

 

[not_ally]

Carolyn, if you are reading, thanks so much for suggesting contacting Fragrance Lab about AC's in soap. I emailed them and a lovely person named Jo wrote back and told me to call and chat all about them.

 

[OliveOil2]

Not_ Ally I love the black clay from New Directions, I've only used it twice, but was pleased with the results both times. It looks like it might be difficult to work with because it isn't really smooth, but it is very smooth once you add water. I would have to look at my notes to see how much I used, but don't let the reviews scare you away, many of them talk about staining. I just used it for swirls, with uncolored background, and no bleeding or stains.

 

[Jstar]

I use Kaolin clay in just about all my soaps..1 tsp ppo, and add it in to my oils as well and stick blend it in before adding my lye solution. It's wonderful, and you will love it

 

[Saponomancer]

I for one am all sorts of curious to read about the experiments with the aroma chemicals, I've peeked at them and absolutes before, but was pretty intimidated

 

[not_ally]

I for one am all sorts of curious to read about the experiments with the aroma chemicals, I've peeked at them and absolutes before, but was pretty intimidated

I'll post as I go along. Who knows if it will work, but it sure is interesting ...

 

[TeresaT]

Wow! That is fascinating. Good luck!

 

[not_ally]

You clay people, that is on the agenda for this week, I know it must be lovely b/c so many people say it is! I hate that NDA has $100 minimum, that black clay is going to have to wait for a while ...

 

[cherrycoke216]

this is very interesting. what are "aroma chemicals" and where do you get them? (oh, wait, are you talking about wale vomit?)

Ambergris, I suppose? Would like to know how it smells just because it is so expensive!!!

 

[soapswirl]

Not_ally I'd love to hear your results with aroma chemicals - please keep us updated! I've peeked at them a few times but not taken the plunge yet!

 

[not_ally]

I am getting excited! The Fragrance Lab woman, Jo, is so nice, she suggested that I come visit her home (where she works) she is one of the resident blenders for FL and has lots of ACs there, so I can get a really good initial sense of how things work. Soap people are so great.

ETA: typing this out made me think just how nice, a lot of times in LA no one would ever invite a stranger into their home for fear of having their head chopped off. Aren't you non-urban types glad that you are now?