Anchoring scents

[SoapJunkie]

Have you found that there certain oils/butters/additives that will help scents 'stick' in soap?

 

[GardenGirl]

Some folks say that mixing your scent with things that don't saponify will help. So, clays & cornstarch are some examples.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I definitely think that clay helps. :wink:

 

[madpiano]

I am currently trying out that theory.

I have found a bar of soap at the back of my soaping stuff that I made last year and it was fragranced with Sweet Orange EO (not 5-fold or 10-fold). It had coffee grounds in it and it still smelled strongly of Orange. I was very surprised.

I made some shaving soap and that one has never lost it's scent and it had clay in it.

Just tried a batch with clay and then I will make the same batch with corn starch (so much cheaper) and see how they compare.

 

[Best Natural Soap]

Oh yay!!! An experiment!!
Do keep us posted with the results!

 

[Hazel]

I am currently trying out that theory.

I have found a bar of soap at the back of my soaping stuff that I made last year and it was fragranced with Sweet Orange EO (not 5-fold or 10-fold). It had coffee grounds in it and it still smelled strongly of Orange. I was very surprised.

I made some shaving soap and that one has never lost it's scent and it had clay in it.

Just tried a batch with clay and then I will make the same batch with corn starch (so much cheaper) and see how they compare.

madpiano,

How did your experiment turn out?


Thanks.

 

[madpiano]

so far both smell lovely, but I wont know really until at least 6 months have passed

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for replying. I'll have to try a couple of experimental batches, too. The problem is that soap doesn't last 6 months around here - which I guess is a compliment. (?)

 

[ChrissyB]

I agree with the clay

 

[Jaaret]

Clay

I've tradtionally used clays, mainly Kaoliin, in most of my batches and it does seem to fix the scents of the EOs I use. I have some EO scented soaps that are over a year old that still have a good scent to them.

I think Cedar EO is also a pretty good fixative. I like Cedar as it is a nice, warm, subtle base note that pairs well with other EOs, plus it seems to make the scents stick. One of my first soaps, and still one of my favorites, is Cedar & Lemongrass. I recently made a Cedar & Fir Needle soap that I love. I find I'm adding Cedar EO to more and more of my batches.

 

[donniej]

My brother is a civil engineer who specializes in management of rain water run off. Part of this is keeping water in or out of certain things. We got on the topic of bentonite clay and he says that it's often used in his field to create a layer which water will not penatrate. It's also used as a barrier in situations like land-fills or with contaminated soils.

I talked to him about using it in soap to the keep scent from leaving and it's his opinion that it could work because it may help encapsulate the fragance, preventing it from easily evaporating off.

 

[Soap-Goddess]

I talked to him about using it in soap to the keep scent from leaving and it's his opinion that it could work because it may help encapsulate the fragance, preventing it from easily evaporating off.

I started using about a 1/2 teaspoon ppo of bentonite clay in all my essential oil and citrus scented soaps a few months ago. So far I've had excellent results with the fragrance sticking using this method. And the clay adds to the lather, plus it a bit cheaper than some of the other clays.

 

[Sunny]

I love the feel of bentonite clay in soap. I have used this with a tea tree/orange eo soap and I didn't use enough orange to begin with, but I swear there is still a hint of orange in these bars! (even though citrus eo's are unstable and don't stay in soap)

 

[Guest]

Hi everyone (newbie who has been reading posts for a while)

I am loving the idea of using clay in soap - bentonite sounds pretty good to me. Can you just advise me of quanitities to use in a 1Kg batch - when do you add it - does it need pre-mixing in water? Also, does it change the existing colour of your soap mix, as I use micas and oxides in all my soaps.

This is a great forum. Looking forward to contributing.

Moira

 

[soapbuddy]

1 kilo batch is a little more than 2 lbs. I would go with a tsp. per half kilo.

 

[paillo]

does it seem to matter when or to what you add your clay to help fix scents? i use clay in almost all my soaps. often i add the clay directly in the lye mix, but equally often mix it with castor oil and botanicals and add at trace.

also curious about how much clay you add. for a 3-pound batch i usually add almost a tablespoon to the lye mix. if i'm doing a swirl i'll add a couple of teaspoons of contrasting colored clay to each of the swirl cups. so pretty heavy on the clay for my swirls. soaps seem really nice, but none of these batches are cured enough to really tell...

 

[soapbuddy]

I add clay to my melted and cooled off oils. I also add my scent then. I don't add anything at trace. The soap is pretty raw at this point and it will take whatever it wants.