another newbie with questions

[mamaT]

I've got my scales, some oils, lye, books and an idea for some molds. But I'm not sure about whether I want to do CP or HP, my grandmother made soap and she's been gone 30 years now and I still have a small sliver of her soap left. I know I have to make just plain old fashioned lye soap (lard) for my dad and some friends that are allergic to poison oak. My main question is what's the difference in essential oils and fragrance oils, I have some lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree oil that I added to my shampoo for my dog bathing. They smell strong so I figured that I might use some of them in my soap, but some of the recipes that I have seen use both EO and FO, so is there a difference?

 

[cdwinsby]

Both f/o and e/o's are great for soap making. I often use both at the same time! How much you use is dependant on your individual preference. The standard rule of thumb is about .5 - 1.0 oz. per pound of base oils. Some scents require more than others...citrus scent fade quickly while spices can last a long time. With the ones you mentioned, I would be adding about .7 oz ppo to one of my 1 lb batches.

 

[topcat]

but some of the recipes that I have seen use both EO and FO, so is there a difference?

Hi mamaT, EOs are extracted from plants usually using distillation or sometimes solvent extraction. FOs are lab created artificial fragrances. EOs have theraputic qualities and FOs just plain smell nice! As cdwinsby said, you can use either, or, or both - your preference. Just make sure if using FOs that they are soap/skin safe and you'll be fine.

Tanya