Botanicals on soap tops smell bad after a shower

[Sayali]

Hello,

I made a batch where I put dried rose petals on the soap top. The soap turned out so good but the only problem is the rose petals smell so bad after a shower. Has anyone faced the same problem with any botanicals on the top and any solutions?

 

[lsg]

Lavender and rose petals deteriorate on soap tops.

 

[DeeAnna]

Some of the odor is natural -- it's the normal smell of dried flower petals, etc. Some of the odor might be from mold growing in this material. Some botanical material on or in soap will also turn brown as time passes, so it doesn't look nice.

The solution to this problem is to not put large pieces of botanical material on or in your soap.

I really dislike things on or in soap that do not dissolve in water. Petals and buds are romantic looking at first, but they make a mess in the shower or sink. If I was going to do something like this, I would make artificial flower petals and buds from soap.

 

[GemstonePony]

This is why most of us don't put large chunks of plant material in or on our soap: it becomes unpleasant when it gets wet. The solution is to not use plant matter in soap, or to make it possible to remove it all before use. You could use silk or plastic instead, so it's easier to remove, or shape soap to look like rose petals and other botanicals. Or just consider soaps with real flower petals stuck into them decoration only, and keep them dry.

 

[giulia]

I made the mistake of putting lavender buds on the second batch of soap I made. The buds were a mess on the first bar I tried to use but thankfully I was able to scrap most of the buds off some of the other bars. The bars are not pretty but they are usable and just for me.

 

[maryloucb]

This was a learning curve for me. I wanted to put "stuff" in my soap, but I found it was too scratchy, or turned brown, or it just ended up going down the drain. From now on any "stuff" I put in my soap will be finely ground, and I will use it a little more sparingly.

 

[DeeAnna]

I think it's easy to get carried away when looking at those romantic, dreamy pictures of soap on people's blogs and on Instagram. Sometimes fantasy is way better than reality.

 

[KimW]

Oh so true, @DeeAnna! How I fondly remember the time I covered a loaf with lavender...

 

[AliOop]

Oh so true, @DeeAnna! How I fondly remember the time I covered a loaf with lavender...

... lavender-scented mouse turds

 

[Tracy von Elling]

I recently bought some lavender buds which I planned on adding to the top of one of my upcoming soap batches. I'm glad I found this thread. I will probably not use it for this! Doesn't seem like it will work well!

 

[AAShillito]

I'm so glad I saw this thread. Now of course I have dried rose petals from BB up the Ying yang but I'll find a use I hope

 

[earlene]

I'm so glad I saw this thread. Now of course I have dried rose petals from BB up the Ying yang but I'll find a use I hope

You can infuse oil with rose petals.