EO behaving badly

[anjouwu]

I tried a forum search, so forgive me if there is an existing thread about this topic. But, can anyone recommend a resource for EO behavior in CP soaping?

Is clove really that naughty, does mint sometimes cause seizing, etc. I have found some wonderful blending advice and a lot of good basic information about EO benefits and composition, flash points and anchoring, but not a great deal about performance in cold process soaping...

 

[IrishLass]

The only EO's I've ever soaped are patchouli and also orange 10-fold. Both behaved very well in my CP (i.e., no acceleration).

Based on a accumulative reports I've collected over the years by others who normally soap with EOs, these seem to be the 2 biggest troublemakers in regards to causing acceleration: clove eo and cinnamon eo.

One of our members also reported that ylang-ylang and geranium accelerate for her: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=307195&postcount=12

Hopefully more will chime in soon.


IrishLass

 

[Millie]

I agree with IrishLass - most EOs are pretty tame, except for spices and florals, although I always use those with other EOs so I can't be too specific about which are the culprits. Add resinoids to the accelerators (benzoin and labdanum). If you have questions about specific EOs I'll take a peek at my notes... and hope that I took good notes

 

[DeeAnna]

I do a gardener's soap with finely ground coffee for scrubbiness and an EO blend of thyme, lavender, and tea tree. One of these is a definite accelerant -- I'm leaning toward the thyme being the culprit. I've used lavender alone and had no problems. And I know others use tea tree and don't report problems. I've made this soap too many times to think it's just "one of those soapy moments" where things go awry without apparent reason.

This is a two layer soap, so I handle the problem by getting the soap batter ready without the EO blend. I then hand stir the EO blend into the first layer, pouring it promptly, and smacking the soap into place in the mold as it turns into cold chicken gravy. It hardens up about as fast as pine tar soap, to give you some idea. I then repeat with the EO in the second layer. The finished soap smells pretty nice -- kind of a spicy medicinal scent -- that lasts and works well with a scrubby soap meant for garden grubby hands.

Here's a pic from a few years ago. I haven't photographed this year's batch -- just got it done a few days ago.

 

[Susie]

Clove really is that naughty. It won't give you soap on a stick, but it will definitely make you get to a mold, FAST! So you just color and do everything else before you add it.

 

[aihrat]

I soap almost exclusively with EOs, with a few exceptions. I would suggest visiting the listings for any EOs you intend to use, on an online supplier's website such as Bramble Berry. I like BB because the UI is clean and bold, and they do put CP notes on their EO listings most of the time. "Fast mover" is marketing slang for "accelerates trace"

If not, you can scroll down to read the user reviews for the oils, and see if anyone has complained about acceleration/ricing/seizing.

As an example, on Ylang Ylang III EO, both the BB notes and the reviews note that it accelerates: https://www.brambleberry.com/ylang-ylang-iii-essential-oil-p4373.aspx

Many soapmakers who work with EOs tend to go by the loose rule of "florals fast, citrus slow". I have found this to be true for the most part, although there have been some exceptions.

My personal list so far:

Slows Trace
Sweet Orange
Grapefruit
Lemon
Bergamot

Does not affect trace/behaves well
Lemongrass
Peppermint
Lavender (except the one time I got dodgy supermarket lavender EO)
Eucalyptus
Ginger
May Chang (Litsea Cubeba)
Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
Rosemary
Cedarwood (Cedrus Atlantica)
Fir (Pinus Sylvestris)
Neroli (Nature Identical)

Moderate accelerant
Jasmine (natural/synthetic blend)
German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomila)
Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens)
Ylang Ylang

***
Rose (natural/synthetic blend)
Cinnamon leaf/bark (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Clove (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Pine Tar (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Anything extracted or dissolved in alcohol (from other soapmakers' experiences)

A couple of tricks I use in addition to the ones mentioned by AlchemyandAshes's post, when working with fast movers:

Blend faster-tracing oils with oils that slow down trace (eg. Ylang Ylang with Sweet Orange)
Take advantage of lecithin in powdered goat milk, as lecithin is purported to slow trace

 

[dixiedragon]

You can google around for essential oils and cold process soap and you'll find some lists. I don't know if a "comprehensive" list.

For me, clove IS that naughty. It goes from thin trace to cold grits VERY quickly.

I think lavender actually slows trace a bit.

 

[anjouwu]

Great advice and hints. I like the look of that gardener's soap, @DeeAnna! It does remind me a bit of cream cheese frosted spice cake, and that's a good thing.

.
My personal list so far:

Slows Trace
Sweet Orange
Grapefruit
Lemon
Bergamot

Does not affect trace/behaves well
Lemongrass
Peppermint
Lavender (except the one time I got dodgy supermarket lavender EO)
Eucalyptus
Ginger
May Chang (Litsea Cubeba)
Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
Rosemary
Cedarwood (Cedrus Atlantica)
Fir (Pinus Sylvestris)
Neroli (Nature Identical)

Moderate accelerant
Jasmine (natural/synthetic blend)
German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomila)
Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens)
Ylang Ylang

***
Rose (natural/synthetic blend)
Cinnamon leaf/bark (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Clove (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Pine Tar (from other soapmakers' experiences)
Anything extracted or dissolved in alcohol (from other soapmakers' experiences)

Thank you! I laughed out loud at the title of the final column, a version of which many of us utter when struggling to get batter into a mold when you realize something is going wrong

 

[dixiedragon]

For me, pine tar is easier than clove EO. I always add lavender EO to mine and I soap with high lard and full water, and that makes it workable.

 

[cmzaha]

I do a gardener's soap with finely ground coffee for scrubbiness and an EO blend of thyme, lavender, and tea tree. One of these is a definite accelerant -- I'm leaning toward the thyme being the culprit. I've used lavender alone and had no problems. And I know others use tea tree and don't report problems. I've made this soap too many times to think it's just "one of those soapy moments" where things go awry without apparent reason.

This is a two layer soap, so I handle the problem by getting the soap batter ready without the EO blend. I then hand stir the EO blend into the first layer, pouring it promptly, and smacking the soap into place in the mold as it turns into cold chicken gravy. It hardens up about as fast as pine tar soap, to give you some idea. I then repeat with the EO in the second layer. The finished soap smells pretty nice -- kind of a spicy medicinal scent -- that lasts and works well with a scrubby soap meant for garden grubby hands.

Here's a pic from a few years ago. I haven't photographed this year's batch -- just got it done a few days ago.

Thyme is the culprit, it accelerates quite quickly. I have also had a few lavenders that accelerate, but do not remember exactly which ones.

 

[Dorymae]

I work with clove EO mixed with tea tree in one of my soaps and yes it is horrible if you don't take precautions! My only "soap on a stick" was with clove, and it happened so fast I was left shaking my head!

To work with clove soap very cold - refrigerated cold. Only bring your oil and lye to emulsion, not trace - not even thin trace! Put your stick blender away at this point, you will not be using it. Have your molds ready - double check. If you absolutely have to have more than one color separate and color first and split your clove oil into two containers to add.

Now as quickly as possible you will do the following:

Add the clove oil, and stir with a spoon - do not stir for long just enough so it is in the mix and not floating on top. Then do your other color. Pour into the mold - at this point it will be thick so do your swirl with a chopstick or spoon. Bang down the mold and thank the soap gods if it all went well!

 

[user 29721]

Great thread! I make soaps with essential oils only (with exception of a pet soap) and here is my list. In addition to below list, knowing the source of EO and extraction method is vital. Some EOs are extracted chemically or with the help of alcohol. These might have tendency to accelerate more than others. I had a batch of Patchouli that was accelerating like Pine Tar. Test before you make big batches.

Quick Accelerators:
Clove
Cinnamon
Laurel/Bay Leaf
White Sage
Ginger
Fennel
Rose
Sandalwood
Allspice
Jasmine