EOs in Cold Process Soap

[MellonFriend]

I have some essential oil blends that I bought with soap making in mind, and now I'm seeing that EOs can fade or get burned out of the soap during the process. How likely is it that these things will happen? Is there anything I can do to lessen the chances that they will? I heard that you can add the EOs after trace and up the fragrance concentration. Is this true?

 

[amd]

How likely is it that these things will happen?

It depends on the EO. Some stick better than others.

Is there anything I can do to lessen the chances that they will?

Use EO's that stick well. Some EO's, such as patchouli or may chang will help anchor the more fragile EO's, but they will still fade.

I heard that you can add the EOs after trace and up the fragrance concentration. Is this true?

No. EO's (and fragrances) have safety usage rates that you should follow. It doesn't matter when you add it to the soap, you still need to follow the safety rates.

I recommend doing HP for EO soaps, the scent will last a bit longer as it's not exposed to the saponification process. EO's will still fade so HP isn't a fail safe way to make EO soap.

 

[Cat&Oak]

The best way to get eo to stick in soap is to use blends. Top, middle and bottom notes together. You can also use kaolin clay or oatmeal to help it stick as well. Essential oils do fade, sometimes dramatically. Citrus especially. Here is a website that explains it better than I ever could hope it helps:
https://www.iamcountryside.com/soapmaking/best-essential-oils-soap-making/

 

[maryloucb]

They definitely fade, but I've found that even if you can't smell them strongly on the dry soap, once you get in a steamy shower the scent is released again. Best ones I've found that stick around: peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, sandalwood. Medium: litsea, bergamot. Worst: orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit. Good advice about having top, middle and base notes. The soaps I have made with only citrus have really lost their scent, but those with citrus and sandalwood, or citrus and cedarwood have kept their scents better. I haven't experimented with other essential oils, I'm sure others have advice about those.

 

[MellonFriend]

Okay, good to know. It's a bummer because I think most of the blends I bought have at least some citrus in them. I'll probably give it a shot, but I won't have too high expectations.

No. EO's (and fragrances) have safety usage rates that you should follow. It doesn't matter when you add it to the soap, you still need to follow the safety rates.

Where would I find this information? Is it the same as how much you'd dilute them in carrier oils?

 

[maryloucb]

Where would I find this information? Is it the same as how much you'd dilute them in carrier oils?

https://www.eocalc.com/enter-your-own-blend/This is a great resource for safe usage rates and blends

 

[AliOop]

Where would I find this information? Is it the same as how much you'd dilute them in carrier oils?

Edited: I see that @maryloucb also recommended this. Try EOCalc.com. The site offers premade blends, or you can put in your own blend with percentages. Specify the type of product (soap is category 9), and it will give you the safe usage rate for each oil in the blend.

The number of oils is limited, but does generally include the most commonly-used EOs for soapmaking. If you want to get really serious, purchase Tisserand's "Essential Oil Safety" book. He reviews hundreds of oils and provides a lot of scientific information.

 

[lsg]

You might try using litsea cubeba to anchor the citrus EOs.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

As noted above, some EOs hold up better than others in cp soap. This post lists EOS that have lasted 6 months or more for forum members:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/longest-lasting-eos.77315/post-884722

 

[KiwiMoose]

@MellonFriend - the resource that Mobjack has compiled is very useful in helping you decide which ones to use. Many of us have contributed to it already. I regularly use Eos in my soap, but have got it down to a regular line-up of what works.

 

[MellonFriend]

I'll have to check out all of those resources. Thanks everyone! ☺