Essential Oils - Do's and Don'ts, please help

[Nicebubbles]

Today I decided to make something different, a bar of soap half charcoal, half pink clay, everything went ok with charcoal layer and I added the amounts of essential oil given by soapcalc. However, when I started preparing the second layer, with clay, which I diluted with alcohol, but..... as soon as I put my essential oils, and used my whisker to mix the whole think trace so heavily that I could not even create the second layer.

I wonder if there's a list of essential oils that can speed the trace and how to avoid it if I decide to use anyway.

For the second layer I used Rose FO with cedarwood EO.

Many thanks

 

[IrishLass]

It could be a couple of separate things or a combo of them. For example, floral fragrances are known accelerators and are guilty of causing acceleration or a seize all on their own. That's not to say that all florals will cause acceleration or a sieze, but so many of them do that one should always use caution and make certain preparations just in case (such as soaping cooler or using more water, hand-stirring instead of stick-blending, etc..).

Alcohol is another known accelerator. I'm not sure how much alcohol you mixed with your clay, but it's possible that it may have contributed to things moving fast.

Also, clay tends to thicken things up as well.



IrishLass

 

[amd]

Why did you mix your clay with alcohol? I would suggest making a light slurry with water, or part of your soaping oils, or even an additional liquid oil if you are worried about clay clumps in the final soap. What I do if I can't add clay into my lye water is use a sifter/sieve and run the clay through that to break up the clumps, I sift right into the batter and hand stir thoroughly. Depending on the amount of clay you may have to sift half the clay, stir, sift the remaining half, stir, to avoid it clumping together.

Seconding IL's comment regarding floral FO's. I think cedarwood EO might be a "heater" EO - meaning it will warm up the soap batter faster than another EO might, which will speed up trace... but don't quote me on that. I've only used it once and I think that was my experience with it.

 

[cmzaha]

I have never had a problem with Cedarwood which I use quite often. Cedarwood Atlas is my main, but I also use Cedarwood Virginian, and Cedarwood Texas. All three soap with no acceleration, discoloration or heating. I would be very suspicious of the alcohol combined with the Rose FO

 

[dixiedragon]

It was the alcohol. Where did you get the idea to dilute with alcohol?

The Rose FO didn't help. Florals are often naughty.

 

[Kamahido]

Why did you mix your clay with alcohol? I would suggest making a light slurry with water, or part of your soaping oils, or even an additional liquid oil if you are worried about clay clumps in the final soap. What I do if I can't add clay into my lye water is use a sifter/sieve and run the clay through that to break up the clumps, I sift right into the batter and hand stir thoroughly. Depending on the amount of clay you may have to sift half the clay, stir, sift the remaining half, stir, to avoid it clumping together.

Seconding IL's comment regarding floral FO's. I think cedarwood EO might be a "heater" EO - meaning it will warm up the soap batter faster than another EO might, which will speed up trace... but don't quote me on that. I've only used it once and I think that was my experience with it.

I have used Cedar Essential Oil in the past and did not notice any extra heat.

 

[Nicebubbles]

It was the alcohol. Where did you get the idea to dilute with alcohol?

The Rose FO didn't help. Florals are often naughty.

Oh well it was a video I watched on Youtube, but the lady was using melt and pour not CP, thankfully it was just a small batch 200gr to test, now I know

 

[dixiedragon]

Ah. MP =/= CP.

 

[Nicebubbles]

Ah. MP =/= CP.

I got that