Help with recipe calculations

[FyrWyf]

Hello! I am new here and fairly new to soapmaking. I have only made about 4 batches, 2 of which I had assistance with last year. I am wanting to make some soap for Christmas gifts so I broke out my soap making supplies and have been looking over everything. I am having trouble understanding the whole soap calculator thing. I just don't get it. I've read over the post in this forum and I've browsed the help on the soapcalc website. But it just ain't clicking! Help!!
My specific question as of now is does fragrance have to be calculated in to the original recipe? I am doing a hot process by the way. (Not sure if that makes a difference) Say I'm making a 100 % olive oil (castile) soap. Can I just add a fragrance in at the end or will that throw everything off? Does it specifically have to be calculated into the recipe beforehand? I hope this makes sense. If it needs to be calculated in I'm not sure how to do that as the soap calc is so intimidating!

 

[SunRiseArts]

The best soap calculator I have come across is soapee, but the easiest to use is the one from bramble berry.

Why don't you try the bramble berry one? And it has a separate calculator for fragrance. On soapee you can put how much, but a good rule of thumb is like 0.5 oz per pound. Is not too high, or too low. But I always check the percentage of the fragrance. Some you can use more than others. With fragrances there is so much involve. But it might be better for you to add it at the end after you have bring your batch to trace. What fragrance are you using?

Hope that helps.

If you tell me what oils you want to use, and the amount, maybe I can help you with a recipe? BTW using only olive oil in your recipe will give you a very slimy soap IMO. I would add at least some coconut oil.

 

[FyrWyf]

Thank you so much! I will check those calculators out. The only oil I currently have on hand is Lavender essential oil.

 

[dibbles]

Fragrance oils and essential oils are not calculated as part of the recipe. I don't do HP, but I think they are usually added at the end.

 

[Kittish]

I use SoapCalc, it's the one I"m most comfortable with.

Your fragrance amounts (including both essential oils and fragrance oils) don't affect the lye calculation, so you can figure them separately if you want to (like if you're working out a recipe ahead of time, and don't yet know what sort of scent you want to use).

ETA: Just went 'bing' that you're doing hot process and have lavender essential oil. I'd definitely recommend waiting til the end of your cooking to add it. I used a lavender based mix for a HP soap once, added to the oils right at the beginning, and couldn't get the smell of lavender out of the house for days.

 

[FyrWyf]

Thank yall so much for the replies!

 

[SunRiseArts]

Thank you so much! I will check those calculators out. The only oil I currently have on hand is Lavender essential oil.

IMO that one does not tend to rise. Not sure what others think. But as a newbie, you are probably best if you add it at the end.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I am having trouble understanding the whole soap calculator thing. I just don't get it. I've read over the post in this forum and I've browsed the help on the soapcalc website. But it just ain't clicking! Help!!

SoapCalc does take time and practice to get used to. Probably the easiest way to practice is to plug in tried and true recipes and make a batch using 16 oz. oils.

My specific question as of now is does fragrance have to be calculated in to the original recipe?

Nope. Soap Calcs are meant to calculate the amount of lye and water needed to saponify the oils/fats/butters used, and factor in the SF (Super Fat) desired. Use the default setting for water (38%) and SF (5%) for now. But the fragrance option is convenient if you want to use it. Once again, use the default setting (0.5 oz per 16 oz oils) for now.

I am doing a hot process by the way. (Not sure if that makes a difference)

It doesn't make a difference. The calculations are the same for both CP and HP.

Say I'm making a 100 % olive oil (castile) soap. Can I just add a fragrance in at the end or will that throw everything off?

Adding it at the end is just fine, altho it's recommended that you wait for the soap to cool down about 5 minutes or so before adding the fragrance. Knowing the "flash point" of the fragrance helps to keep it from dissapating when added to hot soap. Be sure to stir it in for one full minute so it's fully incorporated. TIP: Add fragrance to an ounce of castor oil (or other oil from the recipe) an hour before soaping to help it stick.

HTH :bunny:
​

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I have to disagree - when there is a question about adding fragrance, the HP/CP information does make a difference!

OP, if you are doing hot process, add the scent in at the end - otherwise your scent will be going through a great deal of heat for a LOT longer than it needs to. There is no need to cook your essential oils along with the batter

 

[Zany_in_CO]

FyrWyr, I just started a thread for you in the Beginner's Forum to get some practice using SoapCalc. Look for "Trinity of Oils - Starter Formula". I hope this helps you to feel less intimidated by SoapCalc in no time at all!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I have to disagree - when there is a question about adding fragrance, the HP/CP information does make a difference!

Welcome back, Effy G!!! Just to be clear, I think we all agree that fragrance should be added at the end of the cook for HP, yes? But as far as the calculations for lye & water, which is what I was addressing above, there is no difference -- they are the same for whether you're making CP or HP. So that's not what you're disagreeing with, correct?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

No, just an open statement with no qualifiers that it doesn't make a difference

 

[shunt2011]

I also disagree that CP/HP are the same. Not true. HP requires more water to keep it fluid and adding the EO/FO after the cook when the temperature has dropped a bit. Makes a big difference.

 

[DeeAnna]

And furthermore and for the eleventy-bazillionth time, flash point has no bearing on the rate of evaporation of a scent. Despite what "everybody says" this is so not, not true.

Flash point only means the temperature at which a substance will burn when exposed to an open flame. It is only necessary to know flash point to ensure the material is safely and properly shipped.

That property that pertains to evaporation of a substance is the vapor pressure, not the flash point. Absolutely and completely different property.

Bottom line -- don't waste time agonizing over flash point. You are fooling yourself if you think it makes a difference in scent evaporation. Just mix the scent into the soap at as cool a temperature as is practical and move on with life.

 

[FyrWyf]

Thank you all so much for the replies.
And Zany in Co, thank you so much for the breakdown of my original post...it was most helpful.
I will look for the new thread you created in a bit when I have a little more time to read.
Thanks again everyone!

 

[jcandleattic]

And furthermore and for the eleventy-bazillionth time, flash point has no bearing on the rate of evaporation of a scent. Despite what "everybody says" this is so not, not true.

Flash point only means the temperature at which a substance will burn when exposed to an open flame. It is only necessary to know flash point to ensure the material is safely and properly shipped.

I wish I could "like" or "love" this comment eleventy billion times!! I don't really understand the difficulty people have with understanding what flash point is, but people really seem to have a hard time with it.

 

[cmzaha]

The only difference I find with hp is many times I can get away with less fragrance than I do in cp and of course the water difference.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

And furthermore and for the eleventy-bazillionth time, flash point has no bearing on the rate of evaporation of a scent. ... Flash point only means the temperature at which a substance will burn when exposed to an open flame. It is only necessary to know flash point to ensure the material is safely and properly shipped.

Thanks, DeeAnna. I didn't know that!

I'm prolly not the only one that benefitted from your mentioning it for the eleventy-bazillionth-and-one time.

 

[psfred]

Flash point has a specific definition -- quite literally, it is the temperature where the substance will "flash" a temporary flame across a defined size pool of liquid when a flame (usually a natural gas flame) it "touched" to the surface.

It is a measure of how easy the liquid is to ignite (set on fire), not a direct measurement of rate of evaporation or vapor pressure.

When it comes to scent in soap, once you mix it in the evaporation rate is going to be very slow, even in hot melted soap. To evaporate, the scent molecules have to diffuse through the soap to get to the surface, and that process is slow in melted soap and very slow in solid, semi=crystallized soap.

Add your scents to HP soap quickly and stir in very well, then don't worry about it. I suspect many scents hold better and have more "smell" in HP than in CP soap simply because many of the molecules react with lye in a way that alters them to make them smell less or of something different. So far I've found scents to be stronger in HP soap for the equivalent amounts added. I only have a couple in both types of soap, but so far the HP ones are much stronger.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Add your scents to HP soap quickly and stir in very well, then don't worry about it. I suspect many scents hold better and have more "smell" in HP than in CP soap simply because many of the molecules react with lye in a way that alters them to make them smell less or of something different. So far I've found scents to be stronger in HP soap for the equivalent amounts added. I only have a couple in both types of soap, but so far the HP ones are much stronger.

I agree because I am not good at chemistry, but I have done a handful of rebatch soap, and after grated and go through the melt process in the crockpot, the fragrance carries through until the end. Sometimes I add an extra 1% to make it stronger, but if the scent was original strong, as it happens with lavender, for example, I do not need to add any.