I can smell my first batch of soap from here... :/

[Sweet T]

Hi All,
Sweet T here.

I have been obsessed with handmade soap (as well as homemade lotions and other body care products) for quite some time and have decided to give soap making it a try. I am not particularly crafty or creative but I do appreciate great smelling, natural, beautiful soap but at $8 a bar (from my current favorite crafter) I think I can at least give it a go.
The fact that I am a stay at home mom (or "kept woman" as I prefer to call myself since my children are practically grown..son 19, daughter 16. haha) gives me some extra time to explore things I might enjoy. And I believe I will really enjoy soap making, but boy do I have a lot to learn.
I bought Anne Watson's book, watched lots of youtube videos, gathered all the necessary supplies and yesterday I made my first batch. I think everything turned out pretty well although I got super excited about making patchouli soap that I spend $15 for .5 oz and since I needed 1.2 oz I went ahead and mixed it with clove (which I already had) thinking that if I like them both I would LOVE them together! Not so. It stinks to high heaven. (I'm wondering if it will mellow as it cures. I should have left the EOs out all together. ugh.). Anyhow, as a first attempt I believe it went well and I'm excited to adjust and learn as much as I can! I bought my supplies locally and clearly didn't do myself any financial favors (don't even want to calculate that) by making this batch but I suppose you could say I payed for the learning experience
I'm looking forward to picking your collective brains!

 

[Hazel]

Welcome to the forum!

I can imagine a combination of patchouli and clove would knock your socks off.

I'd give it a few days to a week to see if the scent mellows a bit. You might evern want to give it a couple of weeks since both of these are very strong EOs. If it doesn't mellow out, you may have to shred it and add it to an unscented batch.

 

[Sweet T]

Thanks for the suggestion, that is a perfect idea. Yes...that is what I will most likely have to do (I will have to learn how, but I am determined. haha). It was probably the obvious solution but nothing in soap making is obvious to me yet!

 

[IrishLass]

Hello, and welcome to the obsession!

IrishLass

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for the suggestion, that is a perfect idea. Yes...that is what I will most likely have to do (I will have to learn how, but I am determined. haha). It was probably the obvious solution but nothing in soap making is obvious to me yet!

It won't take you long to learn. I still miss obvious solutions to problems. Anyway, that's why it's helpful to have people to chat with when something doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. There's lots of helpful info here and I've learned a lot from reading other people's posts.

 

[Sunny]

hi sweet t I love sweet tea!
welcome to the forum!

 

[judymoody]

double post, sorry

 

[judymoody]

Clove is super strong and a potential irritant. It should be used in very small %
Depending on your recipe size, .7 oz of clove is a lot! Today I made a batch weighing 800 grams of oils and in my fragrance blend I used 3 grams of clove EO.

For either EOs or FOs, pay heed to your supplier's recommendations for maximum use rates. Especially for EOs as many should not be used by pregnant women or people with certain medical conditions. Some are toxic beyond a certain level and many are potential sensitizers.

I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm but EOs are potent substances and should be treated with respect.

 

[Sweet T]

Thank you JudyMoody....You are right. I have learned my lesson and will be more careful in the future with EOs! Don't worry, you haven't hindered my enthusiasm. That's why I'm here, to learn and listen.