Increasing menthol

[Obsidian]

I made soap while back with 3% menthol and its not quite enough. You can feel a bit of cool on your face and below the belt but nothing on the body.
I'd like a nice cooling sensation all over but not so much it makes your eyes water. How much should I increase the menthol by?

 

[Obsidian]

No one? Doesn't anyone use menthol anymore?

 

[Susie]

Huh? Oh, yeah, I do for the hubs. I used 0.4 oz PPO in the last batch. I haven't had enough sleep to do math, sorry.

 

[shunt2011]

I'm wanting to try it. I have the crystals but haven't gotten around to it. I was thinking 4-5%.

 

[DeeAnna]

I have yet to try this so I don't have any personal opinion -- but here are a couple of tidbits that might be helpful --

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55372 Carolyn said "menthol crystals can be used up to 6% load. We make a balm that uses 5% plus some eo's."

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=51499 Lee Bussey says in shave soap, "3% is a nice "tingle" and 5% is cooling."

 

[Obsidian]

Thanks, I think I'll go with 5% this time. Hopefully it will be cooling without being too intense.

 

[DeeAnna]

I think the less sensitive parts of the body are going to have less of a cooling sensation by virtue of their being less sensitive. The face, hands, unmentionable bits, and possibly the soles of the feet are going to feel "the cool" the most.

I am very interested in hearing your reaction to the higher %. I'd like to try a soap with menthol in it too, just haven't done it yet. From reading the threads I mentioned earlier, the % to use for menthol is just about as hard to figure out as the % of pine tar in a PT soap.

 

[artemis]

How do you use menthol in soap? Just blend it in at trace?

 

[Obsidian]

No, you melt the crystal in a little warm oil then blend it into the oils before adding the lye. At least thats how I did it, worked great as the crystals melt very easily.

 

[Susie]

I usually put mine in with either the other EOs when weighing them out-they are melted by the time I am ready to use them, or I put them into the liquid oils when weighing them out. Either way, they are easily melted by the time I am ready to mix.

 

[green soap]

I use it at 1 1/2 to 2% and it feels plenty tingly to us.

 

[artemis]

Thanks- I've been wondering about this

 

[cherrycoke216]

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=51499 Lee Bussey says in shave soap, "3% is a nice "tingle" and 5% is cooling."

I have tried 3% & 5%, but still a Menthol newbie here. If you leave the lather on your body for a few minutes just like you're using pine tar soap ( to allow it to work ), you'll sure feel the tingle and cooling depending on how thick is your hide ( or bits !! ) And the coolness will last awhile, considering the factor of ambient temperature, with the fan or A/C on...etc.

 

[beshaved]

How do you measure this percentage? I would like to use menthol on my next batch of shaving soap.
I think I will go at 4% PPO (if PPO is the correct measurement to use)

 

[shunt2011]

How do you measure this percentage? I would like to use menthol on my next batch of shaving soap.
I think I will go at 4% PPO (if PPO is the correct measurement to use)

If you are using 4% it would be 4% of your batch weight. I think that may be a bit too much personally.

 

[Susie]

If I want to use a certain percentage of FO or EO, I type it in the appropriate place on the lye calculator and let it do all the work.

 

[apples]

I made soap while back with 3% menthol and its not quite enough. You can feel a bit of cool on your face and below the belt but nothing on the body.
I'd like a nice cooling sensation all over but not so much it makes your eyes water. How much should I increase the menthol by?

Have you made the soap? If yes, at how many % menthol? I'm a little curious to hear the result. Itching to soap with the bag of menthol which has been sitting around for a while.

If I want to use a certain percentage of FO or EO, I type it in the appropriate place on the lye calculator and let it do all the work.

I don't get this, meaning if you're using 5% EO, menthol is part of the 5%?

 

[Obsidian]

Just made it yesterday, will be at least two weeks before I test it. I ended up using 4%

 

[Susie]

I don't get this, meaning if you're using 5% EO, menthol is part of the 5%?

Yes, if you want to use a total of 5% EO, and menthol needs to be part of that, you simply use part of it as menthol.

For example:

I want a total of 5% EO for a batch that is 32 oz of oil. (I hate math, and normally use 0.5 oz PPO to avoid it, but we will use your 5% here.)

The soap calculator tells me that I need 0.96 oz of EO total.

If I want my menthol to be at 4% of my total soap batch, I do the math.

0.96 oz divided by 5 (total number of %) = 0.192 oz times 4 (number of % I want as menthol) = 0.768 oz.

I have used 4% menthol in soap, and my hubby LOVES it. I can wash my hands with it, and it is safe. I would not advise females use menthol soap on their more sensitive areas.

 

[cmzaha]

I have yet to try this so I don't have any personal opinion -- but here are a couple of tidbits that might be helpful --

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55372 Carolyn said "menthol crystals can be used up to 6% load. We make a balm that uses 5% plus some eo's."

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=51499 Lee Bussey says in shave soap, "3% is a nice "tingle" and 5% is cooling."

Camden Grey says they can be used up to 20% of their 100% menthol crystals. When I purchased mine the load was 6% which I have also used in a balm. We did not even find 6% all that strong.

Here is some additional info about menthol per Making Cosmetics site:
Menthol is registered as an OTC skin protectant drug with the FDA. This means that if you want to sell a finished product containing menthol and you make a skin protectant claim (incl. insect bites and insect stings), menthol must then be listed under 'Active Ingredients' on the label. Also, your facility and your product must be registered with the FDA and you must operate under cGMP guidelines. However, if no skin protectant drug claims are made on the label, menthol is not considered a OTC drug and no registration is needed.