keeping the scent..

[turnedlight]

I have given away lots of bars to try to my family this Christmas, they seem to like the soaps and I have a better idea of the recipes I want to develop. My biggest issue though is the smell - I added a lot of lavender to my last batch, so much so I couldn't have it in the same room as me when it was first curing.. but now it's done it hardly smell at all! Do I just add even more, or am I doing it wrong? I have been adding essential oils at trace. I have cured the soaps in a card board box with an open side in a ventilated room - perhaps I should be putting it into a tighter sealed box sooner then 4 weeks?

 

[Bubbly Buddha]

Does it smell to other people? Could be your sniffer after being around it so long.
I find EO's are hit and miss-sometimes they keep their smell and sometimes they fade. Lavender is one that usually "Sticks" for me tho. How much did you add?
I don't think it's recommended to store your soaps in a tight container as they can spoil if they are not allowed to breathe..

 

[gunner]

Same here; lavender is the ONLY eo I've tried that doesn't seem to fade much at all. I even have 1 or 2 soaps left over from more than a year ago that still smell like they did then.
I have never experienced it or read of it, but with everything there's a "dud". Did you use that particular bottle/brand/scent more than once? Just a thought....

 

[Guest]

Agreed, lavender is a sticker for me. I've recently had an issue with vanilla not scenting. Generally the blended eo's seem to do okay too, especially if you follow the base, middle, top note idea - have a little of each in the blend. I also use orris root as a fixative. I know carebear said on another topic not to use it for soaping, that it doesn't work but I haven't made a batch without it yet to test her advice.

 

[soapbuddy]

How much Lavender did you use per lb. of oils? Did you weigh the Lavender so you know that you had the correct amount?

 

[dcornett]

I'm with the others. I've NEVER had a problem with the lavender staying, and I always cure my soaps in the open on cake cooling racks so the air can circulate fully. I normally use 1oz. pr/lb of oils with nearly all of my fragrance and essential oils, but lavender is the one that I only use about .7oz/pr/lb oils because it is so strong. It's very puzzling that yours is so strong initially then it fades to nearly nothing. So the only thing that I could imagine is that you must have got a real dud.

 

[turnedlight]

I weigh all the other ingredients but the recipes I've been using call for the amount of eo's in teaspoons. I bought this particular one from a small producer locally, it is even stronger smelling in the bottle but perhaps it doesn't have the same properties. I will check and see if one oz per pound equates to the amount I used, thank you

 

[Adema]

I weigh all the other ingredients but the recipes I've been using call for the amount of eo's in teaspoons. I bought this particular one from a small producer locally, it is even stronger smelling in the bottle but perhaps it doesn't have the same properties. I will check and see if one oz per pound equates to the amount I used, thank you

I think the guideline is about 40 gr. per kilo of oils or 0.7 oz per lbs. of oils. I don't think spoons are the best way to measure your Eo's or Fo's ,it is probably better to weigh it.

Kveðja
María

 

[carebear]

For lavender I use 1 oz ppo (just shy of 30 grams). My general range is 20-30 grams of oils.

 

[Adema]

For lavender I use 1 oz ppo (just shy of 30 grams). My general range is 20-30 grams of oils.

Ok, So that is about 60 grams for the kilo of oils, do you use lavender EO or FO? Just wondering how high I can go with the EO's for the irritant issue not to be an issue.

Kveðja
María

 

[soapbuddy]

For lavender I use 1 oz ppo (just shy of 30 grams). My general range is 20-30 grams of oils.

Same here. 1 oz. PPO is my limit.