Mint Soap Catastrophes

Guest · May 21, 2012

Help!!!! I don't know what I am doing wrong lately....I have been using the same standard recipe that I use for my booth--Olive/coconut/palm, and lately every batch that has peppermint in it turns yellowish at the edges and smells...um, not quite rancid, but as if the EO's have gone bad. EO's have been less than a year old and I generally use 1 Tb. per pound of soap. Insulate and cut as usual. Any ideas fellow soapers PLEASE?!?!

Guest · May 21, 2012

Have you changed the brand of EO that you use, or getting your ingredients from a different supplier than usual? The only time I have had freaky things like this happen with EO's and FO's was when I changed suppliers.

sudbubblez · May 22, 2012

How/where are you storing your EOs? Some of them have pretty short shelf lives. I keep all mine in the fridge. Also, if your EO bottle is near empty, you can increase the shelf life by transferring it to a smaller bottle and reducing its surface area.

Kwpgrooming · May 22, 2012

Are there any EO you can not store in the fridge?

Genny · May 22, 2012

I was told in an Aromatherapy class not to store EO's in the fridge because the dramatic fluctuation in temperature each time that the fridge is opened and closed during the day can cause your EO's to deteriorate over time.

If you have a basement or cool closet, those areas would be best.

Fragola · May 22, 2012

Unless you are certain you know how spoiled peppermint oil smells like, I wouldn't blame your problem on that.

I was told in an Aromatherapy class not to store EO's in the fridge because the dramatic fluctuation in temperature each time that the fridge is opened and closed during the day can cause your EO's to deteriorate over time.

I am thinking it's possible to buffer against temperature changes by storing the bottles inside another container. Preferably something with thick or double walls.