my first batch of milk soap questions

[Jeremy]

Well, I finally figured out how to make uncurdled milk soap and it has cured for approx. 2 weeks now. When I left for work the colour was a nice light caramel. Now upon my return it is almost a dark chocolate colour. I used what I consider a ton of vanilla fragrance oil( 4 teaspoons for a 4 pound batch, and about thirty drops of 10X vanilla EO. I used a bar for my shower today and think the performance of this soap is great. Butttt.
1: I am not happy with the scent volume, it's barely noticable. Did I not use enough??? Should I have used a fixative scent??
2: Though I have read that Vanilla EO turns the soap brown, is dark brown normal?
Pics to follow.

 

[AshleyR]

I don't think you used enough FO. I'd probably use .75 oz - 1 oz PPO. 4 tsp. in 4 lbs is definitely not enough!

As for vanilla turning your soap brown, yes some can turn your soap very dark brown. I've tried to lighten my vanilla soaps with titanium dioxide, but they still always turn out a beige colour, so now I just embrace the dark brown and name my vanilla soaps "Vanilla Fudge!"

 

[Jeremy]

Thanks Ashley, I'll try using your proportions next batch. I know that I am a bit of a scent miser. I just look at the cost of some scents and try and cheap out, which I know is the wrong way to look at it.
I will be better...lol

 

[Barb]

It's that simple. If you used a "vanilla" fragrance oil (Vanilla, French Vanilla, Warm Vanilla Sugar etc.), your soap will likely turn a deep chocolate brown over the course of about two weeks. However, I hear you cry, you didn't use a vanilla fragrance! You used "Mint Chocolate" or "Pumpkin Spice" or "Sandalwood"! Many many fragrance blends have a little bit of vanilla in them. It warms the blends, rounds out the base tones. It's a lovely part of the blends - if it weren't for the turning brown part. The more vanilla there is in the blend, the more brown it's going to turn.

if the supplier you bought the fragrance from doesn't say anything in the description about the fragrance causing the soap to discolor you can always check in the scent review board it most likely will be posted there. along with other useful info on the scent.

for me it is hard to sell the brown soaps so you have to get creative with them. i try layering them or adding a layer on the top that is unscented and even uncolored and adding ground vanilla beans. or do a reverse swirl but sometimes the fragrance still get the best of me and will migrate into the unscented portion and darken it.

i have never been lucky enough to get an gelled soap containing milk to not turn some shade of tan either. so combine that along with the vanilla and that's what happens. adding some td to your soap base will help somewhat with the final shade of brown you end up with.

 

[heartsong]

x

www.soapsupplies.net has a wonderful non discoloring vanilla-bendel bean. since most vanillas "weenie-out" i use it at 1 oz ppo and after 3 months still smells sweet and true.

this is not a sticky-sweet candy vanilla, but more of a drier realistic vanilla. i used 1/4 tsp ppo of ipanema gold mica which gives it a rich buttery tint.