My kelp soap stinks

[soapandco]

Made a batch of kelp soap today and guess what, it stinks, smell exactly like the fish market. Feeling sick and nauseous cutting the soap... some says the smell will go away when it dries, some says it doesn't.. really feel like dumping the whole batch :sick:

 

[seven]

yea, kelp stinks. i did a dead sea mud and kelp batch a few weeks back, and really held back on the kelp powder. if memory serves me right, i was using 1 tsp for a 2lb batch. now, after almost a month, the fishy smell has gone almost completely, replaced by the lemongrass eo. how much kelp did you use? don't throw the whole batch, it will get better with time, i promise

 

[soapandco]

yea, kelp stinks. i did a dead sea mud and kelp batch a few weeks back, and really held back on the kelp powder. if memory serves me right, i was using 1 tsp for a 2lb batch. now, after almost a month, the fishy smell has gone almost completely, replaced by the lemongrass eo. how much kelp did you use? don't throw the whole batch, it will get better with time, i promise

I was trying to make a 3-layer soap with kelp, comfrey root powder and lemon peel.. I added 1 tsp in about 250g of the soap, I think it's a bit too much now... I can't smell anything in my soap except the kelp, my whole room just smells like the fish market...

 

[IrishLass]

If my one batch with made with kelp is anything to go by, the smell will gradually dissipate. Just give it time. I can't remember off the top of my head how much I used, but it smelled like low-tide at the beginning. By the time the batch was completely cured, though, the fishy smell was barely there, and then it just completely disappeared altogether.

IrishLass

 

[cmzaha]

It will fade but that is a lot of powdered kelp in 8.5 oz soap.

 

[pamielynn]

I will never try that again. Did it once and the smell never really faded enough for me to use it.

 

[soapandco]

I will never try that again. Did it once and the smell never really faded enough for me to use it.

that's my biggest worry.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

What does the kelp do in soap that would make it so desirable to have?

 

[summerflyy]

Supposedly kelp is good for the skin but how much of that goodness is retained after saponification remains a question mark. Maybe label appeal ??

 

[soapandco]

I wanted to use it as natural colorant and as exfoliant, would have used other stuff as replacement or just do away with it if I knew it stinks so badly...

 

[cmzaha]

Kelp and seaweed soap is very popular for me. I use it with tea tree and lemongrass. My "Kelpie" Salt bar is my biggest selling salt bar that is fragranced with a grapefruit & citrus fo that covers the smell of the kelp powder perfectly.

 

[citygirl]

I want to make a kelp/seaweed soap batch for myself but I'm very worried that it will smell bad. Thanks for the tips. If I decide to do it I will add some citrus fragrance oil to it.:smile:

 

[ColleenB]

If my one batch with made with kelp is anything to go by, the smell will gradually dissipate. Just give it time. I can't remember off the top of my head how much I used, but it smelled like low-tide at the beginning. By the time the batch was completely cured, though, the fishy smell was barely there, and then it just completely disappeared altogether.

IrishLass

I had the same experience (before I found this forum and could heed the warning!). The smell is going away as it cures, but I’m concerned for how it will smell when I actually use the soap. Will getting the bar wet bring the smell back??

 

[IrishLass]

I had the same experience (before I found this forum and could herd the warning!). The smell is going away as it cures, but I’m concerned for how it will smell when I actually use the soap. Will getting the bar wet bring the smell back??

Hi Colleen, and welcome! As it turned out, the smell unfortunately did come back when wet, but this was only after the soap was pretty aged....something like 2 years after I made it. I had a bar or 2 left by that time and tried to use them, but they were both pretty icky smelling when wet and I tossed them out. No DOS or anything like that, so it had to be the kelp. Within the first year of it's life, though, the batch was perfectly fine in the shower.

It was very weird.......and pretty gross smelling, and I've never used kelp again.


IrishLass

 

[ColleenB]

Hi Colleen, and welcome! As it turned out, the smell unfortunately did come back when wet, but this was only after the soap was pretty aged....something like 2 years after I made it. I had a bar or 2 left by that time and tried to use them, but they were both pretty icky smelling when wet and I tossed them out. No DOS or anything like that, so it had to be the kelp. Within the first year of it's life, though, the batch was perfectly fine in the shower.

It was very weird.......and pretty gross smelling, and I've never used kelp again.


IrishLass

Thanks for the welcome and reply! I have no idea what I am going to do with my leftover kelp, but it won't be going in my soap again, that's for sure! The room I am curing my soap in reeked for a good two weeks. I am glad to hear that the smell is tolerable early on. Hopefully I can offload it all quickly!

 

[Dawni]

I just recently made soap that had seaweed in it. Can't say how much exactly because it was a mixed powder of all superfoods, but I used 2 tablespoons for 1.2 kgs of soap.

It doesn't smell like a fish market, probably coz there are other things going on, but it's definitely predominantly a "sea smell" and its only been a week I think, but it is fading.

Don't toss yours yet. Did you scent it with anything? The kelp might fade and the other scents might show through..

 

[penelopejane]

I collect seaweed and treat it myself. If I quickly rinse the seaweed in sea salt water before I dehydrate it, it doesn't smell.
Would it be possible to wash the kelp powder you have in sea salt water then dry it again?
You don't want to leave it in the sea salt water for too long as it will degrade but it just takes a quick wash of my seaweed to stop the smell so I am thinking it might be the same for the powder.

 

[ColleenB]

I just recently made soap that had seaweed in it. Can't say how much exactly because it was a mixed powder of all superfoods, but I used 2 tablespoons for 1.2 kgs of soap.

It doesn't smell like a fish market, probably coz there are other things going on, but it's definitely predominantly a "sea smell" and its only been a week I think, but it is fading.

Don't toss yours yet. Did you scent it with anything? The kelp might fade and the other scents might show through..

I used peppermint EO with my batch and you can definitely smell that... on top of the kelp smell. The kelp I used was in flake-form, not powder. I don't know if that makes much of a difference, or not. The kelp smell is fading as it cures and the peppermint smell remains, so I am hoping it will turn out okay. I am curious to see what it smells like when hot water touches it. It will have a month-cure on 21 April... so, we'll see shortly!

 

[ColleenB]

I collect seaweed and treat it myself. If I quickly rinse the seaweed in sea salt water before I dehydrate it, it doesn't smell.
Would it be possible to wash the kelp powder you have in sea salt water then dry it again?
You don't want to leave it in the sea salt water for too long as it will degrade but it just takes a quick wash of my seaweed to stop the smell so I am thinking it might be the same for the powder.

That's really interesting! I will have to try that. The kelp had a bit of a "kelpy smell" when dry in the package, but NOTHING compared to the smell that was created once I unmolded the soap. It really made the entire room where I keep my soaps stink. It was unexpected, but I am new to this, so that kind of the way of things. Hopefully once fully cured it will have mellowed enough for only the peppermint EO to come through.

 

[penelopejane]

The smell will return when the water hits it again:
I don’t think kelp flakes will change my advice above but they might be a bit scratchy in soap.