No Fragrance

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SoaperBee

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Apr 6, 2010
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Hi ,
I posted here in April about using Orange Essential oils,, well it's been over 4 wks and my soap is great BUT, no fragrance at all, it's all gone..
It is also happening with the fragrance oils as well.. I am doing 4 lb batches with olive oil, coconut oil and shea butter... I use 2-3 ounces of essential or fragrance oils...
Am I not using enough? gosh, it can get expensive to frangrance soap..
anyone have any ideas???

Thanks so much :)

Deb
 
I have read lots of times on this forum that orange EO and other citrus eo's are "unstable" and can't hold up under the saponification process. Even with an anchor it usually doesn't hold.
 
I think it's different for the FO's, from my understanding, because they are synthetic and have a different makeup! But I have not used any citrus FO's so I can't say from personal experience.
 
The same is true for some FOs as well. There are several FO review boards around. I make it a habit to try to find out what other soapers have to say before I purchase FOs any more. It can be so frustrating when an FO fades or seizes.
 
Many EOs do not hold up in soap. Remember, EOs are extracted and we get what we get.

FOs are compounded - with an end product application in mind and so can be formulated to hold up to the rigors of lye and heat and thus some do really well in soap. Other, not so well - but perhaps they were formulated for other applications.
 
SoaperBee said:
I use 2-3 ounces of essential or fragrance oils...
Am I not using enough? gosh, it can get expensive to frangrance soap..
anyone have any ideas???

Hi Deb,

I have only been at soapingmaking for a short while, but I have already had my fair share of... let's call them "learning experiences" :oops: when it comes to EOs and FOs. Here are a few tips that might save you some time/money/frustration:

- Most EOs and FOs call for a usage rate of about 1 oz (by weight, not vol) per pound of oils. You may need to adjust up/down depending on how strong the scent is.

- In my experience, FOs are usually a bit cheaper then EOs but that of course depends on which EO you are using

- As some of the other members already mentioned and you have already discovered, Citrus EOs do not hold up well in Cold Process, if at all. Another one is Vanilla... Vanilla absolute can cost over $100 per oz, and it is completely destroyed by the caustic reaction. That would be a real heartbreaker!

- If you are not sure how an EO/FO will hold up in CP, make a small 1 lb test batch - you'll save money on the ones that don't come out, and if they do, you can always make more :)

- In my experience, FOs hold up a bit better in CP. As carebear pointed out, FOs are specifically formulated for an end result. The same is true of some colorants - you mix them in and they turn a really barfy color, only to bloom into exactly the shade you wanted in the fnal product.

Good luck and happy soaping!
 

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