Play-dough type smell?

[AndyRoo]

So, I made some soap yesterday, in the process of testing out a new recipe. I used a 2:1 Water - Lye ratio, and used FO at 3% of the oils.

Throughout the stirring process, the FO smelt great, but after cutting it, there is a not so pleasant Play-Dough type smell coming from the soap. Could this be down to the oils/butters combo? Or is it more likely to be the FO? Would increasing the FO to 3% of the total weight (as opposed to just oils) work better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[IrishLass]

What FO did you use? There are a few that I find leave somewhat of a Play-doh scent. One of the more notorious FOs that always did that to me was Rice Flower & Shea.

Don't be too disappointed yet, though. Oftentimes, a scent can change in a good way during cure.


IrishLass

 

[jcandleattic]

If it's not due to the FO that will cure out to smell like that, I will get that play-dough scent if my soap gets a bit too hot, or overheats. After a full cure though, that smell goes away and the true scent comes through.

However, yeah, there are a few scents that will have that play-dough, melted crayon scent. I find most tropical florals smell that way, as well as most strawberries. Not sure why the strawberry scents do that but unless I do a mix, they almost always have that unpleasant scent.

 

[AndyRoo]

What FO did you use? There are a few that I find leave somewhat of a Play-doh scent. One of the more notorious FOs that always did that to me was Rice Flower & Shea.

Don't be too disappointed yet, though. Oftentimes, a scent can change in a good way during cure.

IrishLass

Phew! That's reassuring. It was Pink Grapefruit - which smelled *amazing* out of the bottle and while mixing... now it's lost some of that oomph and smells a bit like a kid's art project. lol

If it's not due to the FO that will cure out to smell like that, I will get that play-dough scent if my soap gets a bit too hot, or overheats. After a full cure though, that smell goes away and the true scent comes through.

However, yeah, there are a few scents that will have that play-dough, melted crayon scent. I find most tropical florals smell that way, as well as most strawberries. Not sure why the strawberry scents do that but unless I do a mix, they almost always have that unpleasant scent.

Ah! Thank you. I guess I'll know in a few weeks time if this has turned into a Shakespearean tragedy or not.

I made soap once with sunflower oil and I found that even once fully cured it had that kind of dough like smell... and texture, if I am being honest. I made a mental note never to use that again. Yuk.

 

[dibbles]

I have found grapefruit fragrances can be somewhat challenging. Some smell like sweaty armpit to me. But a good grapefruit scent is among my very favorites. I use Bramble Berry pink grapefruit and Grapefruit Bellini, and pink grapefruit from WSP. I have stopped trying to find a cheaper version.

 

[shunt2011]

I too have had issues with grapefruit scents smelling off and not lasting.

 

[jcandleattic]

And I don't use grapefruit at all, as most citrus scents fade, and yes, can have an off smell to them once soaped.
I do use NG's Satsuma as a grapefruit scent because to me this smells exactly like a Ruby Red Grapefruit, and will usually mix it with a pink sugar and call it Sugared Ruby Red. That smells exactly like the grapefruits I eat in the mornings that I add a pinch of sugar to.

 

[AndyRoo]

I have found grapefruit fragrances can be somewhat challenging. Some smell like sweaty armpit to me. But a good grapefruit scent is among my very favorites. I use Bramble Berry pink grapefruit and Grapefruit Bellini, and pink grapefruit from WSP. I have stopped trying to find a cheaper version.

In fairness, this was a pretty cheap FO, so that might have something to do with it.

And I don't use grapefruit at all, as most citrus scents fade, and yes, can have an off smell to them once soaped.
I do use NG's Satsuma as a grapefruit scent because to me this smells exactly like a Ruby Red Grapefruit, and will usually mix it with a pink sugar and call it Sugared Ruby Red. That smells exactly like the grapefruits I eat in the mornings that I add a pinch of sugar to.

I have a nice Lime EO which lasts; it works really well in combination with peppermint too, at least, in my opinion. It creates a really 'zingy' scent. I put it in one of my soaps that I use in the shower in the morning; it's great for waking me up! When I've used pink grapefruit before, I've always used it in combination with something like orange blossom or geranium - so it just becomes a 'note' in the overall scent.