Question about fragrance oils...

[AshleyR]

This may just be my "newbie-est" question yet - sorry if it's really stupid!

I was in the drug store today (searching for fragrance and essential oils) and came across two different kinds of oils...

Scented lamp oil
&
Scented massage oil

Now I feel REALLY dumb asking this - but can these be used in soap making? Something tells me NO for the lamp oil (I know, it seems like a "duh!") but the ones I smelled didn't smell like lamp oil - they smelled really, really good!

There was also a wide selection of massage oils.

Can I use these in soap making... or no? I'm thinking no - but since my selection of soap supplies in my TEENY town is extremely limited, I thought it's worth a shot to ask!

 

[happyday]

Neither. The scented lamp oil is most likely a petroleum-based product. Read the label, it probably even says not to get it on your skin.

The massage oil may or may not list all the ingredients in a way that is useful. If it's a blend, then you may have a difficult time determining a correct SAP value for it. If it is a mineral oil base, it won't saponify. And it's very likely that the scent isn't strong enough to hold satisfactorily through the soap-making process. It's also going to be more expensive than planning a soap using a good selection of soaping oils and a little EO or FO actually intended for soaping.

I know that it seems daunting to gather up all the ingredients to get started making CP or HP soap -- we've all been there! -- but you'll find it's more than worth it to start off on the right foot with the right stuff.