I am making baby soap and I want it unscented meaning not EO or FO. I would like to have just a faint hint of something. It doesnt have to be recognisable. Just not completely unscented. Which additives would give unscented soap this kind of very mild scent? For example, I love the way cinnamon powder adds a beautiful mild scent to unscented soap but its really not cool to do that to a baby. I was soooo hopeful strong chamomile tea would do the trick but from other soapers have told me its not going to help. Any ideas folks?
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So. . .you DO want it to be scented, but with something other than EO or FO?
Be aware that even if it's unscented and extremely mild, if it's real bar soap (CP or HP), it won't be "tear free." So parents need to know to be careful not to let it get in baby's eyes.
Be aware that even if it's unscented and extremely mild, if it's real bar soap (CP or HP), it won't be "tear free." So parents need to know to be careful not to let it get in baby's eyes.
I think the other soapers are right - anything that will be enough to scent is not likely ideal for use in a baby soap at the amounts required for a scent to last. If you want to make a baby soap, just go unscented.
I am making olive oil soap which by itself has no scent at all in the cured soap. I dont want for it to have a particular or recognizable scent like you can recognize chamomile or cinnamon. I would call it an aroma. I want to include an additive so you can say, hmmm this has something in it. Slight nutty or floral aroma would do. Just not 100% unscented. I read that a banana might leave a slight nutty scent?
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Banana does not leave a nutty scent.
The bottom line here is this: If you want ANY scent, use an EO or FO. The lye eats all other products' aromas.
The bottom line here is this: If you want ANY scent, use an EO or FO. The lye eats all other products' aromas.
powderpink
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I made a soap with a tbs or two of ground lavender leaves (for 500g oils?, just blitz in a food processor) and used some heavily steeped flower tea instead of water. It ended up smelling lightly "sweet". I can't really describe it anymore than that, though. And I haven't decided whether it was pleasant or not yet
I'm not sure if that's safe for babies, but if it is, you could experiment with teas or safe flowers?
I'm not sure if that's safe for babies, but if it is, you could experiment with teas or safe flowers?
Saponista
Well-Known Member
Before I started making my own soap I bought an unscented honey facial bar and you could definitely get the hint of a mild honey smell through the soap. It was really nice. Not sure how much honey was used though as I didn't make the soap myself.
I make a soap with shea butter and sesame (not toasted) oil. It comes out smelling a bit "nutty". It's one of my favorite bars to "huff" No added scent and no other additives - that's just the way it smells on it's own.
No added scent and no other additives - that's just the way it smells on it's own.
boyago
Well-Known Member
What process are you using? I've been meaning to play around with heavily infused herbal SF in HP. You can search around the forum experiments people have done. Here's one of mine http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=38996&highlight=weirdness
Oh, but as an addendum I wouldn't do this on anything labeled as a baby soap. Any scenting is trespassing on issues related to allergies and sensitivities. I wouldn't want to irritate a baby.
Oh, but as an addendum I wouldn't do this on anything labeled as a baby soap. Any scenting is trespassing on issues related to allergies and sensitivities. I wouldn't want to irritate a baby.
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Aren't babies supposed to avoid honey for a while? I think it might just be eating, but does that translate in to topical use, too?
snappyllama
Supporting Member
I made a bunch of naked soap varieties for a friend. I actually really enjoy the aroma of plain unscented soap. It really varies by the recipe. The best smelling one was:
Lard 60
Shea 10
Avocado 15
Hemp 10
Castor 5
Additives: Honey, Oatmeal, 100% Aloe Water Sub
It smells distinctly different than the other varieties I made. There is a faint sweet, nutty, almost basil-y aroma underneath the regular "clean" scent. I'm thinking it was the combination of hemp oil and honey since that was my biggest variance in that batch. My hemp is very fragrant, and it does come through. DH always knows when I've used hemp in a regular heavily fragranced soap.
Lard 60
Shea 10
Avocado 15
Hemp 10
Castor 5
Additives: Honey, Oatmeal, 100% Aloe Water Sub
It smells distinctly different than the other varieties I made. There is a faint sweet, nutty, almost basil-y aroma underneath the regular "clean" scent. I'm thinking it was the combination of hemp oil and honey since that was my biggest variance in that batch. My hemp is very fragrant, and it does come through. DH always knows when I've used hemp in a regular heavily fragranced soap.
Saponista
Well-Known Member
No idea on the honey front, I don't know much about babies!
Edited to say:
I just looked it up and honey can contain clostridium bacterial cells which can give you food poisoning which could be fatal in small babies. They would be destroyed during saponification anyway and as the baby isn't going to ingest any of it then I'm sure it would be fine.
Edited to say:
I just looked it up and honey can contain clostridium bacterial cells which can give you food poisoning which could be fatal in small babies. They would be destroyed during saponification anyway and as the baby isn't going to ingest any of it then I'm sure it would be fine.
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Honey gives my unscented soap a nice smell, too. The smell reminds me of those Bit 'O Honey candy chews. The scent eventually fades to nothing after awhile, but for at least a few months or so it smells quite lovely.
IrishLass
IrishLass
houseofwool
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Honestly? Dark beer gives a nice scent. Not beery, maybe a bit hoppy, and a bit nutty.
Cactuslily
Well-Known Member
Honey is a no no for children under 2 due to the possibility of it being tainted with botulinum toxin. Topically, as in a soap, there's no issue. That being said, as has been stated before making safe soap for babies really shouldn't contain EO's or fo's and no nut based oils or butters. Until children are slowly introduced to various foods, there's no knowing of a nut allergy.
Cactuslily
Well-Known Member
Meant to write 1 year for age
If you place the unscented soap bar on or near a scented soap it will pick up that scent to some degree. It only takes a few days and even then the scent may stick.
I also agree about the honey, it can give a light scent. But I would be somewhat worried in a baby soap, just in case!
I also agree about the honey, it can give a light scent. But I would be somewhat worried in a baby soap, just in case!
Plain unscented soap, at least to me, has a nice and pleasant scent as it is.
If you want it slightly fragranced, keeping it next to fragranced soap might be a good idea. But with what that might be the issue. I would rather use FO that's been tested that EO or something herbal that can do who knows what to baby's sensitive skin. Aren't some of those baby washes and shampoos lightly fragnanced anyway, so a little bit of something similar or actual FO might be better idea than EO, herbs, etc.
My daughter was around 18 months when she reacted to chamomile. Back where I come from, chamomile is "cure" for everything, so on my mum's advice I gave her a sip of chamomile tea, and bam, within few minutes she broke out in hives.
It may not be same with something topical especially after contact with lye, but I wouldn't take the chance.
If you want it slightly fragranced, keeping it next to fragranced soap might be a good idea. But with what that might be the issue. I would rather use FO that's been tested that EO or something herbal that can do who knows what to baby's sensitive skin. Aren't some of those baby washes and shampoos lightly fragnanced anyway, so a little bit of something similar or actual FO might be better idea than EO, herbs, etc.
My daughter was around 18 months when she reacted to chamomile. Back where I come from, chamomile is "cure" for everything, so on my mum's advice I gave her a sip of chamomile tea, and bam, within few minutes she broke out in hives.
It may not be same with something topical especially after contact with lye, but I wouldn't take the chance.
I made a goats milk soap with colloidal oatmeal and left that unscented and I thought it smelled great. The oatmeal gave it an oat-y yet somewhat sweet scent. I only know that placing an unscented soap next to one that is scented makes it rub off because it happened by accident to a few of my soaps... I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you do that especially for a baby soap.
