Scents.

[Reveremike]

Hi all. I'm finally getting the gang of and really enjoying making MP soaps. My question is this. As far as adding scent goes, I added a little more scent to my third batch and I'm still frustrated as the scent doesn't seem to last on my body long at all!
Do you think it's the amount of scent, type of scent or brand? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[lsg]

You are probably just getting adjusted to the scent. It is like wearing cologne, after a while you may not smell it, but others do. Having said that, soap is a rinse off product. For more staying power use your favorite scent in homemade cologne or lotion.

 

[Obsidian]

The scent in soap isn't really made to perfume your skin. I either use scented lotion or make a body spray.

 

[FGOriold]

Soap is a wash off product and as such is not meant to scent your skin (or shampoo to scent your hair) - it is meant to cleanse and remove the residue as it does its job not leave stuff behind. It's job is not to deposit product onto the skin/hair. Body lotions, conditioners, perfumes are much better for that.

 

[Reveremike]

Thank you all for the input. As a " Newbie " it makes sense now after reading the Rinse Off part. I'll have to adjust the amount of scent appropriately .
Also, I've been making body lotions as well. WOW, what a hit! I made it with the base, a certain amount of Jojoba Oil and Frangrance. The people love the texture with the amount of oil I Add.
The body sprays that I've made where " Meh " as, again, the scent didn't last as long as they would have liked. I know the un scented base I use is fairly good, but I'm guessing they would rather have colognes or perfumes instead of the body sprays. What I'm doing now is using the body sprays as Room Freshners and have found that they are working GREAT in cars. ;-). ( with the appropriate scent of course ).
Well, I've got to say, this is an awesome forum and really appreciate the amount of timely responses.
I'm wanting to start working with essential oils more then I do now. If anyone has a recipie for " Manly " mixtures and would like to share, I'd really appreciate that as well. I'm thinking of using the oils in a Shaving Cream. Any ideas?

 

[Hazel]

As far as adding scent goes, I added a little more scent to my third batch and I'm still frustrated as the scent doesn't seem to last on my body long at all!
Do you think it's the amount of scent, type of scent or brand? Any ideas?

It could be the quality of the FO. Where are you buying them? There are a few fragrances which do stay on the skin for awhile. Black Canyon from Peak is an example. It's so strong that I only use it a .5 oz ppo and I could probably drop it to .3 oz ppo. The downside is it turns soap a funky color - at least it does in CP. I've never used it in MP so I can't say positively it will discolor.

How much scent are you adding to your batches? I use FOs anywhere between 2% up to 5% depending on the strength of the scent and the maximum recommended amount.

 

[Reveremike]

Hi Hazel. I buy my supplies , fragrances and essential oils from Bulk Apothercary . Where I'm new at this, I used 1Tablespoon per 1 pound base. On my second batch, for 1 pd., I used 1-1/2 TBLSP. The second batch came out much better, I thought.

 

[Reveremike]

I did use a different scent in my second batch Hazel. I'm guessing the stronger the scent, the less you should use. The first batch I used " Ocean " fragrance , in my second batch, I used " Spring Garden ". The second batch, as I stated previously, was much stronger. I'll be playing around with other Fragrances as well. I'd really like to use essential oils, but I'm so hew I'm afraid I'll use too little or too much. I do know that EO's are stronger.

 

[Hazel]

I've never used Bulk Apothecary's FOs so I can't comment on them. It's better to weigh FOs for more accuracy. I don't know how much 1 T of FO weigh but I do know generally 1 T equals .5 oz so you may only be using .5 oz ppo. I normally use .8 (5%) to 1 oz (6%) ppo unless it's a very strong scent and then I might only use .5 oz (3%) or even .3 oz (2%) ppo. The second batch may have been .75 oz ppo which is close to what I use (there are a couple FOs which I do use at .7 oz). However, you should adhere by the maximum usage amount recommended by the supplier so you'd follow their info.

However, some FOs fade over time so you may have to use a little higher amount to offset it. It's hard to state absolutely to use a certain amount since there's such variation among FOs. That's why we suggest people experiment and keep a bar for an extended period of time to see how the soap may change over time - DOS, scent fading or morphing, colorant fading, etc.

It's not necessarily the stronger the scent, the less you use. It's really personal preference. I don't like an overly strong scent in soap. Other people want a strong scent so they'd use the maximum amount no matter how strong the FO.

Yep! EOs are a lot more concentrated than FOs and more volatile. I don't use them enough to give much help. But there are discussions in the Aromatherapy, Herbs and Essential Oils section which you might find informative.

HTH

 

[Reveremike]

Hazel, thank you so much for all of your help and advice. I'm very impressed by your knowledge and shall take everything you wrote into consideration.
I can't thank you enough.
Michael.

 

[Hazel]

Michael,

You're welcome! I want to mention I didn't know this info when I started. I was taught all of what I explained to you by other members of this forum. I'm still learning about ingredients and techniques from the members. I don't think I'll ever stop learning. There is a huge amount of information on this forum and members are generous in sharing their knowledge.

Someday you'll be the one answering new members' questions. :grin: