Tea Tree Oil..

[LJA]

How much do you guys use, for say....a 4 lb. batch? I'm getting all sorts of differen't amounts from various books and sources. Weird.

 

[AshleyR]

I'm making a tea tree oil soap today! Just waiting for the lye to cool now.

I was just planning to use .5 oz PPO which is what I usually use in EO soaps.

 

[LJA]

I'm making a tea trea oil soap today! Just waiting for the lye to cool now.

I was just planning to use .5 oz PPO which is what I usually use in EO soaps.

Looks like we're sharing a brain today, Ashley! I was gonna use .5 too, but several people have told me that is too much for TT and I should consider using less. I guess I'll just have to try it and see. Can't wait to see yours!

 

[AshleyR]

Hmm, hopefully someone else will come along with a recommedation then!

 

[jarvan]

I am not that experienced in TT oil, but used some recently in a batch of TT and Lemon Verbena. I used 0.5 oz. and it smelled very strong. It seems to be fading a bit and not so obnoxious after about 3 weeks. I really don't know the staying power of TT oil, so I fear I am not that much help.

 

[Guest]

It is really strong stuff , maybe there are different strengths of it , mine is to strong for my "delicate" nose :wink: . Doesn't help that I abhor the stench of it.

Kitn

 

[SimplyE]

TT is super strong! I used it at 0.5 ppo, and it about gagged me. I would go less than that. I made it about 8 months ago. Will have to go check my bar and see what it is like now. Still, it was waaayyyy tooo strong, IMO!

ETA: Plus, it seemed like it almost burned my skin. Granted I am talking super sensative...

 

[AshleyR]

Good to know! I haven't made my soap yet because I was waiting to get some advice here.... I will try using maybe .3 PPO and see?

 

[Guest]

That should work Ashely .5 is off the chart to me, I threw the soap away , I could not stand the smell of it on the curing racks.

Kitn

 

[AshleyR]

Ok, I used 1.2 oz of TTO in a 3.25 oz batch of oils. I can definitely smell it - it's there, but not super duper overpowering. After it's cut for a few days the scent will tone down even more. I am happy with how it came out. Then again, I am a lover of TTO! (It really isn't overbearing though!)

 

[Guest]

I like Tea Tree Oil too. I made a Tea Tree & Lemongrass soap about 3-4 weeks ago. Came out a nice yellow color naturally.

Ashley did you put anything in it aside from TTO?

 

[Guest]

I am glad it turned out for you Ashley. I really wonder if the strength of scent varies from supplier to supplier .I might try it again someday.

Kitn

 

[LJA]

Okay, so the info I got wasn't completely nuts then - good. Glad yours came out nice, Ashley. I haven't done mine yet. I had a mini disaster here yesterday (my dishwasher hose line came detached during a cycle and all the water (full) drained out under my kitchen sink and "rained" buckets into my basement ( like 2 ft. from all my soap stuff, no less). I also have hardwood floors in my kitchen so that was fun. (Not.)

I'm gonna do a tea tree this week with australian blue clay and maybe activated charcoal too...swirl or something. It might be overkill so I'm still thinking about it. I'm looking to make a serious oil sucker...lol. Can't wait to see yours.

 

[AshleyR]

I like Tea Tree Oil too. I made a Tea Tree & Lemongrass soap about 3-4 weeks ago. Came out a nice yellow color naturally.

Ashley did you put anything in it aside from TTO?

I put some french green clay and some tussah silk in mine! Turned out a very nice pale green colour. I'll post pics a little later!

 

[Bigmoose]

I just bought some TT oil and it says "Pharmaceutical Grade" on the bottle. How many grades are there. Does anyone else have a grade listed on thiers?

Bruce

 

[Guest]

I just bought some TT oil and it says "Pharmaceutical Grade" on the bottle. How many grades are there. Does anyone else have a grade listed on thiers?

Bruce

There are 3 grades of TTO, from highest to lowest they are: pharmaceutical, cosmetic and technical. The grade is determined by the percentages of Cineole and Terpinen-4-ol in the oil.

The lower the percentage of cieneole, the better, as higher percentages cause skin irritation. The higher the percentage of Terpinen-4-ol, the better -- this is what gives the TTO its anti-microbial properties.

Pharmaceutical grade has the lowest percentage of Cineole and the highest of Terpinen-4-ol of the other 2 grades.

 

[Guest]

Okay, so the info I got wasn't completely nuts then - good. Glad yours came out nice, Ashley. I haven't done mine yet. I had a mini disaster here yesterday (my dishwasher hose line came detached during a cycle and all the water (full) drained out under my kitchen sink and "rained" buckets into my basement ( like 2 ft. from all my soap stuff, no less). I also have hardwood floors in my kitchen so that was fun. (Not.)

Sorry that happened to you LJA .Is everything dried up ?? I have hardwood in my kitchen too, that is my worst fear .

Kitn

 

[LJA]

Sorry that happened to you LJA .Is everything dried up ?? I have hardwood in my kitchen too, that is my worst fear .

Kitn[/quote]

Yeah. Thanks Kitn. It's all fixed now and there isn't any damage (how that happened, I don't know). It was a mess mostly.