This FO stinks! Can I save it?

[AKelly75]

Back when The Scent Shack was in business (SEVERAL years ago), I purchased a Heather FO, which I remember really liking oob. I tend to use EOs in my CP soapmaking, but wanted to start using up some of my older FOs by making a lotion bar.

I like the results of the lotion bar, but it stinks! Smells like cheap perfume my grandmother may have worn 50+ years ago (Gardenia? Honeysuckle?). I tried melting it down with some high heat in hopes of evaporating off the scent and then added some dark patchouli to help mask it or blend with the strong floral fragrance. Remolded it and tried it out again. Initially, thought it was a little better, but the patchouli scent is gone, leaving this nasty gardenia/honeysuckle behind and giving me a serious headache.

I attempted to locate The Scent Shack online to see if others had trouble with this FO, only to find the store gone, or renamed, or... something. Thoughts? Suggestions? Or, count my loss and chuck it? Btw, can't seem to find anyone who likes it. Several have said it smells like old lady or cheap Avon.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome AKelly75! :wave:

I would toss it and cut my losses. FOs and EOs have certain usage rates for certain products that should not be exceeded. Adding more and more FO or EO over and beyond what you've already used, especially in a leave-on product such as a lotion bar, is a recipe for skin irritation if not something worse.


IrishLass

 

[AKelly75]

Thank you, IrishLass. Wasn't even thinking of exceeding usage rates with the addition of extra scents. The garbage it will go.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

The garbage it will go.

ACK! Be still my heart! :shock: I'm from the old school, "Waste not; want not." As such, since you prolly have some nice butters and oils in there, I'd soap it, using 50% lotion bar ingredients and 50% whatever necessary to create a nice soap.

If it's not too late, plug lotion bar ingredients into SoapCalc, and mess around with different fats/oils, maybe just lard (?) to keep expense down and see how it goes. The fragrance would then be reduced to half strength and may not be so bad. A bit of Oakmoss or Anise EO may neutralize the scent out of the Pepi la Pew stage of stinkiness.

 

[AKelly75]

Zany,

I have a tube of the lotion bar that I hadn't added more scent to but was still stinky. I'll make up a batch this weekend and pop the melted bar in (after recalculating the batch). I've not tossed a soap/lotion batch before, but was so frustrated and couldn't think beyond the smell. That should have been one of my first thoughts... diluting with more oils.

On a vaguely similar note, I still have a large batch of stinky pine tar soap i couldn't stand that has been curing for several years. Smell has mellowed and I recently gave a bar to someone wanting to try it for eczema. He reported he thought it was working and he didn't mind the smell.

When all else fails (for soap), tuck it away for a few years. For lotion, make soap.