VeganSoap

[vegansoap]

Hi everybody, I made my first batch of soap (hot process) about three months ago, and have become addicted.
I use the following recipe, which I got from a TV programme (Kirstie's Homemade Christmas):

For 3.2kg of soap:
Water 900ml
Lye 295g
Coconut Oil 615g
Olive Oil 800ml
Sunflower Oil 800ml

I used orange essential oils, about 20ml (it was all that I had), and I was amazed that it all worked, and I then had about 40 bars of soap!

My only problem is that my bars don't smell very strong, is this because I need to use more essential oils, or is it because I am using the hot process? I wait until the soap is below 50C before mixing in the essential oils, but can any of you give me advice on how to make stronger scents using vegan products?

 

[dagmar88]

Hey Vegansoap,
That recipe uses a LOT of water & has such a high superfat rate (10%) for the amount of sunflower oil (36%)...
I'd personally tweak that recipe a bit; I'm afraid your soap is prone to go bad quite quickly
At least lower your sunflower oil to 25%; personally I'd use even less.

Here's 2 links that could help you understanding the properties of each oil:
http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm
http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewto ... highlight=

I'd recommand you to start weighting all of your ingredients in grams instead of some in grams and some in mililiters. It's more accurate that way :wink:

Citrus EO's tend to fade quickly; some people try anchoring them with other scents like patchouli or by adding clay to their soap.
This site is very popular amongst soapers:
http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/

As far as the usage rate of EO's, here's some info from http://www.rainbowmeadow.com This site is great because it gives loads of recipes for blending EO's

Essential Oil Amounts in Soap
COURTESY OF: Melody Upham

Many years ago, I did a lot of experiments to determine how much EO I should use to get a scent that would last at least a year without using too much and wasting it. I came up with 0.7 ounces per pound of base oils for most essential oils, 0.9 ounces for citrus oils and 0.4 oz for the more pervasive oils (e.g. mints and spices). A good rule of thumb is that if you use 0.7 oz and find that you don't like the smell because it seems sickening....drop the amount you use to 0.4 or 0.5 oounces. Some oils such as geranium are so powerful at 0.7 oz that your nose is overwhelmed and can't pick up the delicate rose tones unless it's diluted even more.

 

[Healinya]

http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm

This site has been worth gold to me lol.. every new soaper should bookmark it, even if for later.

 

[vegansoap]

dagmar88, thanks very much for your help, I will have a look at those sites, and try reducing the sunflower oil in my soap.
Happy soaping!