What to add to help preserve soaps?

[Guest]

I have been using grapefruit seed extract in my soaps to help preserve. Does this prevent it going rancid? It is very expensive, so I wondered- is there something else I could use?

 

[IanT]

I dont use ANYTHING in my soaps... I dont think it is really neccessary... but Rosemary Oil Extract works as well as Vitamin E (tocopherol) if you are worried about oils turning rancid...these two will act as an antioxidant and neutralize free radicals in your soap

 

[artisan soaps]

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[Guest]

oh that is good to know. Have you had any of your soaps go rancid? What about soaps with added ingredients like pumpkin? I wonder if that would make them more like to go off after a few months?

 

[artisan soaps]

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[dagmar88]

I have not encountered any problems with spoiled soap so far and I have made batches with quite some mashed carrots and tomatoes.

 

[Guest]

soap is fun, I dont add any preservatives to my soaps and so far so good. :0

 

[IanT]

I have not encountered any problems with spoiled soap so far and I have made batches with quite some mashed carrots and tomatoes.

ditto

 

[Bnky]

I haven't had any problems and I do not use preservatives. But, as Artisan mentioned, I have had EO's fade on a citrus batch of soap I made. Unfortunately I named it Ultimate Citrus Daydream and it turned out to be Untimate Citrus Nightmare after about three months. It still looked beautiful, but no scent. Thank goodness I am giving these to people I know to sample.

 

[Guest]

I don't use anything to preserve my soap as it says nothing about them in my safety assessment.

 

[alwaysme07]

No problems here.

 

[Guest]

Untimate Citrus Nightmare

OK, that made me laugh! I know it's not funny. One of my soaps has lost it's scent after a few weeks as well....but I didn't use f/o or e/o in it, just spices to infuse the OO.

 

[Ishbel]

Im the same - dont use any preservatives but keep at least one bar from every batch - its amazing how they change over time - and I mean months!!

 

[Ishbel]

bnky I know what you mean about citrus, have you tried Lemon Myrtle eo? its fab, strong citrus scent and a real keeper in CP, honest, I cant make enough!!

 

[IanT]

I haven't had any problems and I do not use preservatives. But, as Artisan mentioned, I have had EO's fade on a citrus batch of soap I made. Unfortunately I named it Ultimate Citrus Daydream and it turned out to be Untimate Citrus Nightmare after about three months. It still looked beautiful, but no scent. Thank goodness I am giving these to people I know to sample.

In the instance of preserving scent I would say that you can use a fixative which will help to hold the EO in the soap...

Balsam of Peru
Benzoin, powdered
Cedarwood
Cloves
Lemon Peel
Myrrh
Orange Peel
Orris Root
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Storax Oil
Tangerine Peel
Vetivert

Can all be used in powdered form as a fixative to help prolong the life of your scent!

 

[Guest]

I don't use anything , never had a problem except 1 shampoo bar made with hemp oil got DOS .

 

[holly99]

From the list IanT put up, I guess that explains why most orange soaps I've come across have clove in them too. Smart AND a good combo.

As far as preservatives go, I've heard of using those suggested as well but I've never used them.

 

[Saltysteele]

i wonder how these things fix the scent... hmmm... :?

is it just the fact that they absorb the scent and release it slower, or is there a chemical reaction?

i remember a soaper also mentioned they used sugar as a fixative, as well.

i'm going to be doing a patchouli/orange batch pretty soon. at first i had sweet orange, as i didn't realize it wasn't as concentrated as 10x and 15x; then i learned the diff. now i've got my 15x, and have heard patchouli will anchor the scent.

any other advice? (not to steal the thread, but to maybe given an example of a fixative in use)

 

[IanT]

I think its a mixture of both them absorbing the scent and releasing it slower as well as certain chemical properties of them as well...def. deserves some more research!

As far as an example ...I dont think Im a good one to ask on that one! sorry! I have heard that patch will anchor the scent as well though... so thats good stuff