Where to cure HP scented soaps?

[narnia]

I made my HP batch of scented soap today. The FO that I used is so strong in the house! My DH and I have been unscented folks for many years and are having a tough time tolerating this strong smell!

Where is a good place to let them sit in the molds and cure after unmolding? Can they be left in the carport? Or is it too humid out there? We are in GA and have been having mild weather.

Right now, I put the mold in the oven just to lock up the scent but it has already permeated the whole house!

Are there others who have to make scented soaps for others but can't tolerate the scents? Thx for your help!

 

[Obsidian]

If its not too humid then yes, you can put it outside while in the mold. It need to be inside while curing though. I keep my soap in a spare room on a rack, if ots too strong, I can just close the door. The scent will mellow out in a couple days.

I do make soap I don't like the smell of, thats what goes outside or even to the basement. Otherwise, I just suck it up and deal with the scent. Since my hubby dislikes most scents, I soap in the morning so the strongest smells are mellowed some by the time he comes home.

 

[hmlove1218]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the batch you used 2 oz of FO in a 2 lb batch? If you don't like strong scents, I would personally unmold it and chop or shred it up, mix up another batch of soap and leave it unscented, then add in this batch and cook them together. It's called rebatching and can be used for things like this.

 

[narnia]

Thx! What percent is too much humidity?

 

[Obsidian]

I wouldn't rebatch a perfectly good soap just because its strongly scented. I'd wait at least 4 weeks, see if it mellows. If its still really strong, then using it in a confetti soap would be better then rebatching.
1 oz FO ppo is a common amount to use, its what I use with most FO's. Only the strongest is used at .50 ppo.

Not too sure what would be too much humidity, I've only put my soap outside in the summer when its dry. Maybe take a bar of soap and set it outside overnight, see if it develops dew.

 

[narnia]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the batch you used 2 oz of FO in a 2 lb batch? If you don't like strong scents, I would personally unmold it and chop or shred it up, mix up another batch of soap and leave it unscented, then add in this batch and cook them together. It's called rebatching and can be used for things like this.

Yes. I wound up adding nearly the max due to it being GM soap with shea butter etc and it kept overpowering the FO so I used 2 oz . I don't plan on rebatching. When I put the loaf up to my face to sniff the soap, it does not smell overpowering. It's just that we do not like scents of any kind unless they are all natural. I think that the synthetic FO is what is bothering us. I don't think that the lavender EO would bother us. I use the it many times at night to fall asleep more easily.

These are not for our personal use..they are for gifts, so I think most people will like it. I am hoping that some of the scent will dissipate after cutting and sitting to cure.

I wouldn't rebatch a perfectly good soap just because its strongly scented. I'd wait at least 4 weeks, see if it mellows. If its still really strong, then using it in a confetti soap would be better then rebatching.
1 oz FO ppo is a common amount to use, its what I use with most FO's. Only the strongest is used at .50 ppo.

Not too sure what would be too much humidity, I've only put my soap outside in the summer when its dry. Maybe take a bar of soap and set it outside overnight, see if it develops dew.

Thank you for the assurance! BB frgrance calculator said up to 2.18 oz and I used slightly under that for my 2 lb batch, so I think I am OK.

I found out that it is supposed to rain tonight, so I can't put it in the carport. Will it be alright to just leave it in the oven overnight?

 

[Arimara]

I wouldn't rebatch a perfectly good soap just because its strongly scented. I'd wait at least 4 weeks, see if it mellows. If its still really strong, then using it in a confetti soap would be better then rebatching.
1 oz FO ppo is a common amount to use, its what I use with most FO's. Only the strongest is used at .50 ppo.

Not too sure what would be too much humidity, I've only put my soap outside in the summer when its dry. Maybe take a bar of soap and set it outside overnight, see if it develops dew.

Because I used the most concentrated scents from Save-On-Scents, I used about .25oz of FO in my soaps and they smell fine. One batch, I used the whole .5oz and It smelled overwhelmingly strong until now. Made me sad at first but it's a enjoyable now.

 

[Obsidian]

Yes, it will be fine in the oven overnight.

 

[narnia]

Thanks!

LOL!!! I found out why our house was being overwhelmed by the FO!! When I was cleaning up a few minutes ago, I found that the small glass bowl that I had measured out the FO in had not been washed and it had been sitting on our kitchen island where we sit and eat at the bar!! Right under our noses while we ate our dinner!!! I picked it up to clean off the island and saw that the clear bowl had a nice thick coating of the FO still on it!!

Earlier in the evening, my had said, "You will NEVER make anymore scented soaps after this!! I feel sick from the smell!!" OOOps!!! I will make sure to wash the fragrance bowl right away from now on!!

House is smelling much better now! I could NOT figure out WHY the house smelled sooooooo strong when the soap did not smell that strong!

Well....at least...now I know that if I do come across a request for scents that I do not like, I will know that I can put it out in the carport! Thanks everyone!

I added EOs lavender + lemongrass to my new test batch after my DH went to bed. I LOVE the scent!!

I must confess....that since I tried these EOs, I am hooked on making scented soaps!! Up until today, my first 2 batches were all unscented! They all smelled like muffins!! Soooo boring!! So now, I am excited about getting to know more EOs and using them in gifts! I will be more proud to give something that has a nice scent, as opposed to the blah muffin smell of the GM soaps that I had been making!!

 

[Obsidian]

do you only make HP? My unscented CP goat milk soaps have no scent, definitely not muffins lol. Lavender/lemon is a great scent, so is lavender/vanilla.

 

[Arimara]

Muffins? Lucky. I'd hate to describe the smell of my least favotite batch. It still stinks and I didn't scent it.

 

[narnia]

do you only make HP? My unscented CP goat milk soaps have no scent, definitely not muffins lol. Lavender/lemon is a great scent, so is lavender/vanilla.

For now...yes. I do want to try some CP soon! AND CPOP!

What is peppermint good with? Could I add it to lemongrass or lavender?
I saw the lavender/lemongrass combo on Soapqueen TV. I really like the combo....it really tames down the lemongrass and creates a nice, new scent!

Muffins? Lucky. I'd hate to describe the smell of my least favotite batch. It still stinks and I didn't scent it.

I wonder if scenting would have helped?

What were the ingredients? I would like to know what to look out for. HP or CP?

 

[Arimara]

I wonder if scenting would have helped?

What were the ingredients? I would like to know what to look out for. HP or CP?

Nope. It's still curing and still stinky. It's a also a lesson to always CP coconut milk based soap and to leave red palm oil alone.

 

[dixiedragon]

I live in Alabama (howdy neighbor!) and I would not put soap outside to cure. It's been pretty warm and humid here this week. How about your attic?

 

[narnia]

Howdy, Dixiedragon! That's a thought! No attic.
I can put them in another part of the house but it smells musty. will the soap pick up musty smells?

 

[narnia]

Does anyone know if leaving the soaps to cure near an ozone generator would remove the scents from the soaps?

Since I removed the soaps from the mold, cut them, and are sitting out, the smell is strong in the house again! :neutral:

It is raining today! The crockppot that my DH took out last night to do away with the smells is sitting in the carport. There were some soap residue pieces around the lip of it. I touched it and it was slimy! The humidity made it melt!! The smell was super strong in those wet pieces!!

Yikes!! Does that mean then, that when the soap gets wet in the shower that the scent will get even stronger???!
I sure hope not!

 

[galaxyMLP]

Almost all soap smells will mellow out after a cure. Its only been 1 day. That's not usually an indication of what it will smell like after a month.

Don't put the soap in a musty room. Mustiness comes from that humidity. What I would do, since you don't like the scent, is buy a plastic container (one of the rubbermaid big-ish) ones and buy desiccant (dehumidifier) beads and place it in the box with the soaps and put the lid on it. This way its a closed system. If you can put a little battery powered fan in there, thats even better. If not, be sure to turn the soaps everyday because in a closed box they wont get air circulation.

I haven't ever said this before but, I think you may need to step back from soaping for at least a week or two and research different problems with soaps/get some questions answered before you keep going. You seem overwhelmed and I don't think there is any reason to be. There are a lot of great answers and information out there what will help you troubleshoot current and future problems.

I wouldn't rebatch if you don't like the scent. Youre going to heat the scent and drive it off into the air around you and it will smell even stronger for a bit. Let the soaps cure for 2 weeks before passing judgement on it.

 

[narnia]

Thank you! That is an excellent idea about the box! I will try that!