Rose Jasmine Soap - In a Pringles Can!

[Mandyhello]

Awesome thanks!  I think ginger bergamot is going to be amazing! 

I just did a 2 lb batch, but the scent really isnt' very strong.  Honestly, I can smell the coconut oil in the soap over the scent a little bit :-/  I haven't ever tried FO's before, I'll have to be careful with how much I add   Thanks for the advice, I'll be making this batch in the garage hehe

[RavingRosemary]

Hee!  It might not make everyone feel sick, but it sure does for me.  (I think it's supposed to be good for nausea--go figure.)

Where did you get your FOs from?

[Mandyhello]

Where did you get your FOs from?

I've always used EO's in the past, I got them from Puritan's Pride this time (if you click from the ad on google, they have coupon codes, I got my last batch for 40% off!).  I think I'm going to buy a few FO's from Sweetcakes (I've heard good things) and see how they do.. 

This might be a question for another topic, but does anybody know exactly what's in a FO?  Why don't things like ginger and lilac have EO's?

Yeah..  officially soap crazy   I might make another batch this weekend! 

[RavingRosemary]

Ginger is an EO.     In answer to the rest of your question, I actually wondered the same thing a little while ago in this thread here-- Miss Bloom's answer, partway down, is especially illuminating: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=340154.0

It looks like the Puritan Pride rose and jasmine EOs are "100% Pure Blended Essential Oil."  Which is slippery wording (pure... blended?), but I think what it means is that you got a mixture of things, not all of which are EO.  This would explain why your smell didn't come through!  If you had used 2 oz. of pure essential oil in a 2 lb. batch, the smell would be knocking you backward.

I've heard really great stuff about Daystar too!  They're probably a swell place to go.  I always like to plug WSP as well--they ship EOs and FOs for free, so if you're just trying to pick up a few more bottles of scent, you don't have to pay out the rear for shipping.

Hooray for being bitten by the soaping bug!  Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[MareMare]

I think a 100% pure blended EO would have to be all EO from the way they worded that...but the blend part could mean it's 90% orange EO or something cheaper and just a little rose or jasmine, both of which are insanely expensive as pure EO's.

That puritan place looks crazy expensive, unless I was looking in the wrong spot (totally possible) plus it seemed that most of their stuff was listed in 10 mL? That's like 1/3 of an ounce. They appear to be geared towards aromatherapy and not soap makers (again, I could have been looking at a different website)

[craftewoman]

Fantastic! What a great idea to use the Pringles can. The ultimate in reuse/recycling!

[Nymeria]

** As a note, this post is totally meant to be helpful and informative, I sincerely hope it doesn't come off as sounding shmarmy. **

Hmmm I think I may see the scent issue. I went to the same site MareMare did and it is insanely expensive because it's geared for aromatherapy. What that means is two things:

Did you use two ounces or two bottles? Because the bottles are 10ml. (.33oz), you probably only used a little over half an ounce. Also, that is *not* a pure EO, it's, as the website says "100% blended essential oil." Rose EO is very, very pricey by itself, so I'm guessing it's mixed with a carrier oil or other floral oils.

By and large, I highly recommend avoiding vitamin/aromatherapy stores. For one thing the prices are outrageous, for another, aromatherapy oils are generally suspect on ingredients. Sometimes they are pure, but others they are ... questionable. I've seen some at Whole Foods that contain alcohol as a preservative.

I hope maybe that answers the scent issue? Again, I'm totally trying to be helpful for your next attempt, which I hope we'll get to see because it looks like you're off to a fabulous start! I forgot how much I love round soaps!

[Mandyhello]

Nymeria, I was thinking exactly the same thing..  I think I've been suckered!  A friend at work recommended that site, but I honestly think my local natural foods store is cheaper now that I've ordered from Puritan's..  My local natural foods place has 1 ounce pure EO (no blends) for around $9-12 depending on the EO (some are much more obviously).  I think for the next batch, I could get an ounce of Bergamot and an ounce of Ginger for under $20..  I'd be completely willing to find a better online retailer though, any suggestions? 

I'm still curious..  what exactly is in your average FO?  I think I'm stuck on the "all natural" thing for soap, but I'm curious how much a little fake scent would really matter...  I really *really* want to make lilac soap, and the FO seems to be the only option.  I keep thinking too that if I add an ounce or two of fake stuff, it's still waaaay more natural than store bought..

Thanks so much for all of the excellent advice guys, it's all been incredibly helpful! 

[Nymeria]

It's hard to say what's "in" FO. It's oil based, I know that. I think the majority of them are maybe sweet almond oil or some other gentle carrier oil, and then artificial oils that produce the fragrance. And YES, even if you fragrance at 5% by volume, any artificial oil you purchase is going to lightyears from crap you buy at the store. Break it down mathmatically: If you fragrance at 3-5%, your soap is 97-95% natural. A bar of Caress, Dove, Dial, Lever 2000, etc. is probably hovering around the 40% range (and that's probably being generous). I'll take 97% over 40% any day of the week!!!

Chock it up to be a newbie to the craft. Again, when I first started I paid an obscene amount for palm oil ($8/lb) because I didn't know I could buy it at the Afrikaans market or online for 1/4 of the price. Live and learn, right? Wholesale Supplies Plus has good prices on EOs, and they have some amazing blends. Their energizing blend (sweet orange and ginger) is easily my most favorite ever! They also have Aveda-dupe EO blends.

Sweetcakes, answering an earlier question is amazing for FOs. Yes they are a little pricey but they are worth it. I have never had problems with their oils, and they smell sooooo heavenly. Their Papaya Nectar is heaven in a bottle (thank you, smittenheart, for getting me addicted to THAT).

[Mandyhello]

Argh, SO CHEAP Nymeria!  That's awesome, I'll definitely place a big order after payday.  I think all of the blends sound amazing

This is bad..  more supplies = more soap making (obsessing)