Considering how discriminating our sense of smell is for various creams and soaps, has anyone out there have tried to manipulate the creams or the soaps by adding or mixing additional oil or mixing 2 soaps in one?
For instance, purchasing sandalwood oil from a health food store melting the soap down and adding additional oil in the melted soap for extra strength?
Adding pepperming oil to a limes soap?
I tried it with the sandalwood and overall it improved the smell strength of the soap. However, when I tried to become even more of a chemist with other soaps, I failed miserably.
Mixing hard soaps or adding oils to soaps
Mixing hard soaps or adding oils to soaps
Goals are met to be achieved!
I am guilty.
I have used the coconut oil (as well as olive oil) glycerin melt & pour soaps from craft stores this way....I have the plastic container from an old Col Conk soap, and 1 or 2 Surrey soaps laying around, so I melt the soap, dump a lot of EO into it, and let it cool. Some even turned out good.
Try using a lot of lime EO in one.....MMMMMM and they lather well, too. However, I HAVE added clove oil to some unscented AOS cream....seemed like a great idea at the time, but now I don't think I like it.....
John P.
I have used the coconut oil (as well as olive oil) glycerin melt & pour soaps from craft stores this way....I have the plastic container from an old Col Conk soap, and 1 or 2 Surrey soaps laying around, so I melt the soap, dump a lot of EO into it, and let it cool. Some even turned out good.
Try using a lot of lime EO in one.....MMMMMM and they lather well, too. However, I HAVE added clove oil to some unscented AOS cream....seemed like a great idea at the time, but now I don't think I like it.....
John P.
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lathermaker
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:29 pm
WARNING.......
It is NOT wise to add or play with essential oils unless you know what you're doing. Clove oil is a know sensitizer. Even in small amounts it can burn and irritate skin. This is why it is used in Tiger Balm-like products. It wants the tingling/bnurning sensation to relieve pain.
In general, the rate of use for any essential oil is 1 Tbsp PER POUND (16 oz). You need very little. Especially when using any of the mints or patchouli. These have medicinal qualities whether you believe it or not.
Keep away from the following oils:
wormwood
real bitter almond
helichrysium aka immortal
wintergreen
clove
cinnamon
camphor
penny royal
Always dilute an oil in some kind of base before using. Never use straight on the skin. And remember, essential oils are an OIL. They do not mix with water or water based products!!!!
Sorry if this seems stern, but you chaps need to know what you're playing with. Mother Nature gets pissy when you don't respect her offerings!
Also, in regard to craft store soap base. Most is just pure junk. Loaded with lots of surfactants and fillers that dry out the skin.
Ok, lesson over!
Lathermaker
It is NOT wise to add or play with essential oils unless you know what you're doing. Clove oil is a know sensitizer. Even in small amounts it can burn and irritate skin. This is why it is used in Tiger Balm-like products. It wants the tingling/bnurning sensation to relieve pain.
In general, the rate of use for any essential oil is 1 Tbsp PER POUND (16 oz). You need very little. Especially when using any of the mints or patchouli. These have medicinal qualities whether you believe it or not.
Keep away from the following oils:
wormwood
real bitter almond
helichrysium aka immortal
wintergreen
clove
cinnamon
camphor
penny royal
Always dilute an oil in some kind of base before using. Never use straight on the skin. And remember, essential oils are an OIL. They do not mix with water or water based products!!!!
Sorry if this seems stern, but you chaps need to know what you're playing with. Mother Nature gets pissy when you don't respect her offerings!
Also, in regard to craft store soap base. Most is just pure junk. Loaded with lots of surfactants and fillers that dry out the skin.
Ok, lesson over!
Lathermaker
LM
Thanks for the heads up. You are absolutely right about EO's. I must add that a "LOT" of lime EO for my lime soap was around 5 drops....it doesn't take alot. FWIW luckily the clove oil did not mess up my shave cream (I wouldn't pour it straight on bare skin, however, sandalwood and even mint oil is irritating on bare skin....). The AOS shave cream (with around 3 drops of clove oil) worked just fine, no irritation. What got to me, however is that it plain doesn't smell as good as I thought it would. Not one of my brightest moments. Honestly, at the prices asked for some of them, let alone that its safer, I'm actually glad it is hard to get more than a drop at a time from the bottles. I think about an EYEDROPPER full of sandalwood was 60 bucks, and rose EO was even more. OUCH. Lime wasn't so bad, it was around 6 bucks.
As for the craft store M&P soap, the stuff I got worked VERY well, as good IMHO as 99% of the stuff I have bought, and BETTER than Conk and Surrey (at least for me). I will have to see what brand it is when I get home, because I am very pleased with it. You, being a soaper, also know that it is FAR simpler than actually making soap, because one doesn't have to work out lye calculations, storing it for weeks to cure (cold process) or baking/cooking it for the better part of a day, while it bubbles and froths, standing by with a stick blender just in case...(hot process); also there are no expensive/hard-to-get/dangerous chemicals to keep around, no phenolthalein, litmus paper, stearic, coconut, myristic(if you can find it) acids, no chemistry degree. One simply has to cut a few cubes of it into a mug, nuke it long enough to melt, add a drop or two of one's favorite EO (or fragrance oil, or whatever) stir, and wait for it to cool.
EASY.
BTW I seem to remember you were making your own shave creams....how is that one going for you? Those of us midnight soapers/would-be soapers living in tiny apartments would like to live vicariously....
John P.
Thanks for the heads up. You are absolutely right about EO's. I must add that a "LOT" of lime EO for my lime soap was around 5 drops....it doesn't take alot. FWIW luckily the clove oil did not mess up my shave cream (I wouldn't pour it straight on bare skin, however, sandalwood and even mint oil is irritating on bare skin....). The AOS shave cream (with around 3 drops of clove oil) worked just fine, no irritation. What got to me, however is that it plain doesn't smell as good as I thought it would. Not one of my brightest moments. Honestly, at the prices asked for some of them, let alone that its safer, I'm actually glad it is hard to get more than a drop at a time from the bottles. I think about an EYEDROPPER full of sandalwood was 60 bucks, and rose EO was even more. OUCH. Lime wasn't so bad, it was around 6 bucks.
As for the craft store M&P soap, the stuff I got worked VERY well, as good IMHO as 99% of the stuff I have bought, and BETTER than Conk and Surrey (at least for me). I will have to see what brand it is when I get home, because I am very pleased with it. You, being a soaper, also know that it is FAR simpler than actually making soap, because one doesn't have to work out lye calculations, storing it for weeks to cure (cold process) or baking/cooking it for the better part of a day, while it bubbles and froths, standing by with a stick blender just in case...(hot process); also there are no expensive/hard-to-get/dangerous chemicals to keep around, no phenolthalein, litmus paper, stearic, coconut, myristic(if you can find it) acids, no chemistry degree. One simply has to cut a few cubes of it into a mug, nuke it long enough to melt, add a drop or two of one's favorite EO (or fragrance oil, or whatever) stir, and wait for it to cool.
EASY.
BTW I seem to remember you were making your own shave creams....how is that one going for you? Those of us midnight soapers/would-be soapers living in tiny apartments would like to live vicariously....
John P.