#testingfragranceoils #coldprocesssoap #lovingthesefragrances
Thursday, March 5, 2015
WoooWeee! What a busy day in the soap kitchen! Kathy and I have been very eager to try out some of the new fragrance oils we have collected. We have a couple of shelves lined with several 1-oz bottles of fragrances that we have not used, so today was the day to test a few - four to be exact!
Why four? Well, we recently ordered four 1-lb silicone molds (they were on sale!) to use for testing small batches of soap, and we couldn't wait to put them to good use.
We chose the following four 1-oz samples from +Rustic Escentuals. We read the reviews and then the notes shared by other soapers about each one so we could be prepared and plan as well as possible for how they might react in the soap batter.
Sea Salt and Rice Flower - "A clean, fresh, and spa-like scent. This fragrance oil has notes of creamy rice flower, citrus peel, cotton blossoms, night-blooming jasmine, azure sky ozone, grey sea salt, bamboo leaves, vanilla bean, and sheer musk. Powerful and soft, Sea Salt and Rice Flower helps promote relaxation & rejuvenation with its unique aroma."
The reviews said it would discolor to a slight yellow and that it would accelerate so be ready and don't plan any complicated swirls. We decided not to add any color at all.
Essence of Jesus - "This oil is a woody myrrh fragrance adorned with a touch of lavender, clove leaf, and patchouli set upon a bed of sweet musk. Very earthy and masculine - a divine choice for holiday & religious candles as well as anything you need for your masculine line of products such as lotion or body mist."
Review warned of slight acceleration (tester had to add extra water to thin the batter out enough to work with it), and that the batter would discolor to a mild olive green. Again, we decided not to add any color at all to get a true idea of how the FO would behave.
Badedas - "A bracing blend of 'clean' from European spas. Badedas is a classic blend reserved for body washes in the spas of Germany, France, and Belgium. This scent is an upscale blend of fresh, invigorating leafy greens & florals, basil, citrus, amber, and musk. A brilliant, invigorating, and sparkling scent that will make you feel romantic throughout the evening."
This FO tester said that there is no acceleration and no discoloration but that the fragrance fades. In reading the reviews of this FO, we only saw positive reviews. People really seemed to love this fragrance. I love its name. I suppose it should be pronounced Buh-day-dahs, or something close to that. I affectionately refer to it as "BadA$$." Kathy won't let me put that on the soap labels, though.
We did add some color to this batch just so we could differentiate between the soaps by sight.
Mediterranean Fig - "A sweet and aromatic Italian fig with playful apricot notes, a rosy middle note and a woody bouquet base of oakmoss and velvety cashmere."
There wasn't a clear idea from a company tester regarding this FO; it only said that there is no vanilla (so we knew it wouldn't discolor). The only review said that it was strong, stable, and the scent is long lasting. In the soap we added a bit of color so we could tell the difference in this and the other soaps by sight.
For Badedas, I used the two colors on the left (both from +Rustic Escentuals ): Enchanted Forest Mica and Aborigine Amber Mica to reflect the leafy greens, the herbal, and the amber. For Mediterranean Fig I used Micas that are also from +Rustic Escentuals - Sunburst Sparkle and Purple Passion Micas. I was inspired to use purple and yellow by the image (below) that I found on a food blog
For these soaps, I did a bit of calculating. I wanted to be sure that I could use a whole ounce of FO for each portion of the soap. Most FOs are used at a rate of 5% of the total oils. To stick to that rate and use the whole ounce I needed a total of 80 oz of oils (20 oz for each FO sample).
My recipe was a "Luxury Vegan" that used Palm, coconut, olive, rice bran, and castor oils as well as cocoa butter. If you check the link to the recipe, you'll see that it actually calls for sweet almond oil, but I changed it to rice bran oil.
Once I combined the ingredients and brought the mixture to very light trace, I divided it into four equal parts. Kathy and I weighed everything to ensure that all four portions were equal. We were very very good!
I started with the Sea Salt and Rice Flower, mixing in the FO then pouring it into the mold. From there I moved on to the Essence of Jesus FO.
Pouring in the ounce of fragrance.
Mixing completely.
We had extra batter with each scent so we poured butterflies with the leftover Sea Salt and Rice Flower batter. Essence of Jesus batter went into the ladybug mold. At this point, there was no noticeable discoloration, so Kathy and I decided to make sure we used the same shapes for each scent in case our noses got confused. Sea salt was all butterflies, and Jesus was all ladybugs (I almost feel sacrilegious typing that!).
BadA$$, ooops! I mean, Badedas was next. By this point the batter had been sitting for a few minutes and it was getting stiff. I stirred it briskly and it loosened back up easily before I stirred in the FO.
I took a bit of batter out and added some to the two colors I had prepared for this soap, stirring to evenly mix the batter.
I poured a bit of non-colored batter into the mold first.
Then a bit of the two colors. I used a chopstick to swirl the colors, then added another layer of non-colored soap.
I added some more color to the top,
then swirled the colors.
I added a bit more white and swirled some more (I think Kathy's swirling addiction might be rubbing off on me!).
I scraped the last of the colored batters into the bowl,
and created an in-the-pot swirl with the remaining batter.
The leftover batter went into the little bumblebees.
WOW! Look how stiff this last portion of the batter had gotten while I worked with the first 3 samples!
As soon as I stirred it a bit and then added the Mediterranean Fig FO, the batter loosened up nicely.
I mixed a small bit of the scented batter into the two colors I had prepared for this fragrance.
Purple Passion
Sunburst Sparkle
I put both colors into the batter
and did an in-the-pot swirl.
I filled the mold with batter
then put the leftover into the dragonfly shapes.
A little swirling on top...
and the Mediterranean Fig test pound is ready to cure.
The four 1-lb FO tests ready to go into the curing box for 24 hours. At this point we really love the smells - maybe some more than others - but we're eager to see how they look and smell as they cure.
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Friday, March 6, 2015
After 24 hours we were ready to take them out of the molds and see how they looked (and smelled!).
We just love our bug molds.
It was interesting to see how the soaps morphed - or didn't. According to reviews we read, we expected the Sea Salt to turn to a pale yellow. At this point it is still white. We expected to see the Essence of Jesus turn a shade of green, but it is actually quite yellow. In the above picture it looks a bit green, but it is really yellow and has a bit of ash on top. The two in the lower portion of the picture held their colors really well (so far) but they both ashed on the surface. No big deal, we know how to take care of it and it doesn't hurt the soap at all. As the soaps cure over the next 6 weeks, we'll see if the colors morph any from how they look today.
I took a photo of this one still in the mold so you can see how white the soap looks. This is without any added titanium dioxide at all. This is just the oils and the fragrance.
Out of the mold before cutting it into four 1-inch bars.
And here with the two butterflies made from the extra batter. The smell of this is exquisite and we cannot wait to make more soap with it. Perhaps a sea salt soap?
The portion scented with the FO called Essence of Jesus. After 24 hours it had turned a light yellow color. It is actually rather pretty just as it is.
The soap before I cut it into four 1-inch bars along with four ladybugs. This FO is really a very nice masculine scent. Something about it reminds of one of my uncles - it must be similar to a cologne he wore when I was a kid.
Thought I would show you this picture. It is interesting how different FOs affect the soap in different ways. This portion of the recipe seemed a bit softer than the others. That indentation is from my finger where I pushed the soap out of the mold. The others didn't seem this soft (or was I just more careful after I saw this? It could be one or the other or both...).
The Badedas soap is really bada$$ - I mean, beautiful! We like the colors we used here, but we also love the fragrance. It is herbal and fresh without being overpowering.
A bit ashy on top, but we can take care of that.
Three Badedas Bumblebees and a block of soap. Later I cut it into four 1-inch bars.
And finally the Mediterranean Fig. The colors are pretty. The yellow is barely a hint, but that was all I wanted. There doesn't seem to be any discoloring at this point. The fragrance is really great, but I like most fruity smells. Kathy does not, so this one is definitely not one of her favorites. I do want to make it again because my son gave me a great idea for a soap that needs a Greek themed fragrance. This FO may be just the ticket.
Two dragonflies and one bumblebee.
These soaps will be ready to use in 6 weeks.
This testing session is officially considered a success!
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