# amounts of fragrance to use



## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I am wondering what amounts of fragrance you all use in your goats milk soaps? I am currently using 1 oz per pound of oils, or maybe slightly less. I've been reading on Lillians yahoo site about people doing the hot process in the oven and adding scent after the process and they are able to use much less to get the same result. (or that is the plan anyway). We can't do that with goats milk, correct? I want all my bars highly scented, but I do not want to waste expensive oils so am looking for some input on normal amounts used. 
Thanks so much.
Anita


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

You can use about half the amount of scent in hot process, that is one of the advantages of making hot process (I hate it).. Many do and save alot of money that way.. You can do this with goat milk soap also.. 
Each scent/supplier will be different on amounts, it is trial and error at first.. Some supplies water down the fragrances so you must add much much more.. others are strong and true and you get your moneys worth.. After soaping a while you will find which suppliers are best for what..
Barbara


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

How true when I started out I only made crock pot soap and used much less fragrance but gosh cp is so much easier and alot less time.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I'm interested in hot process because of using less fragrance oils and also the cure time is cut so much. I need a lot of soap for christmas...have orders, plus want to do them for family gifts, so was thinking of trying a batch. Cold process is so very easy though.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I never had much luck using HP with goat milk. I didn't think the two were compatible. Do you think the soap itself is just as nice? With the price of everything going up I may have to rethink this as I don't think my customers will take a price increase.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

The HP soap is simply ugly. I would bet you spend more time shaving off the ugly tops and pounding that mush into molds than the time saving just spending a whole day making CP soap. I only use HP in the crock pot for mistakes, it will pull together nearly any problem you have which then you have to smash in the mold. The Cranberry Marmalade problem I had yesterday is now cut and will be sold as Sweet potatoe....I swear it looks like I was mashing sweet potatoes and in crock pot! The whole batch riced and seperated why it went into the crockpot. I know the soap will sell on the discount table, but it is ugly. vicki


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

Yes and all that about Hp, to me it is very ugly and the time it takes to take ugly tops off.. 
Just faster to do CP... and get it done.. Of course I make alot of soap and if you are only making for family etc... HP might be for you
Barbara


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I was actually reading Lillians yahoo site where she was talking about making 100 to 200 bars of soap a day. I guess she is doing them hot process, and was talking about how she does it.. Very large batches cooked in the over, then add the fragrance, pour into molds, cut after several hours, air dry for two days and sell. sounds good. I didn't know about having to smash it into molds. Forget that. I had one ugly batch like that and I hope to never have another, especially not on purpose. Are all hot process batches ugly? Why do they sell so well? That reminds me of a book I was looking at in Barnes and Noble not too long ago. It was about soap making. I eagerly opened the picture heavy pages and was dismayed to discover that the way the book instructed a reader to "make" soap was to buy bars of soap, melt it down, and then push it into molds. Good lord that was some ugly stuff. How the author figured you were making soap was beyond me,....but I never want to make anything that looks like that. 
Anita


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

Anita, sounds to me like Lillians making CP soap, thats only around 8- 10 batches of soap a day, depending on how many bars she cuts. I'm sure Vickie makes that many, I do, others on here do as well. It only takes about 2 hrs, of work to pour out that much.
Sherrie


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I use .5 to 1 oz per lb, depends on the FO
Eo is usually closer to .5 to .7. Really strong FO"s like Lillian's honey .5 is plenty!
I always do my lavender at 1 oz PPO because my customers like it strong.
Becky


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## Guest (Oct 29, 2008)

I am going to point out that many soapers use way too much FO and EO is their soap. 

Honestly, 1 ounce PPO is too much. Either is isn't a quality FO or the person is using so much that you can notice it in the soap. I have found this to be true in some of the soaps I have received in past swaps on this forum. It actually makes the soap harsh.

Sara


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I can't put my soap in the oven. When I do I can taste it in whatever I bake next in the oven. Seriously. Last summer I cured my soap on trays that were set in a corner of the dining room. I also baked tons to take to the market and those baked goods were cooled and wrapped in the dining room. *I* could taste the fragrance in some of those baked good but I didn't figure it out until this year (when we moved our DR) that it was the FO I was tasting. I thought it was the plastic wrap or containers I was using. Not everyone could taste it but I sure could.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I've cut back on some of the fragrance oils I was using. I'm still doing an oz of essential oils per pound....as they seem to lose their potency over time. Most of the oils I use are Lillians. Most of my testers have liked the stronger bars and how they scent up a room. Maybe that's not what they are designed to do...but hey, some people burn candles for a nicely scented house. I just set soap around...no fire danger!
Anita


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2008)

OMG! An ounce PPO of essential oils?? Especially if you use Lillians... that is WAY too much! :crazy

I only use Lillians essential oils and they haven't lost their scent over time. I can't imagine using EO's at that rate, not only is it expensive but it can make your soap very harsh and make your customers react/get skin irritations to certain EO's. No way, not here.

Sara


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Well, I probably did a few bars wrong in the beginning. (and I am still a beginner) They seem okay, but I've kept them around, unwrapped, just to see how they fared over time. They certainly are less strong than they were. My peppermint is gone completely, or just about. It was Lillians, but the soap didn't turn out well-textured. It was one of my first batches. My lavender bars are still scented, but much less so. Thanks for the input.
Anita


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Lavendar is hard...it's either too medicinal or the scent is gone, same with most florals and all citrus. Try using cubea listea or pathoulli, it really does work. Patch will give your soap a tinge of tan to it, and also gives you this "Hmmmm what is that scent as your use the bar in hot water" but even those who hate patch scents don't mind it. Listea simply adds another citrus type note to it. I use patch and have used the fo dragons blood with excellent results. Only my citrus blend I get from Lillian do I use close to what I use in FO's...it's also why I try to keep my eo soaps to a minimum they are just getting way to expensive to make. vicki


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2008)

One of my best sellers is my Oatmeal Milk and Honey with no fragrance.. I add a little (teaspoon) of cinnamon and teaspoon of nutmeg to the batch at trace and it smells like an oatmeal cookie, lightly fragranced.. oatmeal cookie.. I love this soap and I can really make money on it since I add no fragrance.. 
Once oz per lb is way too much and way too expensive. I love lills fragrances by the way
Barbara


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2008)

I use Lillian's Bulgarian Lavender and I don't have to seat it with anything. I just found a bar from over a year ago and the scent is still strong. I use nowhere near 1 ounce PPO.

Sara


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I'm thinking maybe my nose is just less "smellerific" than some people's. I did do a blackberry sage that is much too strong. I've been seating my citrus with litsea. I don't know yet if it's working for me over time, but it sure adds a nice extra scent. I'm going to try the patch. I don't really like it straight, but I'm interested in how it will be as a background. I did the oatmeal, milk and honey soap a while back and everyone loved it. I like adding organic cinnamon, or organic anything to my soaps. I've had requests to do this one again and will do soon, probably next soaping. This weekend I am going CAMPING! Last time for the season. We're taking the horses and sleeping out in tents so I'll have to make soap the following weekend. (I don't get much time during the week to soap.) 
Anita


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

If I have to use more than .7 oz ppo then that FO does not make the cut....And EO's you should use less. I've never had any mint fade.

Lillian was doing HP, but she does not do GM HP and GM HP gets dark no matter what FO you use, at least when you use real GM and not powder. I've commented on some pictures of HP that are truly gorgeous with swirls and everything saying, "I wish I could do that with my soap, but I only make GM" and they reply, "actually this is GM, I added GM powder!" OK, totally not the same thing. Point is Fresh GM HP is always tan no matter what. I'm like Vicki, I HP for Rebatches and actually some folks really like the rustic look, but I find the bar to be softer, even if I don't add any extra milk or anything!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep, it's not soft as in, it needs to cure, its soft as in, it feels spongy. Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

:yeahthat


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