Soap Making 101

[Bettacreek]

It's generally .5-.7oz FO ppo. You use less EO (I use about .25oz ppo) and some fragrance oils are amazingly strong, such as lavender (I used .5oz ppo) and some are weak (some I've used 1oz ppo). It also depends on your clients and your own sniffer. Some people light faint fragrance, some like scents strong enough to smack you in the face from across the room.

 

[krisac]

Or want to smack them in the face from across the room?
Thanks Kristina

 

[valmom]

I get my scents from Southern Garden Scents- they sell 1 ounce sampler vials- I think 6 for $25 or something like that. I like the variety and use 1 ounce for my 2 lb batches. Some of them are very lightly scented, some are really good. The patchouli is strong, the coconut is so light that my co-worker who is migraine triggered by scents can use it. Most of them are somewhere in between.

 

[me&thegals]

Ok, Dad said he'd be willing to make some to sell! He has to check some prices so he can figure out what to charge. What size would people be interested in? 3, 4, or 5 lb? Or bigger?

5 lb

 

[krisac]

4 lb works for me or 3lb
Kristina

 

[krisac]

back to the subject of fragrance oils...PPO= pound per ounce?
Kristina

May get this if it kills me

 

[savingdogs]

back to the subject of fragrance oils...PPO= pound per ounce?
Kristina

May get this if it kills me

I didn't know what she meant by that either.

 

[krisac]

thank God I'm not alone

 

[Gallina Vecchia]

It means per pound of oil. If you go to the Majestic Mountain Sage website, there is a calculator for fragrances - essential oils and fragrance oils. It lets you choose amounts to use for lotions, soaps, etc. There are also comments for some of the oils, like if they turn your soap brown or speed trace. The amounts for usage are broken down in to weights and other measures like teaspoons. It is a really user friendly calculator. I use their lye calculator, as well.

http://www.thesage.com/calcs/fragcalc.html

http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

 

[krisac]

Thanks that helps alot! Does anyone have a suggestion for a good scent for men. My husband could care less what soap smells like, and my son is at the stage where he'd rather get dumped in the lye than bathe. Also Any suggestions for a soap that is good for cystic acne? I know...way ahead of myself