heirloomoriginals Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 I borrowed the book "the Complete Soap Maker" from the library and some of her handmilled soaps call for fresh fruits and veggies. Would I need a preservative with these, especially if I were to sell them?Also, some of her recipes call for benzoin, do I really need this and if I do, where would I get it?I am waiting on some cocoa butter and then I can hopefully make my first batch of soap!Steph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca_IA Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Please keep in mind that I am suffering from a horrible head/chest cold so I just might not be correct on this. I believe the reason she adds the benzoin to her recipes is because of the high discount she takes. I do a 5-8% (highest) and I think some of her recipes are at 10% or a bit higher. If you have a discounted fat that high, you will need to add something or expect DOS and much sooner. No matter where you see the recipe, always run it through a lye calculator and figure the amount of lye you are to add from there. Just because she does steep discounts doesn’t mean you have to, but if you do, follow her recommendations with the additives. Someone please come along and confirm this for me. As for the preservative, I've never added one to my soap that has fruit/veggie additives. As long as you do a range of 5% discount, you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 I don't think a preservative would help - if you had big chunks of fruit in your soap, the preservative isn't really going to be anywhere near where it would grow mold, it would be in the soap. So why bother.As long as you don't have chunks, and don't overload on the fresh stuff, I think the soap should be fine without. I've added applesauce and pureed carrots and haven't seen anything. Never used benzoin,but some people I think use it to enhance a vanilla scent, kind of like peru balsam. It's a known sensitizer though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsallgood20 Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Speaking on the subject, I've noticed that some soapmakers use Rosemary Oleoresin as a preservative. Is this necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 It's not a preservative, it's an anti-oxidant. It helps you store your short shelf life oils, like hemp and grapeseed. And supposedly it helps to retard DOS. I used to use it but don't any more. Some people swear by it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsallgood20 Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 Oh, ok....thanks Robin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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