Jeana Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I noticed a few people saying they add the fo to the oils. What is the benefit of this compared to adding it to the lye and oil mixture? I notice some hand made soaps have barely any soapy smell. Some of mine can smell a tad soapy so I would love eliminate that if I can. Does adding the fo to the oils help with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystical_angel1219 Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Adding the fragrance to the oils before the lye solution is good to do if you are working with a tricky oil, or especially a floral. It doesn't stop ricing and soap on stick completely, but it can give you more play time, even more so if you soap room temperature. I personally find the cooler the oils are, the less worries you have of the Soap Fairy making an appearance. Not to mention, you see people on the board once in a while, stating they made the most beautiful soap, and forgot to add the fragrance. Ooopsie!The FO shouldn't work any differently in your soaps adding it before lye or after. How long did the soaps you created cure and what was the scent? I find that scent can change over time with CP, even stronger than when you first made it, IMO. Not all fragrances, but some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaW Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 An advantage for me is I know that the fo is fully incorporated into the oils because I have time to stick blend the heck out of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Now I always add the FO to the oils unless it's an FO that will discolor heavily and I want to pull a portion of the unscented soap for a reverse swirl. Since I've started using this method, and soaping at RT I've had much better success with soaping those "fast" FOs!I'd never go back to adding FO to the traced soap. Plus, this way I can't forget to add the FO! :embarasse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I'm with Brenda all the way. Adding the FO first and soaping RT have helped immensely. I do believe I was pushing that method on Brenda, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I do believe I was pushing that method on Brenda, LOL. Yes, you did! Some of the best advice I've ever received. I owe you, e! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tall Blonde Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Will that same process work for eo's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I add both EOs and FOs to the cool oils successfully. I don't know if anyone else here had a different experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Will that same process work for eo's?Yes Ma'm. Here's my key to easy soaping. The day before, mix your lye, melt your oils. Go away. Soap day, add the scent to the oils, add the lye and start with a whisk or spoon. If you are going to color, grab that soap as soon as the color turns opaque and you barely have trace. Add your color, and take the SB to it until it's a little thinner than you would like (it will keep saponifying).Go back to the main pot with your SB and once again, stop a little short.Pour the main color on the bottom. Pour your swirl, in lines going lengthwise. Pour more base. Pour the lines vertical. When you run out of soap, repeat the horizontal and vertical patterns with a chopstick, dragging through the soap and touching the bottom of the mold. Make some circles if you want to break up the look. Don't mess too much.Too bad it took me years to figure this out, ROFL!Hope this helps someone.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeana Posted April 16, 2007 Author Share Posted April 16, 2007 What if you are working with butters in your oils? So the main reason you are saying to add the scent to the oils and to soap at RT is to avoid problems with ricing and seizing, right?Normally I mix the lye and the oils close to RT, but pull out a little to see what it will do with the scent in a separate container - if it is a new scent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 I melt my butters and mix them with the oils the night before - so it's all still liquid when we add in the FO. What I mean by RT soaping is to do that - melt the butters and mix with the oils and let the MIX come to room temp. Then add in the lye solution which has also come to room temp.Some others define RT soaping as just tossing your oils and butters (solid) into a bowl and pouring their fresh, hot lye solution in on top to melt the butters. For me that spells Trouble (with a capitol "T" of course). Communication - does it really exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibiscus Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 RT soaping works very well for certain oil combinations and is the best way to go with a milk and honey type soap. When using a recipe with very slow tracing oils I don't use RT lye or oils... That's just how it's worked for me. I've added all of my goodies to RT oils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 I've been doing it for 2 years. It's just one of the things I do to simplify the whole process.My oils are pre-mixed and weighed out, lye solution is pre-mixed.When I need to make soap, I place a container of oils in the micro to melt, weigh out the lye solution, get everything ready. Pour melted oils into soaping bucket and place on the scale, add FO,CMP or other additives and it is ready to go!It takes me less than 10 minutes to make a batch of soap.Adding the FO to the oils lessens the chance that it will be forgotten.If it is a new FO and begins to rice or accelerate you still have time to get it in the mold.It doesn't make any difference in the strength of the fragrance in the finished soap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibiscus Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 I've been doing it for 2 years. It's just one of the things I do to simplify the whole process.My oils are pre-mixed and weighed out, lye solution is pre-mixed.When I need to make soap, I place a container of oils in the micro to melt, weigh out the lye solution, get everything ready. Pour melted oils into soaping bucket and place on the scale, add FO,CMP or other additives and it is ready to go!It takes me less than 10 minutes to make a batch of soap.Adding the FO to the oils lessens the chance that it will be forgotten.If it is a new FO and begins to rice or accelerate you still have time to get it in the mold.It doesn't make any difference in the strength of the fragrance in the finished soap:highfive: so much easier this way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeana Posted April 16, 2007 Author Share Posted April 16, 2007 Ok, another question. I just thought about this and started wondering if you have to heat liquid oils, say Olive, at all. Just take the oils straight from the containers, and mix with the lye? Or is there still a need to heat, then cool? I'm just trying to be really clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 I heat my butters to melt them, then add the room temp (or sometimes cool) liquid oils to them to cool the mix down. So I don't heat my liquid oils. (But sometimes if i let the mix sit overnight it clouds up and for some reason that bugs me so I'll zap it for a few seconds to warm it enough to get clear.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tall Blonde Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 This is all really interesting. Now if only I had a mold I didn't need to line with freezer paper!!! I could get a batch of soap made in less time it takes to bake chocolate chip cookies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tashak Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 I have also been adding the Fo to the oils. It is much easier that way. I do RT and last time my lye was a little cooler than RT. I had a great batch! It did take about 7 min. to trace but that's ok. I did a great swirl, and would have had time to swirl 2 colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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