the very sweet citrus cocoa butter soap loaf
close up of the very sweet citrus cocoa butter soap loafThis holiday loaf is really only "holida" because of the green sparkles on top. Otherwise, there's nothing holiday about it. It smells sweet and citrus-y and has a light dusting of apricot seed powder on top. My husband wants a citrus soap. I keep trying, but I am not getting anywhere with it. My lemon soap (eo) became close to being unscented while it was curing. Same with my orange valencia soap (also eo) and and my pink grapefruit (FO!) doesn't stick around either. Grrr.
So he gets nothing.
I would love suggestions with any and all citrus successes you may have had. Citrus, being my favorite land of stench would be grand in my soapy end of things, so please DO share if you have solutions and successes. We are a soaping family, as I am learning. We are sharing with eachother so that we can all succeed in our little corner of the world.
It is November 13th today. Do you realize that we are halfway through November? I am either getting slower or there is WAY MORE going on in my life than ever before. It doesn't mean anything to my customers who I owe products to.
Gotta go make goodies. Bye!
So he gets nothing.
I would love suggestions with any and all citrus successes you may have had. Citrus, being my favorite land of stench would be grand in my soapy end of things, so please DO share if you have solutions and successes. We are a soaping family, as I am learning. We are sharing with eachother so that we can all succeed in our little corner of the world.
It is November 13th today. Do you realize that we are halfway through November? I am either getting slower or there is WAY MORE going on in my life than ever before. It doesn't mean anything to my customers who I owe products to.
Gotta go make goodies. Bye!
beautiful soap! have you tried using orange 5 fold eo? it sticks around for me. Also lime EO stays forever!! 1/2 oz/lb does the trick easily!!
ReplyDeleteSo, where do you buy yours from? I'm not a huge lime fan (in life, yes, fo's, not so much). Any lemon thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI've yet to attempt soap making...its on my "to do" list...but wow..your soap looks good enough to eat...not that I would eat it..but you know what I mean :-P lol. I hope you figure out the scent thing...Im really fond of orange/cocunut blends...reminds me of summer :-)
ReplyDeleteI get my EOs from Camden Grey. I've only ever gotten 1 FO from them and that was really fabulous too!!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, I've had my scents fade with essential oils too, specifically Organic Lemon. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe the quality, even though I purchased it from a reputable vendor. I find that the synthetic fragrances, good ones, stick more. Best of luck in your search!!!
Citrus EOs are notorious for fading. I've been using lemongrass EO instead.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you're interested in hand milling, but I made a citrus soap with a plain, CP goat milk soap base which I rebatched and then added a blend of Valencia Orange, lemon and lime EOs. The scent has hardly faded at all, and I made it on May 4th. :)
ReplyDeleteLoverly soap = )
ReplyDeleteCitrus eo's like grapefruit, lemon and orange need an anchor eo. I use litsea cubeba and bergamot. The litsea is cheaper and seems to work better for me.
It doesn't take a lot to anchor your citrus. I've done 1 part litsea to 4 parts other eo's. You might want to check with someone who has a little more experience though...
Hope that helps!
I've started to add a bit of benzoin powder to my orange soaps to help the eos to stick. It works quite well in my CP. Haven't tried it with lemon yet, but it's on my ever-expanding list. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting what Heidi said...I was using the BB organic orange EO and was actually worried that the scent might not be strong enough (this was before reading your post), and experimentally added litsea cubeba to it. I hope that'll help keep the scent. Mind you, I was working with MP, not CP, so it's probably a whole different ball game.
ReplyDeleteYup, like Heidi said...you need an anchor for citrus (and some other) EO's. MP doesn't have the same problem (so no worries Teresa). I would be interested in what Sherrie said...maybe I'll try that soon :). Good luck finding a cute for the disappearing EO's! :D
ReplyDeleteInteresting thread: Your soap turned out nicely. I have yet to try EO's in my soap making. The good ones are too expensive, I find. Maybe I'll give it a shot one day.
ReplyDeleteThe only EO's I have worked with are Floral such as lavender and rosemary. Those stay strong for a long time. I have yet to work with the citrus. Beautiful soap though as always.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful soap!
ReplyDeleteI've never attempted citrus EOs in soap because I've heard that they do not stick well. Actually, I lie, I do a Plumeria and Sweet orange blend, that tends to stick, but it morphed and smells like freshly bloomed lilacs!
For nice citrus FOs, I really really like Kumquot (Brambleberry) and Ginger Lime (same supplier).
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ReplyDeleteYou've heard plenty about the anchoring it seems! If you want a stellar citrus soap, definitely head for some may chang (litsea cubeba) with your lemon next time. It's one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to play around with other citrus oils, try blending with a touch of cedar or patchouli. They add depth in the right proportion and help the citrus notes stick around. (And give a lime EO a chance some day! Might change your mind...)
Wowo- you guys are so very educated with anchoring. I hadn't thought of that. I am not a huge litsea cubeba or patchouli fan, or lavender for that matter, but I see what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your input. What a great group of people you are!!
I made lemon poppy seed soap it is to die for I want to eat it lol try using more EO I use three tsp per lb of soap
ReplyDelete