How Fragrance Creation Impacts Cold-Processed Soap Making

Adding fragrance to cold-processed soap is a tricky business. It's important to know how your chosen fragrance will behave when added to your soap mixture. Fragrance oils are often a combination of natural and synthetic ingredients, crafted by scent-makers to mimic natural fragrances. They offer almost limitless combinations and can be blended by the soaper to create a unique scent. However, many fragrances do not behave well in soap-making.

The two main bad behaviours of fragrance in soap are acceleration and discoloration. Acceleration is when the soap batter thickens more quickly than usual. This can be a huge problem if your design requires lots of time to work in order to create swirls. Discoloration usually results in the soap turning brown, due to the presence of vanillin.

There are two main ways to add fragrance to cold-processed soap: adding your fragrance to your base oils before adding your lye water, or adding your fragrance at light trace. If your fragrance accelerates trace, you must be prepared to work quickly and keep your soap mould nearby.

How to adapt your recipe to accommodate an accelerating fragrance oil

When working with an accelerating fragrance oil, you may need to adapt your recipe to get the best results. Here are some ways to tweak your recipe to account for acceleration:

Change Your Design

Non-accelerating oils are necessary when creating intricate designs that require a lot of time to work. If your soap becomes thick and no longer fluid, your design may not turn out as intended. When using an accelerating fragrance oil, choose a design that works better with a medium to thick trace. Designs such as spoon plops, textured tops, layers, and embeds are perfect for accelerating fragrance oils.

Change Your Oils

Tweaking the oils in your recipe can make a significant difference in how long it takes for your soap to thicken. Some oils are considered "slow-moving," which generally refers to lightweight oils that are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, and canola oil. On the other hand, firm oils like palm oil, coconut oil, and butters tend to speed up trace. When working with an accelerating fragrance oil, consider using more slow-moving oils in your recipe.

Change Your Temperatures

The temperature of your lye solution and oils can also affect the acceleration of your soap. Warmer soaping temperatures typically speed up trace, causing the soap to thicken more quickly. If you're creating a design that requires time to work, consider soaping at a cooler temperature, around 100-120 °F (38-49 °C).

Change Your Additives

Some ingredients can cause or increase acceleration. Ingredients that contain sugar, such as honey, beer, milk, and purees, can increase the temperature and speed up trace. Salt also has a similar effect. Additionally, ingredients with absorption properties, such as clays, activated charcoal, and titanium dioxide, can accelerate trace. It is best to avoid or minimise these ingredients when using an accelerating fragrance oil.

Stir Manually

While immersion blenders are helpful in speeding up the process, it is recommended to stir in your fragrance oils manually with a spatula when dealing with accelerating fragrance oils. This will help you avoid over-mixing and accidentally reaching a thick trace.

Avoid Water Discount

Water discounting your recipe has benefits, such as helping soap release from the mold faster and preventing glycerin rivers. However, removing water from the recipe can cause the soap batter to thicken more quickly. Combining a water discount with an accelerating fragrance oil can lead to very thick soap.

How to choose the right fragrance oil for your cold-processed soap

Choosing the right fragrance oil for your cold-processed soap can be tricky. Many factors determine how well a fragrance will behave in a cold-process soap recipe. Here are some tips to help you choose the right fragrance oil and get the best results:

• Check the manufacturer's notes: Always check the manufacturer's notes on whether the fragrance oil accelerates or not, and understand their testing process. Knowing the formulation they use is important because your formulation may be different, which can affect the acceleration of the fragrance.
• Plan ahead: Have a plan A and a plan B in case the fragrance accelerates and your soap batter thickens more quickly than expected. Choose a design that works well with a medium to thick trace, such as spoon plops, textured tops, layers, or designs with embeds.
• Tweak your recipe: If the fragrance oil accelerates, you may need to tweak your recipe by changing the design, avoiding certain additives, or changing the types and proportions of oils used. Include more slow-moving oils, such as olive oil, rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, or canola oil, and reduce the amount of firm oils like palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter, which tend to speed up trace.
• Change your temperatures: The temperature of your lye solution and oils can also affect the acceleration of your soap. For most soapers, a soaping temperature of 120-130 °F is preferred. However, if you're working with an accelerating fragrance, you may want to soap at a cooler temperature, around 100-120 °F, to slow down the trace.
• Avoid certain additives: Some ingredients can cause acceleration or affect the performance of your fragrance oil. Avoid ingredients that contain sugar, such as honey, beer, wine, milk, and purees, as they can increase the temperature and speed up trace. Also, avoid ingredients with absorption properties, such as clays, activated charcoal, and titanium dioxide, as they can speed up trace.
• Anchoring fragrances: Fragrance oils don't saponify, so they need something to "hold on to" while your soaps cure. Kaolin clay is a popular choice for anchoring fragrances because it's fine, highly absorbent, and won't alter the color of your batch oils. You can create a kaolin clay slurry by adding the clay directly to the fragrance oil and blending it well. Other options for anchoring fragrances include colloidal oatmeal, soft botanicals, and calendula petals.
• Test your fragrances: Testing is key to successful cold-process soap making. The testing notes provided by fragrance oil manufacturers are meant to be used as a reference, but you should always test the fragrance in your own recipe. Your results may vary depending on your specific recipe and curing process.

How to prepare for acceleration when using floral fragrances

Floral fragrances can be a beautiful addition to your cold-processed soap, but they can also cause the soap batter to thicken and set more quickly than usual, a process known as acceleration. This can be frustrating when you're trying to create intricate designs or patterns in your soap. However, there are several strategies you can use to prepare for and manage this acceleration.

Plan Ahead

Before you begin, it's important to have a plan in place in case your floral fragrance accelerates. Choose a soap-making technique that is less likely to be affected by acceleration, such as the In-The-Pot swirl technique, which is quick and easy to get the soap batter into the mould.

Choose Your Design Carefully

Some soap designs require a lot of time to work with the batter and create swirls or other patterns. If you're using an accelerating fragrance, opt for a design that works better with a medium to thick trace. Techniques like the spin swirl, column pour, and funnel pour require a lot of pouring and movement, so they may not be the best choice when using an accelerating fragrance. Instead, consider designs like spoon plops, textured tops, layers, or embeds.

Tweak Your Recipe

You can also make adjustments to your soap recipe to manage acceleration. One way is to increase the proportion of slow-moving oils, such as olive oil, rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, and canola oil, which are generally liquid at room temperature. On the other hand, firm oils like palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter tend to speed up the trace, so you may want to reduce their amount. Additionally, consider avoiding additives like beeswax, castor oil, and sodium lactate, as these can also contribute to acceleration.

Control Your Temperatures

The temperature of your lye solution and oils can also impact the rate of acceleration. Warmer soaping temperatures tend to speed up the trace, so consider soaping at cooler temperatures, around 100-120°F (37-49°C). You can also try decreasing your soaping temperatures by 10-15°F if you find that your recipe is moving faster than you'd like.

Fragrance Oil Techniques

There are also some specific techniques you can use when working with your fragrance oil to minimise acceleration. First, try to add the fragrance oil at the very end of the process and whisk it in by hand rather than using a stick blender, as this can speed up emulsification. Additionally, you can try diluting the fragrance oil by mixing it with a few ounces of your base oil before adding it to the soap mixture. This can help slow down acceleration and give you more time to work.

By following these tips and techniques, you can better prepare for and manage acceleration when using floral fragrances in your cold-processed soap. With some adjustments to your recipe, temperatures, and techniques, you can create beautiful, fragrant soaps with your desired designs.

How to anchor your fragrance oil to prevent it from evaporating

To prevent fragrance oil from evaporating, you can try "anchoring" it by pairing it with a deeper, earthier, or more complex scent. Amber, Ginger Patchouli, and Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oils are some examples of scents that can be used for anchoring.

You can also try using kaolin clay, which is a very fine and highly absorbent additive that can help to anchor your fragrance oil. Create a kaolin clay slurry by adding the clay directly to the fragrance oil and blending it well with a mini mixer. This will give your fragrance oil something to "hold on to" while your soaps cure.

Additionally, using lower temperatures during the soap-making process may help to slow down the evaporation of fragrance oils.

• Store fragrance oils in a cool, dark place to maintain their potency.
• Cure soap in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
• Try using an electric diffuser with adjustable settings to control the intensity and duration of the fragrance release.

How to add fragrance to your cold-processed soap

Adding fragrance to your cold-processed soap can be tricky, but with a little preparation and flexibility, you can successfully incorporate your favourite scents. Here are some detailed instructions and tips to help you along the way.

Plan Ahead:

Before you begin, it is important to research your chosen fragrance. Some fragrances, particularly florals, tend to accelerate trace, causing your soap to thicken quickly and making it difficult to work with. Check the manufacturer's notes on whether the fragrance oil accelerates and understand their testing methods. Knowing the formulation they use is crucial because your formulation may differ, resulting in unexpected acceleration.

Prepare Your Ingredients:

To give yourself more time to work, use a higher percentage of liquid oils that are room-temperature or cooler. Oils like olive oil, rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, and canola oil are considered "slow-moving" and will give you a longer working time. If you're set on using harder oils like palm, coconut, or cocoa butter, be prepared for your soap to thicken more quickly.

Adjust Your Design:

If you're using an accelerating fragrance, opt for a design that works well with a medium to thick trace. Techniques like spoon plops, textured tops, layers, and embeds are perfect for accelerating fragrances. Avoid intricate designs like the spin swirl, column pour, or funnel pour, as these require a lot of time and fluidity in the soap batter.

Control Your Temperatures:

Warmer soaping temperatures can speed up trace, so consider soaping at cooler temperatures, around 100-120°F (37-49°C). If your recipe is moving faster than you'd like, try decreasing the temperature by 10-15°F. Additionally, avoid ingredients that increase temperature, such as honey, beer, milk, purees, and salt, as these can also accelerate trace.

Make a Fragrance Slurry:

To enhance the longevity of your fragrance, consider making a kaolin clay slurry. Kaolin clay is highly absorbent and gives your fragrance oil something to "hold on to" while your soaps cure. Mix the clay directly into your fragrance oil and blend well with a mini mixer. Prepare this slurry at least 24 hours in advance to give the clay time to absorb the fragrance fully.

Add Your Fragrance:

When you're ready to add your fragrance, do so at the lightest trace. Stop using a stick blender and switch to a whisk to avoid accelerating trace further. If your soap is already quite thick, grab a spoon and try a layered design or spoon plop technique. Work quickly and get your soap into the mould as soon as possible.

Be Prepared for Setbacks:

Even with careful planning, some fragrances may still cause unexpected issues. If your soap accelerates extremely quickly, turns solid, or starts to heat up, don't panic. You can try the "hot process hero" technique to save your batch. Wear safety gear and transfer your soap to a stainless steel pot that is three times bigger than your batch. Heat the mixture on medium, stirring until it liquefies, then spoon it into a heat-safe mould.

Test and Adjust:

Always make a small test batch first to see how your chosen fragrance performs. That way, you can adjust your recipe or technique accordingly. Remember, adding fragrance to cold-processed soap requires some experimentation, so don't be discouraged if you encounter challenges along the way.

Frequently asked questions