Here at Natures Garden we realize that choosing the most perfect fragrance oil for cold process soap can be quite challenging. Well, we have the solution. We recently decided to begin retesting each of our more than 800 fragrance oils! Over the years we have had multiple people testing the fragrances which might mean multiple result interpretations. In addition, we have masterbatched to test the soap scents. This time around, we have decided to test each of our fragrance oils individually, giving each scent its very own batch. We also have Bailey testing each scent and guess what….we’re taking videos the entire time! This means not only will you be able to read the results, but you can actually see it with your own eyes. There will be no more guessing how much time you will have to work. Have you ever wondered what exactly is a light tan or dark beige? Well, no more guessing on our interpretation of the final discoloration. We show you all of this right in a cold process soap testing video. How cool is that?!?
Now, let me explain the process and recipe we are using to create these wonderful cold process soap testing videos. Let’s start with our recipe.
Lye Solution
Water 144 grams
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) 53 grams
Sodium Lactate 8 grams (added to cooled lye solution)
Oil and Butters
Apricot Kernel Oil 16 grams
Mango Butter 53 grams
Shea Butter 49 grams
Castor Oil 14 grams
Sunflower Oil 63 grams
Palm Oil 57 grams
Coconut Oil 76 113 grams
Fragrance Oil 29 grams (Amount reduced if mandated by IFRA)
Here is our process. We are allowing our lye solution to cool to about 100 degrees. Then, we incorporate our sodium lactate. Once that is done, we go ahead and combine our lye solution and oils. We use a stick blender to emulsify the batter. The fragrance is incorporated and we observe any ricing or acceleration. The soap batter is then poured into one of our Silicone 6 Cavity Flower Mold at trace. After about 24 hours we remove the soaps from the molds and allow them to cure. Once the soap has cured, we note any discoloration.
Next, comes the fun part…putting the video together! You will see in these videos Bailey has tested the fragrance especially for you, our customers. We felt it was important so you could see exactly what the fragrance did in cp soap from beginning right to the end. This will give you a better idea of how much time you will have to work….or how much FUN can you have with the scent! We will also show you what the final soap looks like after cure. You can see just how the soap discolored.
Are you wondering just where you can find these videos??? Well, once a video is completed for a fragrance, it is added right to the website, on the page for that scent. This way you will be able to see the fragrance oil’s performance as you are shopping. We already have a video added for our Almond Fragrance Oil. We will use this scent for an example.
You will not only see a picture on this page of the finished CP soap discoloration, but notice the blue tab right above the picture that says “Video”? Click on that tab.
Clicking on the tab will bring up videos related to our Almond Fragrance Oil. You will notice two videos on this particular scent. One is our video describing the fragrance oil (you should totally watch that one as well…it’s awesome too!).
The other video is the one we are will be focusing on today. It show you how the fragrance performs in soap. Click on the second video. You will then see the video pop up and be able to watch it.
We already have many videos posted and many more to come. If you don’t see a video for the fragrance you are looking for, make sure you check back often as we are adding new videos each day. Bailey is working very hard to get each Nature’s Garden scent tested again in CP soap just for you. Our hope is that these cold process soap testing videos will make your shopping experience much easier. We hope that you enjoy these cp soap testing videos. Make sure you stay tuned for more fragrance fun!