Adding more ingredients

by Anonymous

I like the basic recipe, White Camellia Soap, as a start but do not know how much essential oil I can add or ground oatmeal, flower pedals, etc... is there a rule to this? I do not want the soap to be too granular or have an overpowering scent.

Answer:

White Camellia is a lovely bar and would make a wonderful soap base.

Essential oils should be added at a rate of 2% - 5% of the base oils. That translates to around 18 - 45 grams of essential oils for the 900 grams of base oils used in my recipe. You will have to determine what is the right stregth for you.

How much botanical matter such as oatmeal and flower petals to add to the soap base is also subjective. Everyone has their own opinions on what is "too much".

I tend to add anywhere from 1 tsp to 1/4 cup per 900 gram batch depending on the matter being added. I find ground oatmeal to be quite soft on the skin but cornmeal can be a bit scratchy so I add less of it.

Cathy