How to Make Cold Process Soap with an Accelerating Scent

In today’s cold process soap DIY, I want to share how to make cold process soap with an accelerating scent. Sometimes I fall in love with a floral scent and I want to use it in my soaps. In general, floral scents tend to accelerate. Of course not in all cases. I recommend always checking the manufacturer’s notes on whether the fragrance oil accelerates or not and understanding how they test to come up with that information. Knowing the formulation they use is important because in most cases you will be using a different formulation. Understanding the differences is important so that you can prepare and make a plan. For example, if the manufacturer’s formulation uses a high percentage of liquid oils and you use a high percentage of hard oils and butters, expect the soap to accelerate more than what is indicated in the manufacturer’s notes.

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I usually use their soap notes as a general indicator, but since I use a high percentage of hard oils and butters in my soap formulations I know to expect a faster acceleration when the fragrance manufacturer states mild acceleration. This has been my experience in several cases and I now prepare for that as I plan the soap.

It is important to have a plan A, a plan B, and a lot of patience. For this soap, I plan to use the In-The-Pot swirl technique. This soap making technique is easy to do, and fairly quick to get the soap batter into the mold.

The scent I used is Ambrosia Blossom from Brambleberry. It is lovely, with floral and fruity notes!

As you can see in the video, this scent accelerated very quickly, even more than I was expecting.

Another reason this soap might have accelerated so fast could also be that I made the soap at a slightly hotter temperature than I normally make soaps at. For the soap recipe I am sharing below, I recommend making sure the oils and the lye water solution are below 95 degrees F.

I am still very happy with how the soaps turned out and their unique design. I am even more happy that I was able to get all the batter into the mold.

It is important to plan your soaps in advance, these things can certainly happen and you want to make sure you have a contingency to still get gorgeous soaps, and a fun cold process soap making experience.

My favorite cold process soap additives

Two of my favorite cold process soap additives are kaolin clay and colloidal oatmeal. I add them to almost all of my soaps because of the wonderful properties they add to the soaps.

Kaolin clay

Kaolin clay is a very gentle clay used in many cosmetics and face masks. It is not only gentle on the skin but it is also great for anchoring the scents in the soaps. I also think it gives a great slip to the soaps that make the soap super luxurious.

Colloidal oatmeal

Colloidal oatmeal is also used in several skin care products and is considered a skin protectant. It helps retain moisture on the skin. It is very soothing and is usually recommended for people with dry skin. You can skip it but I like it in my soaps because of its excellent skin properties.

Another additive that I tend to add to the soaps is tussah silk. I love how it makes the soap so much smoother and with a lovely silky glide.

Four bars of Ambrosia blossom cold process soap for the how to make cold process soap with accelerating scents close up side view.

The In-the-pot technique for cold process soaps is very versatile and usually my plan when I know I am using accelerating scents for cold process soaps. With this technique, may be able to use a medium trace and get gorgeous designs. The technique includes separating the batter into different color bowls and then pouring it back into the main batter. Make a few swirls with the spatula to create some swirls and additional swirls are created as you pour the soap batter into the soap mold.

Another thing to pay attention to when making this soap is to make sure you use good micas and avoid using titanium dioxide. Sometimes mica colorants can accelerate the batter. And, titanium dioxide is also known for contributing to a slight acceleration of the cold process soap batter. For this soap, I used “purple galaxy” mica and “adobe orange” mica, both from Wholesale Supplies Plus. However, the ones I recommend below are also great for soapmaking.

Making cold process soap using an accelerating scent

Four bars of Ambrosia blossom cold process soap for the how to make cold process soap with accelerating scents close up top view.

Additional equipment needed for cold process soap making at home

Recipes and techniques for making cold process soap at home

Check out the posts linked below for several free cold process soap recipes and techniques. I hope you find one that is perfect for you.

Clamshell Technique Cold Process Soap DIY

Handmade Cold Process Soap Making

All Natural Aloe Vera Cold Process Soap

In this Kiss Pour and Handmade Mold DIY I not only give you a recipe and another fun technique to use, I also share how to make a mold using a cardboard milk box.

Summer Vibes Double In the Pot Swirl Cold Process Soap DIY

Coconut Milk & Coconut Water Cold Process Soap

Mahogany & Amber Cold Process Soap

Hibiscus Guava Fresca Cold Process Soap Layers – Tiger Stripe Technique

Four bars of Ambrosia blossom cold process soap for the how to make cold process soap with accelerating scents close up to one bar.

Ready to start making your own cold process soaps? Then this eBook with 25 different cold process soap formulations is the perfect resource. With so many formulations, you will have lots of inspiration to experiment and find the perfect one.

This eBook also includes best practices to modify the formulations to your liking.

I want the 25 recipes!

Step by Step cold process soap DIY – using the clamshell technique for cold process soaps

Weigh out the butters and coconut oil and melt them in the microwave
Add the liquid oils to the melted butters
Weigh out the water in a separate container
Weigh out the sodium hydroxide (lye) needed for the soap in a separate container
Sprinkle the sodium hydroxide (lye) into the water and mix well, then allow to cool to 85-90 degrees F
Add the lye water solution to the melted oils and butters
Mix using the immersion blender for only a few seconds until you achieve a light trace
Split the batter into two containers and mix in the mica colorants
Pour the batter of the two containers back into the main soap batter and make a few swirls using the spatula
Pour the soap batter into the mold
Decorate and swirl the top
Allow the soap to go through the saponification process for at least 24 hours
Cut the soap and allow it to cure for four to six weeks

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make soaps using an accelerating scent.

Learn more about cold process soap making in Cold process soap making most common questions answered in one place. This post summarizes all the questions I get about cold process soap making.