Today I am covering a valued question from a customer.
The soap that I normally purchase from Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps smells slightly different than the soap I purchased in the past. Did the recipe change?
Essential oils are natural. An essential oil can differ for various reasons. Factors that play into variances in essential oils are: the plant crop, the manufacturer (and distillation method), the region/climate the plant is harvested in, and the harvest practices.
Essential oils, like a good perfume, can age somewhat in the bottle. With good storage practices, essential oils can actually strengthen with time.
The creation of a natural soap requires careful measuring and tracking. Each recipe is followed to a “t,” using an electronic scale that weighs the ingredients to the tenth of an ounce. Even with careful measurements there are additional factors that can affect the soap from batch to batch.
- Season – humidity and temperature play a role in the soapmakers crafting practices. A difference in room temperature can greatly affect the first 12-24 hours of soap, changing the insulation needs, which could greatly affect the hardness and scent of the soap.
- Milk – varies from season to season. Have you heard the term “grass fed beef”? I can attest to grass fed milk. It is sweeter. Sweeter equates to more sugar in the soap recipe, which in turn affects the entire stability of a batch of soap.
- Age – of the actual soap bar itself. The curing process (4-6 weeks) not only allows the soap to become more mild, it also gives the soap time to harden (the moisture content in the soap drops drastically). I personally prefer an older bar of goat milk soap, especially one of my all natural soaps (some soaps contain man-made fragrances).
So…to wrap this up, with all of the careful intentions in place, natural soap can differ slightly from batch to batch!
I love questions, please keep them coming!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 