Yikes! I am having browser probs today, big time! No, using an anchor means to use another scent (EO) to help keep the fleeting EO around longer. Patchouli and Litsea cubeba are anchors I have used with success, but also keep in mind that lavender used at 1oz. per pound of oils will have good scent for up to 1 year without an anchor. ; make soap to last you for a year at a time of usage (and friends) and the scent should not be a problem. :). Many soapers when starting out don't use nor know about anchors, I am sort of sorry that I have mentioned it in here, but now you are aware. Hope I didn't confuse you the situation much:( This is not needed for FOs, for FOs should be designed to having staying power incorporated. A FO without staying power has not been designed well and you should look elsewhere.

Susan, First, I was intimidated by CP at first because I was afraid i would not know what trace looked like. Well, it is very easy to see. Once you add the lye water to the oils and start stirring you will see the mixture start thickening, as you stir you will see track marks in the soap, you can actually drizzle some of the soap over the mixture and you will see "traces", with the recipe I am going to give you this will happen in about 4 minutes if you use a stick mixer, (if mixing by hand could take hours). I recommend the stick mixer, I did by hand the 1st time but got very disconcerned with the stirring. This recipe is not organic but you can probably purchase the items organically. Here is a very easy and mild CP recipe: 38 oz veg. shortening 24 oz Olive Oil 24 oz Coconut Oil 12 oz lye 32 oz distilled water 3-4 oz EO or 2 oz FO 1/4 oz herbs (optional) Items needed: 2 plastic pitchers 2 candy thermometers 1 stainless steel pot mold freezer paper Goggles rubber gloves 2 wooden spoons scale that weighs in ounces and pounds old blanket piece of cardboard that fits into mold so lay on soap as not to create soda ash Wearing goggles and rubber gloves weigh out 12 oz of lye into a plastic pitcher, in another plastic pitcher weigh out 32 oz of distilled water. Slowly pour the lye into the water stirring as you add. The mixture will be very hot, stick a thermometer in and start on the oil phase. In a stainless pot add weighed veg shortening and coconut oil, let melt, as soon a mixture melts remove from heat, add olive oil. Add a 2nd thermometer to the oil mixture, let both (lye and oil) mixtures cool to between 90 - 100 degrees. While waiting for mixtures to cool you can prepare your mold by greasing and lining with freezer paper. Also get your additives ready. Both mixtures will need to be at exactly same temp before incorporating. If one cools faster than the other put the warmer on in a cold water bath until it reaches the correct temp. Once both are at the same temp slowly pour the lye water into the oil. If using a stick blender you will see the mix thicken and then you will see "tracks" or "trace" in the soap, this is when you will add you FO, EO, additives or color. You can also superfat with 2 oz of Shea butter or Avacodo butter at this time. Use your stick blender to stir again until trace then pour in prepared molds. You can lay a piece of freezer paper directly on soap then place the card board or a lid on the container. Wrap in a blanket, leave in blankets for 18 hours, then uncover and let sit another 12 hours. After 12 hours remove soap from mold and cut into bars. This makes (1) 4LB block or (2) 2LBS loafs, I get 20 bars from this recipe (you can get 24 depending on your mold. ***Clean up tip: I let the mixture in the pot and blender sit and begin to set up so it is more of a soap mixture when I clean than oily.** ~~If you are nervous about making just make sure you have everything ready before you begin and read the directions several times before attempting. I have to say as nervous as I was all of my soaps have turned out great, not one messed up batch~~ Good Luck Elle By the way Susan, ordered the Coffee FO today for the Kitchen Soap

A lot of different things going on here. One ounce per pound of oils of most any fragrance will be enough, whether it is EO or FO. Most FOs, I will use .75 of an ounce per pound of oils, depending on manufacturer. EOs, I will use .3 to .5 for spices; 1.0 for citruses; .75+ for florals. Now, you can get 5x to 10x citruses and you can get away with using less. Lavender buds may look like dead ants in the bathtub. :( Make sure that the Vanilla FO is non discolouring. Oddly enough, vanilla EO will turn your soap, beige to brown depending on how much you've added. Whereas, chocolate won't turn to a chocolate colour at all. Consider using only the EO or FO for your lavender., vice both; unless, you like the combo of the scents. Trace will depend on how much water/liquid you are using. I typically use a 30% liquid discount. I think you can do this on lye calculators on the net.But again, the more water/liquid you use, the slower trace will be (I sure hope that you are using a stick blender?). Here's where I disagree with the advice from Sheryl (she's talking from experience, where you are just starting) (I once came from Ontario myself). Unless you have some soaping experience under your belt, soap cooler. The hotter you have your lye solution and oils, the faster trace can run at you(some white florals, these are the worse, will give a soaper a fast run for their money). So, I always recommend that new soapers start at body temperature, for both the lye solutionand the oils. Touch the outside of the lye container, it should be the same or slightly warm to the touch; and the oils the same. No need for thermometers. If I have forgot to addresssomething, post back.

I'm holding off purchasing scents for now. Auntie Celene said she'll send me what samples she doesn't want/like. I figure they can be used for small batches. Also, I think most of the ones I need for herbals/hand-milleds can probably be found in a natural food store's essential oil section. Or maybe I can use steeped herbs, spices, rinds, and/or teas? Hobby Lobby only had lavender, peppermint, clove, ylang-ylang, & eucalyptus EOs anyhow, at roughly $3.50 per 1/2 oz. I already had 100% pure eucalyptus EO from when I had a real bad cold.