Scents of Wonder: Citrus Glycerine Soap
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These soaps are simple to produce and make excellent gifts. “Just make sure that small children do not eat these soaps,” warns Tauer. “Essential oils smell very yummy!”
Posted by ReadyMade
Written by Melissa Goldstein, Photography by Aaron Dyer, Styling by Diana Yen
With a background as a chemist and a Ph.D. in molecular biology, Andy Tauer already had an arsenal of alchemy skills when he came to the world of perfume making. It all began as a hobby, but a scent created for a friend’s shop during an unemployed patch kick-started his pastime into a full-fledged business. Perfume critic Luca Turin was the first to champion that fragrance, a sophisticated blend of Moroccan rose, jasmine absolutes, and cedar wood oil from the High Atlas mountains dubbed Le Maroc Pour Elle. As a result, the Tauer brand went from a 20-bottle one-off batch into a global cult perfume house, practically overnight.
Strongest Scent Memory “The strongest memories are the oldest memories. Scents of my childhood. My mother. The cows and pigs. My father smoking Asian cigarettes.”
Pull Quote “Most of my scents work for both sexes because of a nice balance, and because my perfume-loving friends and clients are willing to explore a lot of fragrant facets on their skin.”
Tauer
Zurich, Switzerland
To see more from the other perfumers from Scents of Wonder, click here.
Safety note: Be careful when heating the soap. Liquid soap can burn just like hot water. Take care when handling concentrated essential oils: Try to avoid direct contact on skin and especially in eyes. If you get essential oils in your eyes, wash with lots of water and consider seeing a doctor.
Skill Level
Very Easy
Active Time
Half a day
Cost
$
- 8 ml mandarin essential oil
- 24 ml clementine essential oil
- 4 ml grapefruit essential oil
- 4 ml lemongrass essential oil
- Rubbing alcohol
- 2.2 lbs unscented transparent glycerin soap for melting and pouring (available at goplanetearth.com)
- Optional: natural materials, such as lavender flowers, dried leaves, or coffee beans
- Note: 1 ml = approximately 20 drops of an essential oil
Materials
- Small glass
- Glass dropper
- Clean old pan
- Molds (a soufflé form made of glass or aluminum works well; you can also use a baking tray and cut the soaps out later)
Tools
Make the fragrant mixture: Add each of the essential oils to a glass. If using a dropper, take care to clean it with alcohol between oils to avoid cross-contamination. The mixture can be prepared, covered with plastic wrap, and stored for up to a few hours.
Melt the soap on low heat in the pan, making sure not to let it boil. When the soap has melted, take it off the heat and stir from time to time (about every 2 or 3 minutes for about 15-30 minutes). The liquid soap will get more viscous when cooling down.
When it has cooled enough that you can touch the outside of the pan (about 30 minutes, longer for bigger batches), add the fragrant mixture and gently stir it for about a minute. It is important to stir gently, otherwise you produce bubbles that mar the aesthetics of the soap’s smooth surface. Make sure all the essential oils and the soap are sufficiently mixed. If you’re adding natural materials, you can do this now or right after pouring the mixture into the molds in the next step.
Pour the mixture carefully into the molds. Once the soap has solidified (about an hour), cover with a plastic film, then put into fridge to further solidify for another hour.
Remove the soap from the mold by submerging the outside of the mold into a hot water bath for a short time, or by cutting with a knife along the edges of the soap and lifting out.
Pack the soaps into cut-to-size cellophane foil to preserve their scent.
