Shower Gel

To make a shower gel base

Posted by Ryland Peters & Small

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Fragrances for shower gels

Fragrances for shower gels tend to be fresh and sparkling, and provide a feeling of cleanliness and
invigoration. One point to consider, though, is that you want a burst of fragrance in the shower but
don’t need the fragrance to last on your skin. This means you can focus on the top and mid notes.

Natural fragrance materials may cause some clouding in
your shower gel base, but including a solubilizer such as
Polysorbate 20 should prevent this. Fragrance materials
can also make your shower gel become a little thin, so
it’s a good idea to start with a thicker base than you
need. Of course, you can include any fragrance type you
wish in your shower gels and even create a matching
range. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Shower gel fragrance blend recipes
The combination of geranium and orange works well in
a shower gel. Different variations have been included
here with the addition of coriander for warmth. Notice
how varying the ratios slightly gives different effects.

Accord 1 Accord 2 Accord 3
Sweet orange 4 parts 4 parts 3 parts
Geranium bourbon 3 parts 4 parts 3 parts
Coriander 3 parts 3 parts 4 parts

Fragrances for body scrubs
When creating a fragrance for a body scrub, please take the same points into consideration
as for a shower gel. Spicy notes such as black pepper that get the circulation moving or a
fresh blast of citrus and mint work extremely well. The recipe on the right has an oil base,
which means that the fragrance won’t jump out as much as it would in a detergent, so you
may need to tweak your creations a bit to see what works best.

Body scrub fragrance blend recipes
The accords given here are based on citrus with peppermint. Smell
each material individually and note the impact. Lemon and lime are
about the same, with lime being slightly more aggressive. Litsea cubeba
has a higher impact, and peppermint has more than double that of
Litsea. With that in mind, vary the amounts to get different effects.
Accord 1 is citrus with a hint of mint, while Accord 2 pushes both
the minty aspect and the impact way up, giving more lift in the base.

Accord 1 Accord 2
Lemon 4 parts 4 parts
Lime 4 parts 4 parts
Litsea cubeba 3 parts 5 parts
Peppermint 1 part 4 parts

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You Will Need (7 things)

  • 50 g natural surfactant blend, such as Plantapon
  • 3 g natural fat restorer, such as Lamesoft
  • 5 g Glycerin
  • 40 g Flower Water (to match your fragrance)
  • 1 g Fragrance blend (see suggested fragrance blend recipes below)
  • 20 drop (aromatic preservative K was used here) Preservative
  • 10 drop –40 drops (to adjust the pH to 5.5) Lactic Acid

Steps (4 steps, 120 minutes)

  1. 1

    Measure the Plantapon and Lamesoft into one of the small
    pitchers. Measure the glycerin into the other pitcher and stir in the premeasured flower water with the mixing spoon.

  2. 2

    Pour the glycerin and flower water mixture into the surfactant base, stirring until blended and taking care not to whip or cause foaming. Carefully mix in the fragrance and preservative.

  3. 3

    Take a pH strip and dip it into the mixture. If it is above 5.5, then add a few drops of lactic acid.

  4. 4

    Retest the pH and add more lactic acid, a drop at a time, until the mixture reaches the correct pH (when the gel will thicken). Pour the shower gel into the bottle, and label and date.