Blueberry Fields Artisan Soap

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🧪🫧 SOAP NERD THURSDAY 🫧🧪

🫒 What Does Olive Oil Actually Do in Soap?

You probably have a bottle of it in your kitchen.

I have it in my soap pot.

Olive oil has been used in soapmaking for centuries, but have you ever wondered what it actually DOES in a bar of soap?

Time to get nerdy. 🤓🧪

Olive oil is naturally high in a fatty acid called oleic acid.

When olive oil goes through saponification, its fatty acids become part of the soap itself, and they contribute some very different characteristics than something like coconut oil.

🫒 Olive oil can contribute to:

✨ A smooth, gentle-feeling lather
🫧 A creamier, lower-bubble lather
🧼 A bar that develops beautifully with a good cure
⚖️ Balance when combined with other oils & fats in a well-formulated recipe

But here's where things get interesting…

If you've been following Soap Nerd Thursday, you already know one of my favorite rules:

MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. 😂

A soap made with a very high percentage of olive oil behaves differently from a balanced formula containing several oils & fats.

Fresh high-olive soap can initially be softer and its lather may feel quite different from the big, fluffy bubbles people often expect from soap. Given a long enough cure, however, high-olive soaps can become remarkably hard, long-lasting bars.

That's why you can't look at one ingredient and predict everything about a soap.

🥥 Coconut oil brings one set of characteristics.

🫒 Olive oil brings another.

And when I'm formulating, I'm thinking about how all those fatty acids work together to create the hardness, longevity, cleansing and lather I'm looking for.

That's the difference between simply putting “good ingredients” into a pot…

…and formulating a bar with a purpose. 🧪🫧

Because around here:

Every ingredient has a job.

❄️ A little winter magic is taking shape... 🌿💙

Introducing Winter Solstice l, our newest handcrafted goat milk soap.

Inspired by the quiet beauty of a Scandinavian winter retreat, this soap features flowing ribbons of icy blue, evergreen, soft sage, and snowy white.

Every swirl is created by hand, making each bar a little work of art. No two will ever be exactly alike.

Made in small batches with creamy goat milk and a fragrance inspired by the peaceful atmosphere of a Nordic spa.

Fresh. Serene. Beautifully handcrafted.

These beauties are freshly poured and will spend the next several weeks curing before they're ready for your shower.

✨ Never Ordinary.

It's been a busy day in the studio! I made a little sunshine for the colder days ahead and because you love citrus scents.

Introducing Winter Citrus, our newest handcrafted goat milk soap!

Swirls of warm peach, golden citrus, and botanical green dance through a creamy base, creating a little work of art inspired by the beauty of winter sunshine.

Made in small batches with creamy goat milk, thoughtfully selected ingredients, and our signature attention to detail.

Every swirl is created by hand, making each bar beautifully unique. No two will ever be exactly alike.

A little science. A little artistry. A whole lot of handcrafted goodness.

These beauties are freshly poured and will be curing before joining our winter collection.

💙 Blueberry Fields Artisan Soap
Never Ordinary.

🧪 Meet the Maker Monday
Fragrance Blending 101
Part 2: Why those limits matter.

Last week, I shared my first step in fragrance blending: reviewing the supplier’s IFRA certificate. This week, let’s talk about the skin behind those numbers. 💙

IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, sets science-based standards for the responsible use of fragrance ingredients. Following the appropriate limits helps manage risks. Exceeding them can increase exposure beyond the levels evaluated for that particular use.

What kinds of concerns are we talking about?

🔹 Skin irritation
Some fragrance ingredients can cause redness, stinging, or burning. The amount used and how the product contacts your skin matter.

🔹 Skin sensitization
This means developing an allergy to an ingredient. You might tolerate something initially, then develop an itchy rash with later exposure. IFRA’s standards help reduce the risk of developing fragrance allergies.

🔹 Reactions involving sunlight
Certain fragrance materials—including some expressed citrus essential oils—can cause skin reactions when combined with UV exposure. “Natural” ingredients need careful evaluation, too.

This is why I check the category for the product I’m making. A rinse-off soap and a body lotion have different patterns of exposure. A candle’s fragrance limit cannot be borrowed for a skin product.

Blending adds another consideration: different fragrance oils can contain the same restricted ingredients. Their contributions add together, so checking each bottle individually is only the beginning.

And one important point: following IFRA standards does not guarantee that nobody will react. Individual allergies still exist, and an IFRA certificate does not replace an assessment of the finished product’s safety.

My biochemistry background makes me appreciate this part of the process. The fragrance should be beautiful, and the formulation deserves just as much care. Each fragrance blend is carefully recorded in a notebook. Observations are noted.

That’s some of the work behind every distinctive Blueberry Fields blend.

Blueberry Fields Artisan Soap
Never ordinary.