As Kyle said, I felt the burn on the top/edge of my cheek the first time I used the soap but have used it all week since then and had nothing undesirable. I don’t recall whether I used the base before I added scent but I’m guessing I didn’t.
The first thing I always think of when a scent results in a burn or tingle is the fragrance oil and whether it has known potential irritants (vanilla being a typical offender but others like cinnamon, cherry, lime, and various spices). The coffee frag has none of these offenders listed. I also consider the amount/percentage of frags used ...again nothing out of the norm here. The next thing I consider is the base and whether it’s got something going on. The base in this case is essentially the same as any other CBL soap except the lye water and the oils all had fresh roasted coffee steeped in them (that’s the color you see). This leaves me thinking/wondering if the amount of caffeine extracted from the beans was enough to result in skin tingles. I am positive there is at least SOME caffeine present simply because it is water soluble and was given a chance to be extracted while cooking. If anyone has used that caffeine containing Cremo that used to be sold at target perhaps they can say whether it resulted in any tingle.
People often ask if a soap might be “hot”, meaning having a little too much lye left in the final product resulting in an unfavorable pH. I do keep the amounts consistent and “test” each batch but the “testing” usually involves the old zap test...does the soap result in a zap feeling when touched to the tongue. I even tested a bean that was in the soap just Incase it absorbed any lye and was still holding on to it...nothing. When all is said and done the fragrance oil used is most likely the cause as it is most often the cause. My caffeine theory sounds plausible but I admit it seems a little far fetched.
