# Newbie here   FO & EO Q's........



## soapdude1970

Hey gang,

Glad I found these boards!   Getting ready to order supplies for my first set of M&P bars!  

What is the diffenece between F0 and EO?  Do you use different amounts? If so how much per pound? Kinda confused but thanks in advance for any info!


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## Tabitha

EOs are natural
fos are synthetic

Let me go see if I can find a good thread for you te review.


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## soapdude1970

Thank you very much!


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## Tabitha

I know there are a dozen threads on this board about this topic but it's just as easy to write it again.

EOs are natural and have medicinal values. Examples of EOs are peppermint, lavender, tea-tree, patchouli, rose, geranium, lemon grass, etc.

FOs are man made from a variety of things. They may or mya not have some EO in them. Examples of fos are peppermint, lavender, patchouli, cupcake, banana, pineapple upside down cake, etc.

Please make a note, some scents like lavender are available in the natural form (EO) and the synthetic (fo) man made form. ONLY the EO will have the medicinal qualities, though if you used the fo mind over matter would probably kick in & the buyer would think they were feeling relaxed: sugar pill.

EOs tend to be strong be stronger.

Do not use either full strength on your skin.


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## Tabitha

I went ahead and made this thread a sticky so we won't have to search for it next time.


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## soapdude1970

Thanks so much!  Makes sense now!


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## honor435

eos are more spendy and natural, fos, theres more scents, like tons! These are some good ones: peakcandle.com, naturesgarden.com, bittercreek, wsp(wholesalesuppliesplus), bertsheavenscent, I could go on and on! have fun, why not try making soap, not m&P? its an addiction, be warned.


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## SmellyKat

honor435 said:
			
		

> eos are more spendy and natural, fos, theres more scents, like tons! These are some good ones: peakcandle.com, naturesgarden.com, bittercreek, wsp(wholesalesuppliesplus), bertsheavenscent, I could go on and on! have fun, why not try making soap, not m&P? its an addiction, be warned.



I am VERY new, but I have read online and in my soap book that FO's are a little more difficult to use than the EO's.  And the scent doesn't last as long as EO's.


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## PrairieCraft

I have to disagree with that.  The EOs I have used faded a lot and a couple of them accelerated trace.  The FOs...all good.


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## cwarren

For me  I used E/O on my first soaps.. I feel the CP of soap making eats up the smells and I had spent alot of money on them.. F/O seem to be holding onto their scent..


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## honor435

I think fos last longer, but I dont use eos much, I do know lemongrass and lavender hold well.


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## BulkApothecary

This is a good question that we get asked a lot.  The primary difference is the therapeutic qualities of essential oils.  Fragrance oils smell great but don't have any real medicinal qualities.  As others have said, fragrance oils usually (but not always) contain essential oils to achieve the smell.  One important thing to note when choosing one or the other is what you are trying to achieve.  Be careful of inferior grade fragrances or cheap dilutions of essential oils that could potentially break the viscosity of your product.  When it comes to Fragrance oils, all are not created equal.  Some are formated specifically for personal care products, while others are used for candles or water based products.  They are not all interchangeable.  Furthermore, all fragrance oils have different max usage levels.  I have seen some with usage levels up to 10% and others with a max use level of less than 1%.  It can get very confusing because most people simply look at price.  If you have an oil that is twice the price but requires 4 times as much, you are better off with the more expensive oil.  We actually recommend .3-1% usage levels with our fragrance oils.  Lastly, be careful of all the different essential oils.  Many suppliers take the least expensive version of an essential oil and that's all they offer.  When it comes to essential oils, there are many variations and each have different smells, usage levels, benefits etc.  Take lavender for example.  I currently use 8 different versions from all over the world and am adding another 3 versions to my line up this week.  The best advice anyone can ever give is to start small and try a few out.  Don't go out and buy a large quantity of any oil simply because it's cheap.  Usually you are getting what you pay for and could make a huge mistake if you don't take some time to find a reputable supplier and a grade of essential or fragrance oil you like.  Sorry for the long reply but this is a question we get asked all the time and I wanted to clarify a little.


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## annietjoe

FO's and EO's both have their pitfalls.  The primary advantages to EO's that I have seen are 1) Medicinal properties (however, there are warnings about some EO's... (e.g.do not use in pregnancy etc..)  You should always research these types of things.  2.  Not much if any discoloration (I say this based on my very limited experience so please do not take it as gospel.  The primary advantages I see to FO's are that they are far less expensive (even good quality ones) and they do tend to stick better.  However, some pitfalls might be unwanted discoloration from vanilla or other components, ricing, and/or acceleration.  They are also not natural (as stated above) and companies are not required to tell the consumer what is in them.

To me, these are the big ones.

Best of luck!!!

annietjoe


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## Sheila Pullar

I find EO Melissa holds it scent and smells so nice. I use it all the time now.

Can anyone tell me the best scent to use in melt and pour soap please! that hold it's scent I live in the UK so don't want to pay high postage?


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## SHARAH

Hi everyone  I too need advice on using EO's for leave on and wash off products. I would like to make CP soaps and body butters/hair pomades with the added benefits that EO's offer but I am totally lost interms of the quantities of usage.
For example for CP I know that EO or FO the scent should not exceed 4-5% of the weight of total oils and within the 4-5% range when using EO there are various ranges per type of EO like cinnamon leaf is .5% Max but you can add other EO's to the mix to create a unique scent.

My wories begin with not having a basic but reliable list of usage recommendations for EO's. I read the international fragrance recommendations but it didn't make things any clear interms of usage ratings.  
Can anyone please suggest a reliable resource for the rate of EO usgae for leave on and wash of products. 

And just inacse you are wondering which EO's I would like to use they are losted below:-
Anise
Champhor
Cinnamon Leaf
Cinnamon Bark
Carrot Oil
Coffee
Cypress
Frankincense
Ginger
Geranium
Grapefruit (Pink)
Juniper Berry
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Myrrh
Palmarose
Patchouli
Pepermint
Rose
Rosemary
Tea tree
Turmeric
Yarrow root
Ylang-ylang

I understand the properties of these EO's and that is why I chose them but I have no clue as to theor recommend usages

Please help, thanks I advance


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## IrishLass

Welcome Sharah!

The most reliable, up-to-date source I know of for proper dosage/usage is a book entitled, 'Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition)' by Robert Tisserand & Rodney Young. In lieu of getting the book, here is the most recent, updated info from the Tisserand Institute on this very subject: http://tisserandinstitute.org/new-survey-reveals-dangers-of-not-diluting-essential-oils/

HTH!
IrishLass


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## RomanyStar

Thank goodness for this post lol all the technical talk makes me want to give up before Ive properly started.


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## Marley

Tabitha said:


> I know there are a dozen threads on this board about this topic but it's just as easy to write it again.
> 
> EOs are natural and have medicinal values. Examples of EOs are peppermint, lavender, tea-tree, patchouli, rose, geranium, lemon grass, etc.
> 
> FOs are man made from a variety of things. They may or mya not have some EO in them. Examples of fos are peppermint, lavender, patchouli, cupcake, banana, pineapple upside down cake, etc.
> 
> Please make a note, some scents like lavender are available in the natural form (EO) and the synthetic (fo) man made form. ONLY the EO will have the medicinal qualities, though if you used the fo mind over matter would probably kick in & the buyer would think they were feeling relaxed: sugar pill.
> 
> EOs tend to be strong be stronger.
> 
> Do not use either full strength on your skin.


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## Marley

Tabitha,
I will have to disagree with your assessment of EOs.  While they are plant-based, not everything that comes from a plant is safe.  Without a full understanding of how to use EOs properly, and not just taking the advice from some MLM company consultant, you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else.  A little learning, in this regard, can be a dangerous thing.

Aside from that, when it comes to making a product with either FO or EO, there is absolutely no tolerance for one to claim that there is any medicinal value in the ingredient used or in the end product.  The FDA is quite clear about this.

EOs are plant-based, and FOs are synthetic (some may have EOs in them, in part).  If you don't know what you're doing with EOs, they can be quite harmful.  Whereas, using FOs that are formulated for skin products are quite safe.  Just be sure that you are using FOs that are formulated for Bath & Body skin safe use, and not the FOs that are formulated exclusively for candle makers.


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## Relle

Marely, Tabitha won't see your post to her as she left the forum many moons ago. To be exact nov 6 th 2012 and this thread is 8 yrs old. It would be best to check the date of the post you are replying to and see if it is recent.


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## [email protected]

Relle said:


> Marely, Tabitha won't see your post to her as she left the forum many moons ago. To be exact nov 6 th 2012 and this thread is 8 yrs old. It would be best to check the date of the post you are replying to and see if it is recent.


I still believe Marley has made an important point, and as this is a pinned post, its relevant to people searching the forum for information.


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## Relle

[email protected] said:


> I still believe Marley has made an important point, and as this is a pinned post, its relevant to people searching the forum for information.



While it might be relevant, Marely was specifically replying to Tabitha, who is no longer here and I was letting her know that, so she doesn't expect a reply.


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