# Fresh EO blend that holds up after cure



## cascarral (Oct 14, 2019)

Hello! 

I'm making an Activated charcoal brine soap and want it to smell herbaceous, minty, uplifting, fresh! However I've had a hard time making this EOs stick, even by the time I'm unmolding I can barely smell the blend. 

I've been using 3% of oil weight, which is what I use for my other soaps and it works great, I'm guessing this particular category of EOs fades more easily? Right now my idea is to use rosemary EO paired with any of the following: eucalyptus, bergamot, thyme, sage, tea tree, lemon, lemongrass. However I'm open other options. My favorite blend so far has been rosemary + bergamot 1:1 but it completely faded at 3%. 

Does anyone have any ideas/experience with blends of this nature? 

There are tons of rosemary soaps in the market, it's driving me crazy that I can't make this scent work for me!

I use a blend from the EOCalc website called “Revive.”  It has tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender and ???  It sticks around for at least three months.  For my earliest soaps, which are only 5-6 months old now, the lemongrass and patchouli seem to have held the best.  I was using very low concentrations back then, usually < 1%.

The bergamot and lemon fade too quickly for soap in my experience. It sounds like you have a great collection of oils. Try using something more like 5-6% if it is safe with your EOs.



Mobjack Bay said:


> I use a blend from the EOCalc website called “Revive.”  It has tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender and ???  It sticks around for at least three months.  For my earliest soaps, which are only 5-6 months old now, the lemongrass and patchouli seem to have held the best.  I was using very low concentrations back then, usually < 1%.



i agree! My lemongrass parchouli Is almost too scented! I LOVE that blend. Wish I could find something like it with a minty scent.



Millie said:


> The bergamot and lemon fade too quickly for soap in my experience. It sounds like you have a great collection of oils. Try using something more like 5-6% if it is safe with your EOs.



Aw I didn’t know this about bergamot, this is too bad  well, I’ll try with something else then. Thank you!



cascarral said:


> Aw I didn’t know this about bergamot, this is too bad  well, I’ll try with something else then. Thank you!


I love bergamot too 

I use most EO's at 6% PPO, except basil, thyme, Petitgrain and spicy EO's that irritate the skin. Be very aware that Thyme and Basil are very very strong and will overpower almost every eo so use very tiny percentages and work up. Lavender with Patchouli is very nice and sticks well.



Millie said:


> I love bergamot too



Do you ever use it? If so, What do you pair it with and in which %?

@cmzaha does petitgrain stick for you?

@cascarral I've tried bergamot on its own with no luck, but I think it held a little longer blended with cedarwood and patchouli. It was a nice blend! I think roughly equal parts of each. Cedar and patchouli work well as a backdrop to many other EOs too.

I loooove petitgrain with french lavender, afraid it won't stick though.

Cascarral, have you ever tried eucalyptus with peppermint or spearmint? I enjoy those combos. I think rosemary with peppermint is a popular blend too, if you are looking for something minty. The mints hold ok for me, but not as long as patchouli.



Millie said:


> I loooove petitgrain with french lavender, afraid it won't stick though.
> 
> Cascarral, have you ever tried eucalyptus with peppermint or spearmint? I enjoy those combos. I think rosemary with peppermint is a popular blend too, if you are looking for something minty. The mints hold ok for me, but not as long as patchouli.


Actually, the missing EO in the Revive blend I mentioned above is peppermint.  I’m not usually a big fan of eucalyptus and tea tree, but I like the blend.

I find Petitgrain sticks like glue and is very overpowering. I have used it with Brazil Lime in using very small percentage of the petitgrain and it is lovely. Brazil Lime with Litsea is also very nice. Another favorite of mine is Brazil Lime, Litsea, and Cedarwood in equal parts. It really blooms when the warm water hits it.



Millie said:


> @cmzaha does petitgrain stick for you?
> 
> @cascarral I've tried bergamot on its own with no luck, but I think it held a little longer blended with cedarwood and patchouli. It was a nice blend! I think roughly equal parts of each. Cedar and patchouli work well as a backdrop to many other EOs too.


Thanks a lot  I will try! Not a fan of cedar, though, I think it’s too “manly” is it just me?


Mobjack Bay said:


> Actually, the missing EO in the Revive blend I mentioned above is peppermint.  I’m not usually a big fan of eucalyptus and tea tree, but I like the blend.



Nice! Do you have the ratios of this blend? I’ve got all the EOs so might try tomorrow


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 15, 2019)

This is the link for the blend on the EOCalc website: https://www.eocalc.com/blends/revive/
I haven’t tried many of the blends, but many of the ones I read about sound great to me.  My EO collection is a bit limited due to the cost of EOs.


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## cascarral (Oct 15, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> This is the link for the blend on the EOCalc website: https://www.eocalc.com/blends/revive/
> I haven’t tried many of the blends, but many of the ones I read about sound great to me.  My EO collection is a bit limited due to the cost of EOs.


Thank you so much  Yeah! I know what you mean, it’s taken a while for me to gather my eos and it makes me so mad when I finally buy one I’ve been looking forward to try and hate the smell! So many 30 ml bottles I’ll never use.


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## Relle (Oct 15, 2019)

OOOPPS
Sorry about all the above posts in one, I was merging casarral's two posts and it's merged the lot . I can't unreverse the action. At least you can still read it.


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 15, 2019)

Relle said:


> OOOPPS
> Sorry about all the above posts in one, I was merging casarral's two posts and it's merged the lot . I can't unreverse the action. At least you can still read it.


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## cmzaha (Oct 15, 2019)

Relle said:


> OOOPPS
> Sorry about all the above posts in one, I was merging casarral's two posts and it's merged the lot . I can't unreverse the action. At least you can still read it.


OOPSIE, maybe you better not try that one again .
@Millie, yes Petitgrain sticks like glue for me.


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## Millie (Oct 15, 2019)

Hehe thanks Relle  sorry, I had some posts that needed merging too  

Yes cedarwood is kinda masculine. A little cedar with a lot of lavender is really nice though....<3

Cool EO calc


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## soapmaker (Oct 15, 2019)

My favourite refreshing blend that sticks is Peppermint, Spearmint, Rosemary & Lemongrass. Lasts for more than a year. If you want a bottom note add Patchouli.


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## Dawni (Oct 15, 2019)

soapmaker said:


> My favourite refreshing blend that sticks is Peppermint, Spearmint, Rosemary & Lemongrass. Lasts for more than a year. If you want a bottom note add Patchouli.


I've tried a blend of the last four. Haven't hit the one year mark but it's almost there (Christmas), and I can still smell it.

I love spearmint btw.. In my opinion it tones down a lot of the "manly" scents in well blended proportions.


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## soapmaker (Oct 15, 2019)

I also do a blend of just Peppermint, Spearmint & Rosemary. Customers love it.


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## Amonik (Oct 15, 2019)

One of my favourite scents is 3:2:1 lavender: peppermint:vetiver. I use it at 3% of the oil weight, but I like mildly scented soap. Has always stuck well for me.


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## szaza (Oct 16, 2019)

I feel like especially fresh/citrussy notes of EO's hold up better in HP than CP.. so you could consider a dive into the world of HP for this onone


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## shunt2011 (Oct 16, 2019)

I do a blend of Lavender, Tea Tree and Peppermint (3:2:2) (I don't like Lavender but really like this).


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## cascarral (Oct 16, 2019)

soapmaker said:


> My favourite refreshing blend that sticks is Peppermint, Spearmint, Rosemary & Lemongrass. Lasts for more than a year. If you want a bottom note add Patchouli.



I'll definitely try this one! Thank you!


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## cascarral (Oct 16, 2019)

Yesterday I tried Rosemary 2, eucalyptus 1, peppermint 1 (actually was going to try rosemary, spearmint, peppermint -rosemary mint twist eocalc- but mistaken spearmint with eucalyptus and ended up liking this combo better, maybe because I'm not a fan of the mouthwash minty scents) and eocalc blend "karate penny" which is eucalyptus 2, rosemary 1, teatree 1. Let's see how it goes! 

Next week I'll try other blends you've recommended  will keep you posted! Thank you all


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## szaza (Oct 16, 2019)

I just remembered my icy landscape soap was CP and still smells really strong and icy fresh after 3 months cure. The EO blend was 45% pine, 40% peppermint, 13% ginger, 2% clove. I was using a very slow moving recipe and I felt like the ginger and clove did speed things up a little. Not sure if icy fresh is what you're going for, but it does seem to stick


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## Millie (Oct 16, 2019)

@szaza  That sounds like a nice blend! I hadn't thought to use spices with the mint, and have been wondering how to use my ginger EO....


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## soapmaker (Oct 16, 2019)

szaza said:


> I just remembered my icy landscape soap was CP and still smells really strong and icy fresh after 3 months cure. The EO blend was 45% pine, 40% peppermint, 13% ginger, 2% clove. I was using a very slow moving recipe and I felt like the ginger and clove did speed things up a little. Not sure if icy fresh is what you're going for, but it does seem to stick


That one will last a lot longer than 3 months IMHO!


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## SoapSisters (Oct 17, 2019)

What about juniper? I made a soap 4 months ago with an orange-litsea-juniper EO blend, and the juniper is the dominant scent now.


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## cascarral (Oct 19, 2019)

SoapSisters said:


> What about juniper? I made a soap 4 months ago with an orange-litsea-juniper EO blend, and the juniper is the dominant scent now.


I can't get juniper eo in my country  have never tried it.


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## cascarral (Oct 19, 2019)

I have a question for all of you   how much % do you use?


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## szaza (Oct 19, 2019)

I always use eocalc, that way you're sure your eo blend is safe


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## cascarral (Oct 21, 2019)

So far eocalc blend "karate penny" (eucalyptus 2, rosemary 1, teatree 1) is winning! smells amazing. 

Only problem is that at 4% still smells very little, will have to try 5%.


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## cascarral (Oct 24, 2019)

cascarral said:


> Hello!
> 
> I'm making an Activated charcoal brine soap and want it to smell herbaceous, minty, uplifting, fresh! However I've had a hard time making this EOs stick, even by the time I'm unmolding I can barely smell the blend.
> 
> ...



Hi! I made a batch with revive 4% and I can barely smell it after 1 week  how much % have you used? it's driving me insane!!


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## Adobehead (Oct 25, 2019)

Peppermint, Tea Tree and Pachouli in  about equal parts works well IMHO.  I use about 4% which some might say is heavyhanded, but mine last.


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## winusuren (Feb 1, 2022)

soapmaker said:


> My favourite refreshing blend that sticks is Peppermint, Spearmint, Rosemary & Lemongrass. Lasts for more than a year. If you want a bottom note add Patchouli.


Could you share the EO percentages please??


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## LynetteO (Feb 1, 2022)

winusuren said:


> Could you share the EO percentages please??


That post is from 2019. Probably best to look at EO calc for that information 









						Enter Your Own Blend » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator
					






					www.eocalc.com


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## soapmaker (Feb 1, 2022)

LynetteO said:


> That post is from 2019. Probably best to look at EO calc for that information
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes I  agree. Look at the recent recommendations.  Good luck in your soaping adventures!


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## winusuren (Feb 1, 2022)

Thank you for your suggestion @LynetteO. I have checked the calc but that particular blend doesn't exist and I'm little hesitant to try my own blend as I don't have much soaping experience using EOs.



soapmaker said:


> Yes I  agree. Look at the recent recommendations.  Good luck in your soaping adventures!


Thank you for the wishes @soapmaker Yes I too know that they've updated their EO usage rates but if you do share your blend percentage, I'll make a test batch and check it out if it works for me.


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## Zing (Feb 1, 2022)

winusuren said:


> Thank you for your suggestion @LynetteO. I have checked the calc but that particular blend doesn't exist and I'm little hesitant to try my own blend as I don't have much soaping experience using EOs.


If a particular blend is not there, then you can use the 'create' feature, Enter Your Own Blend » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator .  There are lots of recommendations on blending 'notes' but I like to use 20:50:30 base:middle:top notes.  You could use 20 patchouli or cedarwood, 50 rosemary, 10 spearmint, 10 peppermint, 10 lemongrass.  Or if you leave out the base note, use 50 rosemary, 17 spearmint, 17 peppermint, 17 lemongrass.


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## winusuren (Feb 1, 2022)

Zing said:


> If a particular blend is not there, then you can use the 'create' feature, Enter Your Own Blend » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator .  There are lots of recommendations on blending 'notes' but I like to use 20:50:30 base:middle:top notes.  You could use 20 patchouli or cedarwood, 50 rosemary, 10 spearmint, 10 peppermint, 10 lemongrass.  Or if you leave out the base note, use 50 rosemary, 17 spearmint, 17 peppermint, 17 lemongrass.


Thank you so much for your suggestion. I'll try it..I totally forgot about the cotton ball technique to choose the EO blend. I'll try it today and check what blend goes well..


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## Zany_in_CO (Feb 1, 2022)

winusuren said:


> the cotton ball technique to choose the EO blend


If you do that, plan on setting aside a morning or afternoon when you can "play" undistrubed. I write out at least 3 variations to start with and go from there. Sniffing fresh coffee beans can clear your "nose palette" if/when you need it.


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## Basil (Feb 2, 2022)

Zing said:


> If a particular blend is not there, then you can use the 'create' feature, Enter Your Own Blend » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator .  There are lots of recommendations on blending 'notes' but I like to use 20:50:30 base:middle:top notes.  You could use 20 patchouli or cedarwood, 50 rosemary, 10 spearmint, 10 peppermint, 10 lemongrass.  Or if you leave out the base note, use 50 rosemary, 17 spearmint, 17 peppermint, 17 lemongrass.


You impress me so much with you EO knowledge @Zing!!


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## lsg (Feb 2, 2022)

Cedarwood and sweet orange seems to hold up well in a bar when clay is added.


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## winusuren (Feb 3, 2022)

Zany_in_CO said:


> If you do that, plan on setting aside a morning or afternoon when you can "play" undistrubed. I write out at least 3 variations to start with and go from there. Sniffing fresh coffee beans can clear your "nose palette" if/when you need it.


Sure @Zany_in_CO . Thank you so much.


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