# EOCalc.com Blend Reviews



## HowieRoll

I wanted to start a thread for anyone to post a review or notes about a blend they tried from *EOCalc.com*.  

If you aren't familiar, EOCalc.com can calculate safe usage rates for essential oils in cosmetic products (including soap), and they have also _very_ generously shared dozens and dozens of EO blends.  

In the next post, I'll outline some of the experiences I've had, and encourage anyone else to add their notes/reviews/opinions, too!  

(especially since sometimes I go to that website and become paralyzed with what to try next - there are so many to experiment with and my overall experience has been the blends are well-balanced, so any direction of what to try next is always appreciated!)

I've tried a few blends, and here are my notes (my usage percentage is based on oil weight of batch):

*Dash Blend*:
Fresh, sweet lemongrass/floral scent that sticks (I used it at 4%).  My notes do indicate batter really started to thicken up after adding the EOs.

*French Kiss*:
A nice, mellow blend with floral overtones.  I used it at 4% but would go to 5% next time.  Batter behaved well, and I was able to do a mantra swirl in a slab.  Scent stuck around for months.

*Fallen*:
LOVE this blend.  It sticks really well for months, and is floral with the freshness of petitgrain.  I use it at 5%.  This blend makes my batter thicken at a moderate rate, so not one I'd use if I needed super fluid batter.

*Kindred*:
Another blend I love.  It reminds me of an old-fashioned soap smell.  The scent sticks around for many months (just smelled a bar I made in October 2018 and while the top notes have faded and the scent profile has shifted because of that, it still smells great).  I use it at 5%.  This one also made my batter thicken up at a moderate rate, so had to work fast.

*Modern Mojito*:
Great blend; used it at 3%.  Just smelled a bar I made in August 2019 and smell is holding strong, although lime has faded just a bit.  I did make some adjustments to this blend (added Litsea Cubeba), so ended up with 38% peppermint, 36% lime, 18% spearmint, 8% litsea cubeba.  Blend didn't accelerate trace.

*Rosemary Mint Twist*:
Used this blend at 4% and last made it in 2017.  I recall it had good sticking power, was a nice blend of rosemary and the mints, and my notes indicate the batter was super fluid to start but then started to thicken.  However, I often use these EOs and alone they don't cause issues, so would suspect something else was going on.

*Gusto*:
Used this blend at 3% and the scent stuck really well.  It's a simple orange/cinnamon blend, but I like the 80/20 ratio - just the right amount of spice to the orange for my taste.  In spite of the cinnamon leaf EO, I didn't experience the batter accelerating.  In fact, my notes indicate batter stayed fluid for a long while.

*Flourish*:
This is a lavender/litsea/rosemary blend, but I can't say it as my favorite, for some reason.  I used it at 5% and only tried it once, and my notes say nothing about batter behavior.  Drats.

*Sunset*:
It's been a while since I made this blend but I recall liking it.  Unsurprising, the citrus notes do not stick around (I used it at 4%).  The batter did start to get thick on me, so no intricate swirls with this one.

*Animal*:
This was an interesting blend, as the ylang ylang added a sweet note to the spices.  I was never sure if I liked it or not each time I smelled it, but a friend of mine loved it.  I added it to salt bars at 4% and the scent stuck around a long while.  My notes indicate the batter was fine and I had no issues.

*Orchard Plow*:
@szaza had made this blend and said they liked it, although mentioned it is a little heavy on the lemongrass.  Since I'm not a huge lemongrass fan, I reduced it by 5% and added 5% to the ylang ylang.  I really like it, and call it Sweet Lemongrass.  It's earthy, sweet, and lemongrassy all at once.  I only used it at 3% but the scent has been holding strong for 3 months.  My notes do indicate it accelerated trace a decent amount.


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## Mobjack Bay

I’ve used the REVIVE blend a number of times now at 5% and I really like it.  I have one soap in the shower that I made in early summer and it still smells nice. I haven’t had any issues with acceleration that I can recall.

I’m encouraged that the scents are sticking around in your soaps.  I haven’t invested in many EOs because I had the impression that most don’t last very long.


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## szaza

Thanks for starting this thread @HowieRoll ! I'll share my experience as well
I've used *orchard plow* in a soap in July (so 4 months ago). It was a CPOP soap with the blend at 3%. I feel the scent gets better with cure. It's a very nice, fresh and sweet (almost fruity) scent. The batter did slightly accelerate, but I never thought of blaming the EO blend!
I also used a blend calles *Rocker *about a year ago to make soap dough (CP at 3%) The blend is awesome, a bit dark and spicy, but not overwhelming because of some fresher notes (at least to my nose). It accelerated quite a bit and also slightly discolored to soap to a dark cream color. The scent stuck around for quite long and I can still smell it in the bits of soap dough I have left. Can't smell it anymore in the soap I made with it (but my nose is a bit blocked, so I'd have to come back on that).
Another one I tried was called *Highbrow*. I did replace the cedar with pine, because I didn't have cedar. The soap was HP and I used the blend at 3%. A very nice fresh, wintery smell. I remember it to stick quite well and scent the other soaps next to it, although now (9months later and with a blocked nose) it's hard for me to detect.
Hope this helps!


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## HowieRoll

Thank you both for adding your thoughts/reviews! 

Mobjack Bay, I store my cured soaps in upcycled plastic clamshell containers similar to THESE  (each batch in their own), and feel that helps tremendously with scent retention.  They used to fade a lot faster when stored in open air.  I don't sell, but when gifting I put them into a cellophane bag with a twist tie/label, which also helps with scent retention once they leave my house.  However, I've never liked using the cellophane because it's not eco-friendly so am now experimenting with glassine bags.


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## szaza

I second trying to reduce airflow to maintain scents! I store mine in closed cardboard boxes.. Also, stay away from top notes, those are the most notorious faders. Find some middle and base notes and you'll be fine for at least 6months up to a year when stored in a place with limited airflow.
Now that my nose got un-blocked I went back to smell the soaps.
*Highbrow* still has a faint but pleasant smell (at 9 months) while *Rocker* only gives off a bit of smell when washing with it (at 13 months)
Just for the record I only started storing my soaps in boxes a few months ago (after finding out how much it affects scent retention), so my review is based on mixed storing conditions.


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## szaza

Just wanted to come back to report that *orchard plow* smells rather faint at 6 months. Lemongrass EO on its own held up over a year and so did ylang in a blend. Patchouli should stick even longer, so I expected a lot from this blend, but it still doesn't seem to live up to expectation.. how's yours holding up @HowieRoll ?


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## HowieRoll

Thanks for the update, @szaza !  

I just scrutinized a bar of *Orchard Plow* that was made on August 6, 2019 (with adjustments; see Post #1), and it seems to be still going strong!  It's interesting, szaza, how we are having different experiences with this one.  Could it be storage?  Each batch of mine is stored in a plastic clamshell container that can "snap" shut, and each soap is wrapped individually in a glassine paper bag, ready for gifting.

The blend was used at 3% oil weight, it's nicely mellowed out, and I think I actually prefer it now to when it was made.  The ylang ylang (which I used at 20%) has definitely taken the lead, but behind it is a lemongrass scent blending in.  The patchouli must be lurking in there somewhere, but it is not readily apparent at all like you think it would be at 35% of the blend.  

As for the other blends, I only have a few bars left on hand (lots of soapy holiday gifts purged my inventory!), but here is a review of what is left:

*Fallen Blend*
Made a batch on June 11, 2019, and again on November 15, 2019.  The June batch has only faded a little and the November batch is still going strong.  It's hard to quantify "faded a little" but it would still be a nice, fragrant soap in the shower.
*
Kindred Blend*
Made a batch on August 2, 2019, and the scent is still going strong.  The ylang ylang & geranium are now the leading smells, but the other EOs are still working in the background and I still absolutely love this blend and how it develops/shifts over time.

*Mint Mojito*
Made on August 10, 2019 (with adjustments, see Post #1), the lime has completely faded out and it is now a smooth mint scent.  It's faded overall, but still quite usable and minty.


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## szaza

Hmm mine are stored in cardboard boxes, similar scents grouped together. I guess I need to get some airtight plastic containers I do think it's storage.. I just smelled one that was further back in the box and it seemed to have more scent left than the one I smelled this morning (probably because it gets less airflow)


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## Kcryss

szaza said:


> Hmm mine are stored in cardboard boxes, similar scents grouped together. I guess I need to get some airtight plastic containers I do think it's storage.. I just smelled one that was further back in the box and it seemed to have more scent left than the one I smelled this morning (probably because it gets less airflow)



With less airflow, is there a danger of DOS?


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## szaza

Kcryss said:


> With less airflow, is there a danger of DOS?


Good question! I don't know.. I would assume there'd be less chances of DOS with less airflow. According to wikipedia, rancidity of oils can be caused by exposure to air, light, moisture or bacterial action. I assume it'll be similar for soaps..


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## szaza

I recently used *smokey grove,*(at 3%) except I made quite a few adjustments. 
Original-------------------my version
10% cade
30% sweet orange----30% blood orange
20% lemon---------------20% orange 7x
20% litsea
20% lavander-----------20% lavandin

So I had a lot more orange in stead of orange/lemon. Funny enough my boyfriend said it smelled like lemon when I unmolded! It started out smelling like a bunch or citrus with a smokey undertone, but the cade seems to be getting stronger with cute while the citrus is mellowing out. After +-2 weeks it now smells sweet and smokey. 
There was a bit of acceleration (maybe the cade?). None of my batter was uncolored, but before mixing in all my colors the white batter had a pale olive color to it. I think it might have darkened my colors, but I'm not entirely sure. 

I made another soap with *highbrow* and this time I actually followed the original recipe and used cedar (last time I used pine, which on further inspection of the label turned out to be fir) it's a wonderful fresh, woodsy scent that somehow makes me think of Scandinavia. I feel it's more woodsy with the cedar and I remember it being more fresh/wintery when I used fir. It did accelerate because of the clove. 

Another blend I tried 2 days ago is *Whisper* (at 3%). I used litsea instead of lemon, because I don't have lemon. The scent is absolutely wonderful, fresh floral with petitgrain in the lead, but not overpowering.
There was a slight discoloration to a very pale yellow (quite a nice color, but something to take into account if you're aiming for a white soap). My batter moved a bit faster than I expected, but I had been impatient and my oils+lye weren't fully cooled down, so I can't really blame the eo blend. 

I also just remembered I once used a blend called *topaz *
It was used at 3% in a HP soap.
I recall not liking it, though others who smelled the soap did enjoy the scent. The scent has faded now after a year.


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## HowieRoll

...And now I have a couple more blends to add to my ever-growing list of things to try (especially the Highbrow and Whisper - they sound incredible).  Thanks, @szaza!


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## szaza

I was browsing the blends, looking for inspiration and realized I had completely forgotten about 2 blends that I used as well.
*Endless* was quite a nice smell, used at 3% in cp soap. I enjoyed the smell and I think it stuck for about 6 months (while exposed to air). At around one year there was only a slight whiff of smell left. I don't recall acceleration or discoloring (made the soap in July 2018, so my memory isn't super clear anymore).
The next is *burst*, though I used lemongrass instead of lemon. It's a wonderful fresh smell, but I didn't keep any of the soap for a long time, so I can't say anything about fading. The lemongrass made it discolor to a soft yellowish color, but I think that probably won't happen with the original blend.
Eta: I just went to smell my soaps. At 1.5 years there's no more smell from *endless, *but at almost 1 year I'm still smelling *topaz*. I'm impressed, but sad that I don't like the scent.


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## Jackie Tobey

My favorite from EO Calc is* Clarity *(Patchouli, Lavender, Bergamot).  Made CP soap (5% EO) in October 2019, still has a soft scent in the soap.  When used in the shower it is actually stronger.  And definitely my favorite.



szaza said:


> Thanks for starting this thread @HowieRoll ! I'll share my experience as well
> I've used *orchard plow* in a soap in July (so 4 months ago). It was a CPOP soap with the blend at 3%. I feel the scent gets better with cure. It's a very nice, fresh and sweet (almost fruity) scent. The batter did slightly accelerate, but I never thought of blaming the EO blend!
> I also used a blend calles *Rocker *about a year ago to make soap dough (CP at 3%) The blend is awesome, a bit dark and spicy, but not overwhelming because of some fresher notes (at least to my nose). It accelerated quite a bit and also slightly discolored to soap to a dark cream color. The scent stuck around for quite long and I can still smell it in the bits of soap dough I have left. Can't smell it anymore in the soap I made with it (but my nose is a bit blocked, so I'd have to come back on that).
> Another one I tried was called *Highbrow*. I did replace the cedar with pine, because I didn't have cedar. The soap was HP and I used the blend at 3%. A very nice fresh, wintery smell. I remember it to stick quite well and scent the other soaps next to it, although now (9months later and with a blocked nose) it's hard for me to detect.
> Hope this helps!


Thanks for the information about Rocker.  I will be trying it next.  I've tried other blends recently but need to re-evaluate them and then I will add to the post.


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## Jackie Tobey

I made a soap with *Boheme Dream (5%) *two months ago.  The scent softened over that time.  But just began using it and found the scent really jumps back when the soap is in use.  A spicy interesting scent.  Very nice blend and my husband loves it.  Definitely suggest you give it a try.

I made Boheme Dream (5%) two months ago.  Slight amount of scent fade but comes back with a bang when used in shower.  Quite nice, spicy and sweet.  Any my husband loves it.

Additional Scents I have tried:

*Lemonade *- used in liquid soap - nice lemon scent that lasted till all the soap was gone.  Smelled just like lemonade.

*Modern *( Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lavender 40/42) - used exact amounts recommended in lotion - too much tea tree.  Would switch the Rosemary and Tea Tree amounts out next time.

More to follow.....

*Serenity* (5% in CP Soap), floral/patch blend that smelled wonderful when made.  Two months later - no scent.  Used in shower today - no scent left at all.  Thankfully the soap is wonderful though.  Will try it in lotions I think.

*Rocker (5%) in CP soap - *made today small 17 oz batch.  Didn't really care for it as I made it.  The clove and ginger overpowered the patch, orange and ylang ylang.  Will give it a couple months and get back to you.  And yes - ACCELERATION - thick trace in less than 1 minute with SB.  Next time will only use a whisk if I decide to make again.


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## AliOop

Just tried Gentlemen's Lavender last weekend: Patchouli (Indonesian), Orange (Sweet), Litsea Cubeba, Clary Sage, Cedarwood (Atlas), Lavender 40/42. I believe this blend would appeal to men and women. I loved it when it was poured in the soap (had let it sit, mixed, for about an hour). Loved it in the fresh cut soap the next day. After a one-week cure, the lavender is smelling stronger, and the patch is fading a bit. For the record, I don't love strong patch at all, but I did like this particular blend better before it was quite so lavender-y. We will have to see how it cures out.


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## Astro

I am surprised EOCalc don't have Rose or Rose geranium listed.  My favourite blend (home designed) is Rose (Blend as absolute is too expensive), Juniperberry and patchouli and it is very popular amongst my friends and family.  I also use Rose geranium in a lot of my home-made blends.


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## soapmaker

Astro said:


> I am surprised EOCalc don't have Rose or Rose geranium listed.  My favourite blend (home designed) is Rose (Blend as absolute is too expensive), Juniperberry and patchouli and it is very popular amongst my friends and family.  I also use Rose geranium in a lot of my home-made blends.


That sounds wonderful. But they are all expensive E.O.s


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## Mamma Mays

HowieRoll said:


> Thank you both for adding your thoughts/reviews!
> 
> Mobjack Bay, I store my cured soaps in upcycled plastic clamshell containers similar to THESE  (each batch in their own), and feel that helps tremendously with scent retention.  They used to fade a lot faster when stored in open air.  I don't sell, but when gifting I put them into a cellophane bag with a twist tie/label, which also helps with scent retention once they leave my house.  However, I've never liked using the cellophane because it's not eco-friendly so am now experimenting with glassine bags.


Hi,, How have the glassine bags worked for you?


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## Astro

soapmaker said:


> That sounds wonderful. But they are all expensive E.O.s


They are expensive but powerful EO's with lasting fragrance, so I can use far less than I would of a more economical EO like lavender. But I cant resist this smell


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## soapmaker

I don't think I could resist either! What do you use for a "rose blend?" I used to have Rose Geranium but now just plain Geranium.


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## Astro

I use a 5% Rosa centrifolia in grapeseed oil


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## soapmaker

It seems to me Rosewood would work well as a replacement. It doesn't smell like Rose but it would go well with Juniper and Patchouli.


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## szaza

I just wanted to come back to report that I started to use the soap I made with *orchard plow* in july 2019 and the scent is coming back when using the soap. It's really pleasant, though I still feel the lemongrass is a bit overpowering. Next time I'll use a higher percentage (in fact, I started using all EO blends at 5%)
I also tried a lot of new blends last week and I'll come back to report on them soon


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## szaza

Allright, here it goes.. I've made quite a lot of soap lately and tried a bunch of new eocalc blends. All blends were used at 5% of oils.

*Salient* - I didn't have lemon EO, so I used a blend of lemongrass and litsea instead (25% lemongrass, 20% litsea instead of 37% lemon and 8% litsea) . It turned out quite citrussy, but does smell faintly of salt to me. It's a nice fresh smell. The blend soaped very nicely with no acceleration whatsoever (even with 50% butters in my recipe).

*Seascape* - I'm only smelling cedar, it's overpowering all the other scents in the blend. It's nice and fresh, but doesn't give me any sea, only forest. It did soap really nicely again with 50% butters in my recipe.

*Woodlands* - probably one of my favorites at this moment. It's sweet and floral with a woodsy undertone. All the scents blend well and compliment each other without one being too overpowering. The amyris is probably in the lead, but since it's a rather subtle scent (to my nose at least) it isn't overpowering anything. There was severe acceleration in the soap I used this with, though there were other factors that might have played a role in that as well.. just be aware your batter might move faster.

*Fallen* - a lovely floral blend. The petitgrain is balanced out nicely by the other components and the blend is very harmonious. There was clear acceleration when I used this blend and I think part of it can be attributed to the scent. When I now compare this blend to whisper, which is another petitgrain blend, the petitgrain in whisper is much more pronounced and it's a much fresher/greener blend than fallen.

*Candyland* - a very sweet blend with bitter almond in the lead, mellowed out by the orange and litsea. Cedar is easily detectable in second place and it strangely compliments the sweet blend, though it still takes me by surprise from time to time. Batter behaved absolutely wonderfully. I think the high percentage of orange might actually slow down trace.


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## szaza

I just tried a blend called *calm*, though I made a few adjustments, because I didn't have all the needed EO's 

Blend-----------------what I did
60% lavander-----lavandin
20% rosemary
20% spearmint--peppermint

Funny enough I'd been looking for a sea/salt type smell and had been a bit disappointed (especially by seascape) but this turned out to be the most sea/salt smelling blend I've come across (well, my variation of it). It'd have to be a french sea because of all the lavander (let's say marseille or camargue region) but I'm very happy to have gotten to know this blend let's see how it sticks!!


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## HowieRoll

Wow, a lot of really good information has been added here!  

@Jackie Tobey, *Boheme Dream* sounds so interesting and not one that would have caught my eye.  Thanks for the recommendation!  That's a shame about Serenity (or Serenity Now?), as it sounds like had it been a sticker the scent would have been a winner.

@AliOop the *Gentleman's Lavender* does sound interesting, although I can't wrap my nose around clary sage. I see a lot of blends with it, though, so maybe it's time I get on with using it.

@Mamma Mays the glassine bags are working great!  I have 2 sizes, 5 1/2x7 3/4" (roughly 14x20 cm) and 4x6" (roughly 10x15 cm).  Loaf bar-sized soap that is 3 1/2" (9 cm-ish) wide does not fit in the 4x6" bag in a "landscape" type of way, I have to turn it to "portrait" mode (up/down, like a tall and skinny bar), if that makes sense.  They do seem to help with scent retention, and so far haven't had any issues with DOS due to packaging.  The biggest downside I've found is you can't see the design very well through the bags, but it's a small price to pay and I do feel better about not using throwaway plastic packaging anymore.  Every little bit helps, I figure.

@szaza I just made another batch of *Orchard Plow *2 weeks ago with the same adjustments as outlined in Post #1 and love it.  Like you, I'm not a huge lemongrass fan and this passes muster with me, especially after a cure of a few months.  And I'm glad to hear you tried* Fallen!* That is one of my favorites, and I'm interested to hear how you like it down the line (the scent sticks well for me).

And here you go again with bringing more blends to my attention that I can't wait to try, like *Salient, Seascape,* *Woodlands* (I love amyris, and agree that is it a very subtle scent), and *Calm*.   I'll be most interested to see how they cure out.

I've tried a few new (to me) ones recently, as well as re-made a few favorites, like Kindred and Orchard Plow.  But for new ones to me:

*South of France* (used at 5% oil weight):  made 3/28/20; batch did not accelerate.  The Anise Star is only 10% of the blend but now, one month later, it is the more dominant smell.  I just pulled them from the curing shelves and moved them into the clamshells for storage, so I'll be interested to see how the scent is once they are more stand alone (rather than trying to smell it surrounded by other curing soap!) and used in the shower.

*Whisper* (used at 5% oil weight):  made 3/28/20; batch didn't seem to accelerate but I was making layered soap so wanted it to!  The layers are now "layers"-ish.  I used Lavandin instead of Lavender, and, like @szaza, also used Litsea Cubeba instead of Lemon since I don't have Lemon EO.  Like South of France, I want to see how this soap stands on its own when I can smell it not surrounded by other soap.  But my impression now, a month after making it, is it's such a lovely and bright scent and very befitting for a springtime soap.  I love it.

*Rosemary Mint Twist* (used at 4% oil weight):  made 4/12/20, absolutely no acceleration.  It's still curing, so too soon to know if it sticks.  However, I've made lots of Rosemary/Peppermint soap in the past that sticks, so I imagine this one will do fairly well, too.


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## szaza

@HowieRoll  thanks for the update! I've just come to realize how much of an accelerator rice bran oil is and each batch where I blamed the eoblend for acceleration also had RBO in it (except orchard plow and smokey grove, those were bastile recipes), so for fallen, whisper and woodlands might not be as much of an accelerant as I previously thought. I'm sorry my wrong reports messed with your soap!


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## HowieRoll

szaza said:


> @HowieRoll  thanks for the update! I've just come to realize how much of an accelerator rice bran oil is and each batch where I blamed the eoblend for acceleration also had RBO in it (except orchard plow and smokey grove, those were bastile recipes), so for fallen, whisper and woodlands might not be as much of an accelerant as I previously thought. I'm sorry my wrong reports messed with your soap!



Oh, no, it was my fault!  I have a fear of moving batter past emulsification, which gets me into trouble time and again (wait, muddled colors _again_?). You'd think I would learn. So while I KNEW I should have SB more to get it thicker, I didn't. Next I threw in another perilous ingredient: impatience. As if that wasn't bad enough, when I poured I did so up and down the mold instead of just pouring gently over a spatula in one corner and letting it slowly spread out over the top. I had the finesse of Shrek making soap with dollhouse cooking utensils. But it smells great, and I thank you for bringing that blend to my attention!


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## szaza

HowieRoll said:


> I had the finesse of Shrek making soap with dollhouse cooking utensils.


This so accurately describes how I often feel!  Not only with soapmaking, but daily life in general.. 
I've had a hard time getting good layers with EO's. I put my mold in the oven hoping that would speed things along (which sometimes helped). This technique is still eluding me.. I think it also had to do with my recipe which was so slow to trace even the only FO that I own (a floral) wouldn't speed things up enough to properly execute the technique.


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## Mobjack Bay

I'm planning to make a soap with chicken fat(!) very soon and have been thinking about using the *Seascape* blend, but possibly with a little less lemongrass. It doesn't sound like an ocean scent at all, but maybe the blend's creator lives in the US Pacific Northwest, where the forest meets the sea.  I was looking for a blend with cedar and rosemary and that's what came up.

I used *Calm *in a soap I made about 6 weeks ago. I packed some up today to send off and thought the spearmint was dominant, but IMHO it is calming, which is perfect for the times we're in.

I used *French Kiss* in some individual soaps I made in February.  The EOs are lavender, bergamot, amyris and a small percentage of geranium.  I don't have geranium and subbed in palmarosa. The soaps smell nice, with no particular note dominating. It was the first time I used amyris.


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## HowieRoll

@Mobjack Bay, I tried *French Kiss* in a soap a couple years ago and really liked it.  Your description of the soap smelling nice, with no particular note dominating, was exactly my experience.  Just a nice, almost subtle, blend.  It's also one of those things where if I think of it, I can still smell it in my head. 

And now all I can think of is... why the heck haven't I made it since then?


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## szaza

Just wanted to update that in *calm* the lavander/floral notes are taking over and it doesn't smell as seaside/breezy anymore.. it's nice and calming though

I unwrapped and smelled some soap I made with *highbrow* about 3.5 months ago. The scents blended together to form an incredibly woodsy scent. It smells like my dad's garage☺ not necessarily cedar wood, but freshly cut wood in general. I really like it, but it's very different from what I remember from when I used fir.

Eta: the citrus in *salient* is mellowing out a bit, which makes the blend more balanced. It's a rather nice, fresh scent and I can imagine it would've been way better with with lemon (which is the recipe) instead of the litsea/lemongrass substitute I added instead.


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## szaza

I've been using a lot of the soaps I made in april (and some others), so I thought I'd pop back in with some reviews of how they are in use (2-3 months after making them)

*Candyland* lost its citrussy/orange smell, but the bitter almond and cedar blended really nicely together. It feels like the scent has matured.

*Woodlands* is still pretty much the same, all 3 oils blend so well together, not one of them is overpowering (which is quite an achievement with cedar imo)

*Fallen* is a wonderful floral blend, even my boyfriend commented on it. I made some soap with this blend again and it didn't accelerate, so I think the acceleration I experienced in April was probably caused by my recipe. I now think the culprit was RBO, since it was in all the accelerating soaps, including the one scented with woodlands, so that blend probably also doesn't accelerate as much as I first thought. Yay 

*Seascape* still only gives me fresh cedar. I realized I had a one year old bar with this blend where I used fir in stead of cedar and I mistakenly called it 'lemongrass' on the label, apparently that was the leading note when I packaged it (for personal use only). It still has some freshness to it after a year, so that's a good sign I guess  

I also used a bar scented with *Whisper* that was +-5 months old. It still had a really nice, fresh, floral and citrussy blend. I don't think it faded much if at all (but my nasal memory isn't perfect).

That's it for now


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## Jackie Tobey

I made a small batch with *Blush. *The EO fragrance is very floral. Soaped very cool. I jut unmolded  and it’s still very strong.  Will add to the thread as time goes by. So far I love it.


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## Jackie Tobey

Astro said:


> I am surprised EOCalc don't have Rose or Rose geranium listed.  My favourite blend (home designed) is Rose (Blend as absolute is too expensive), Juniperberry and patchouli and it is very popular amongst my friends and family.  I also use Rose geranium in a lot of my home-made blends.


Would you mind sharing the percents of each for the blend.  I have some Rose Geranium and I don't like the smell at all.  A blend with it may be a tolerable so I can use it up.  Thanks.


----------



## Jackie Tobey

Jackie Tobey said:


> I made a soap with *Boheme Dream (5%) *two months ago.  The scent softened over that time.  But just began using it and found the scent really jumps back when the soap is in use.  A spicy interesting scent.  Very nice blend and my husband loves it.  Definitely suggest you give it a try.
> 
> I made Boheme Dream (5%) two months ago.  Slight amount of scent fade but comes back with a bang when used in shower.  Quite nice, spicy and sweet.  Any my husband loves it.
> 
> Additional Scents I have tried:
> 
> *Lemonade *- used in liquid soap - nice lemon scent that lasted till all the soap was gone.  Smelled just like lemonade.
> 
> *Modern *( Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lavender 40/42) - used exact amounts recommended in lotion - too much tea tree.  Would switch the Rosemary and Tea Tree amounts out next time.
> 
> More to follow.....
> 
> *Serenity* (5% in CP Soap), floral/patch blend that smelled wonderful when made.  Two months later - no scent.  Used in shower today - no scent left at all.  Thankfully the soap is wonderful though.  Will try it in lotions I think.
> 
> *Rocker (5%) in CP soap - *made today small 17 oz batch.  Didn't really care for it as I made it.  The clove and ginger overpowered the patch, orange and ylang ylang.  Will give it a couple months and get back to you.  And yes - ACCELERATION - thick trace in less than 1 minute with SB.  Next time will only use a whisk if I decide to make again.


Well we used up the Boheme Dream, loved it and it kept it's scent the whole time.  Will be remaking this one as well.  And I'm thinking I will be doing some HP soon to see if the scents retain better.


----------



## Elizevt

Thank you Sooo much for starting this thread @HowieRoll I didn't know about EOcalc and the blend recipes.  I only use Essential oils in my soaps, so I'll be sure to try a few of these recipes out and give my feedback.  Thanks


----------



## HowieRoll

Loving the updates!  I've been in a soap rut for a few months, and haven't ventured out with new blends for a while.  This thread reminds me there's so much out there to try (and then I get overwhelmed again - lol).

Here are a few of my updates:

*Fallen:  *just gifted the last bar from a batch made on 11/15/19, and the scent seemed to be at least 80-85% of the strength it was the day it was made. To reiterate, I love this blend (and try to always have a batch on hand).

*South of France: * while anise is still present, after a 4+ months cure the anise isn't as in your face. My husband, who definitely does _not _like anise, used to run as I'd chase him around the house asking him to smell a bar of this to see what he thought (let's be honest, I already knew what he thought but it was just entertaining for me). I just asked him to blindly smell a bar of this and he said with great uncertainty, "Are you trying to throw a little anise at me? Regardless, it smells really nice, like a clean scent. I would use that." So it is definitely more subdued/rounded out and I love it.

*Whisper:*  I made a batch on 3/28/20 and the scent is still holding well (made w/litsea cubeba instead of lemon) and still bright.  Like @szaza, I don't think it's faded.  When bathing with it I find it's more muted in the scent department overall, but I'm not a fan of BOLD SMELLS in the shower so it suits me.  

*Rosemary Mint Twist*:  I realized recently I referenced making this in 2017 on post #1 and then again in post #27.   Apparently I'd forgotten I'd already made it before.  Oy.  Regardless, the batch I made on 4/12/20 is still strongly scented and is a nicely balanced minty soap.


----------



## atiz

I love this thread too 

This is not soap, so a bit off topic, but have not seen this blend here yet so maybe someone will find it useful:
I made some (syndet) liquid soap with *lavender song* the other day, and it's so-so. I find it too sweet, a bit heavy on the ylang-ylang for me.
(I have a very limited supply of EO's right now so it was one of the ones I had everything for. I also tend to like lavender, maybe this would be better for someone who doesn't.)


----------



## TashaBird

szaza said:


> I second trying to reduce airflow to maintain scents! I store mine in closed cardboard boxes.. Also, stay away from top notes, those are the most notorious faders. Find some middle and base notes and you'll be fine for at least 6months up to a year when stored in a place with limited airflow.
> Now that my nose got un-blocked I went back to smell the soaps.
> *Highbrow* still has a faint but pleasant smell (at 9 months) while *Rocker* only gives off a bit of smell when washing with it (at 13 months)
> Just for the record I only started storing my soaps in boxes a few months ago (after finding out how much it affects scent retention), so my review is based on mixed storing conditions.


I have been curing in cardboard boxes that I punch holes in the sides of. I was under the impression that I needed airflow during curing. Is that not the case? I could easily not poke holes if that would help me to maintain some of my EO.


----------



## Jackie Tobey

So I had forgotten that I made a soap in February with *Whisper*. When I realized I had forgotten about it. The smell is very discernible if you just pick up a bar and take a sniff. But I used it in the shower yesterday and WOW!!  It’s a lovely light floral scent. Soft but there.  Had my husband try it and he also picked up the scent. Not his favorite but it is floral and he loved the creaminess of the soap. As far as I’m concerned it’s a keeper.


----------



## linne1gi

TashaBird said:


> I have been curing in cardboard boxes that I punch holes in the sides of. I was under the impression that I needed airflow during curing. Is that not the case? I could easily not poke holes if that would help me to maintain some of my EO.


You definitely need airflow when you are curing.  I cure my soaps in my master bathroom (which is huge) on a painted metal rack, that I cover with thin tea towels.  I can cure about 200 bars on my racks.  After curing  (minimum 6 weeks for most soap), then you could store in cardboard boxes with holes.


----------



## szaza

TashaBird said:


> I have been curing in cardboard boxes that I punch holes in the sides of. I was under the impression that I needed airflow during curing. Is that not the case? I could easily not poke holes if that would help me to maintain some of my EO.


There's a difference between the initial 4-6 weeks of cure time and storage after that. Although it's true that soap is never finished curing, the most water is lost in the initial 4-6 weeks, which is what you need airflow for. After that you can package and store however you like.


----------



## szaza

I just started using a soap scented with *salient* at 5% that I made mid-april (so about 4 and a half months ago). I replaced the lemon with a blend of lemongrass and litsea. In the beginning I found the lemon too overpowering, but I really like it now. It actually smells a bit salty somehow. It's a very fresh, clean scent that I think would work well with a beach themed soap and also would be great in unisex (or men's) products. I swore off lemon EO because it doesn't last, but might be persuaded to buy a little bit, just to try the original blend.


----------



## AliOop

@szaza I just looked that up, and that is actually my very favorite diffuser combination, although I've never used litsea in the diffuser, just lemon. I don't know why I never thought to try it in soap. Thanks to you, I will try that in a soap-on-a-rope batch that I'm making this weekend. Based on a one-off sample I made for her, a friend ordered some for her grandson and granddaughter, so a unisex scent would be perfect.


----------



## HowieRoll

I almost hesitate to add this blend to the mix, because I made a HUGE change to it.  But on 10/22/20, I made a batch of soap using the *Balance* blend from EOCalc.com. However, a major component of the blend is Tea Tree EO (42% of blend), of which I have none. So I substituted for 42% Peppermint EO, instead. All of the water was subbed for 100% fresh-pressed apple cider (no additives), compliments of our neighbor's orchard. The EO blend was used at 4% of my oil weight.

My notes indicate that while it traced on me faster than my recipe normally does, likely due to either the apple cider or cinnamon leaf EO, or both, I still had a small bit of working time and think I would have had even more had I stick-blended less than I did.  As I wasn't adding any colors or doing any designs, I SB it right to a medium trace.  Because of the apple cider, I didn't CPOP and instead let it sit right on the counter, where it got very hot and went into gel but didn't volcano or crack.

I love the smell, it reminds me of cinna-mint gum.  Spicy with a minty, yet sweet, finish, and my husband immediately said it reminded him of Thanksgiving.  Not sure what that means, but it does seem very autumn-like.  I suspect the top notes will fade over time, but my experience with cinnamon leaf EO is that it'll stick around a long while, even if faint.


----------



## Mobjack Bay

I have almost totally depleted my basic EOs - no citrus, lavender or peppermint on hand!!!  +1 on the thanks to @HowieRoll for starting this thread because it will be so much easier to decide what to order with these great reviews and updates available. Revive, Calm and French Kiss are among my favorites so far, but I’ve rarely found an EO blend that I don’t like.


----------



## szaza

Thanks for the tip @HowieRoll I'll add balance to the 'to try' list.

Lately I've been using a bar scented with *up in smoke (redux) *that' almost 6 months old. I didn't store the soap very well and the smell has faded quite a bit, although it's still present and pleasant smelling. (it was not packaged, but it did spend the last 2 months in a cardboard box with other soaps).


----------



## Mobjack Bay

I made a variation of my “stormy seas” soap today (the one in my current avatar) using *Seascape*, after discovering that I had some lemongrass in the house, plus eucalyptus, rosemary and cedar. ❤ ❤ ❤ I have no idea how the soap design will turn out because I used micas instead of indigo, added two additional colors, and had the batter too thin at the beginning , but I know it will smell wonderful.


----------



## szaza

I just started using a soap scented with *seascape* and it's still wonderful after 7 months. The scent actually sticks to my hands, which I'm not used to with EO's..

I also started using a soap that I made in February (so 9 months ago) with *gusto*. To my surprise, the orange is still very much there. Iirc, I had too little cinnamon and added about 10% patchouli to make up for it, so it's not a 'real' gusto..


----------



## AliOop

szaza said:


> I just started using a soap scented with *seascape* and it's still wonderful after 7 months. The scent actually sticks to my hands, which I'm not used to with EO's..
> 
> I also started using a soap that I made in February (so 9 months ago) with *gusto*. To my surprise, the orange is still very much there. Iirc, I had too little cinnamon and added about 10% patchouli to make up for it, so it's not a 'real' gusto..


Thank you! Just looked those both up, and they sound great. Can't use cinnamon, but patchouli is a great alternative to be paired with orange.


----------



## Mobjack Bay

I have a birthday coming up and my present is a new batch of EOs.  Between what I have on hand and my new order, I should be able to make every blend reviewed!!! That’s what I get for reading through the entire thread yet again. I expect to have lots of time to make soap over the holiday break. The timing is good because nearly everyone in my family has a spring birthday. Heaven, I’m in heaven...


----------



## szaza

Recently, I've been using some soaps with eocalc blends, so I wanted to come back to share my experience. 
I used a soap that I made with *highbrow* in January 2020 (so a bit over a year old), that smelled amazing! I think the cedar lingered on my hands a bit after washing (which I don't often experience with EO scented soap)
Another one I'm absolutely in love with it *whisper*. I made this soap in February 2020 (so also just over a year old). The colors all faded, but the scent is just SO Lovely!
All these were stored individually packaged and in a cardboard box.


----------



## Mobjack Bay

I made soap with the *Awakening* blend 3.5 months ago and just took one out of the cardboard box to send to my mom for her birthday. It smells wonderful. I didn’t find it mentioned above, or maybe I missed it.  It’s a very floral blend of geranium, bergamot, petitgrain, ylang ylang lll and palmarosa. I knew it would accelerate a bit, so stuck to a simple swirl. Based on this batch and a few others I made this past winter, I’m also totally sold on the benefits of storage in a tight container. My soaps aren’t individually wrapped, but there’s not a lot of empty airspace in the boxes and I’m keeping them packed by scent blend. 

I guess it’s time to move Whisper to the top of my list.  I’m such a laggard.


----------



## Tara_H

Mobjack Bay said:


> I’m also totally sold on the benefits of storage in a tight container. My soaps aren’t individually wrapped, but there’s not a lot of empty airspace in the boxes and I’m keeping them packed by scent blend.


I've suddenly caught up with myself to the point (a soap cure span ago) where I started making soap pretty much every day... I'm really struggling to figure out how to store them well to preserve the scents! So far I've been putting them in individual brown paper bags, but then they're all together in a big cardboard box, which is not a good long term option.  What's the best thing? Shoe boxes? Wood boxes? (I could practice my joinery   ) a dedicated storage cupboard? (I could practice my cabinetry )


----------



## Mobjack Bay

There are lots of options, but this space efficient approach is working well for me. I think shoe boxes would work well, too, but I don’t have any sitting around that I’m not using for something else.




I keep my “archived” soaps in brown paper bags inside bigger boxes that fit under a bed.

More ideas here and here


----------



## earlene

Another thing I look for in  second hand or thrift stores: pretty decorative boxes to store cured soaps!  Sometimes I find them on sale on dollar-type stores as well.

Perhaps not as uniform in size as what Mobjack Bay and some others here use, but I like the decorative look on my shelves.


----------



## szaza

Mobjack Bay said:


> I made soap with the *Awakening* blend 3.5 months ago and just took one out of the cardboard box to send to my mom for her birthday. It smells wonderful. I didn’t find it mentioned above, or maybe I missed it.  It’s a very floral blend of geranium, bergamot, petitgrain, ylang ylang lll and palmarosa. I knew it would accelerate a bit, so stuck to a simple swirl.



That sounds like a wonderful blend.. It's now on my to-try list


----------



## Mobjack Bay

Has anyone tried the *Black Rose* blend?  It’s palmarosa, patchouli, grapefruit, geranium, cinnamon leaf and black pepper.  I sounds like my kind of blend.  The grapefruit might be fleeting, but I think most of the other eos would stick around quite well.


----------



## HowieRoll

I haven't tried it, Mobjack Bay, although it sounds really intriguing.  Black pepper EO is one I've never smelled, although have been tempted many times to buy (however, it's hard for me to justify it at the moment since I've only made one batch of soap in the past 11 months.  WTH?!!).


----------



## szaza

I've been eyeballing that blend as well @Mobjack Bay. I have black pepper, but no grapefruit EO..


----------



## AliOop

szaza said:


> I've been eyeballing that blend as well @Mobjack Bay. I have black pepper, but no grapefruit EO..


I have all the EOs for that blend, but always bypassed it because that much cinnamon would be a skin irritant for me, as well as a major accelerator for the soap batter. Would love to hear how it works out if any of you do try it.


----------



## rittek

Love this thread. I tried *Seascape *(rosemary, lemongrass, eucalyptus, cedarwood) and I only made it a few days ago but the cedarwood is dominant but I do also smell the lemongrass. To me it smells more outdoorsy than a seascape scent but I still really like it. I used it at 5% ppo. Can't wait to try some of the others you all have mentioned, especially highbrow and woodlands.


----------



## linne1gi

rittek said:


> Love this thread. I tried *Seascape *(rosemary, lemongrass, eucalyptus, cedarwood) and I only made it a few days ago but the cedarwood is dominant but I do also smell the lemongrass. To me it smells more outdoorsy than a seascape scent but I still really like it. I used it at 5% ppo. Can't wait to try some of the others you all have mentioned, especially highbrow and woodlands.


I am under the impression that EO”s should be at 2% for body, 1% for face.


----------



## AliOop

linne1gi said:


> I am under the impression that EO”s should be at 2% for body, 1% for face.


It all depends on the specific EO. Some are not safe even in small amounts; others are relatively safe at much greater amounts.


----------



## Mobjack Bay

Mobjack Bay said:


> I made soap with the *Awakening* blend 3.5 months ago and just took one out of the cardboard box to send to my mom for her birthday. It smells wonderful. I didn’t find it mentioned above, or maybe I missed it.  It’s a very floral blend of *geranium, bergamot, petitgrain, ylang ylang lll and palmarosa*.


Has anyone had any tingling issues with any of these eos?  My partner is reporting tingling with this blend in a soap I made in April, but I‘m using the soap regularly without any issues.


----------



## szaza

I haven't used that particular blend, but I have used all of these EO's at some point without tingling. I'm curious to try that blend now  However, sensitivity ty can be very personal...


----------



## Tara_H

Mobjack Bay said:


> Has anyone had any tingling issues with any of these eos?  My partner is reporting tingling with this blend in a soap I made in April, but I‘m using the soap regularly without any issues.


Not personally, but I think I've heard ylang ylang can cause sensitivity?


----------



## Zing

I've really been enjoying a new blend. It smells like a spa and a great way to start my morning. It's the In the Dark » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator from eocalc, orange, cedarwood, anise, lavender. I don't like lavender alone or anise alone but this combo rocks! Just FYI if you're looking for a new blend.


----------



## linne1gi

Zing said:


> I've really been enjoying a new blend. It smells like a spa and a great way to start my morning. It's the In the Dark » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator from eocalc, orange, cedarwood, anise, lavender. I don't like lavender alone or anise alone but this combo rocks! Just FYI if you're looking for a new blend.


Thanks


----------



## SoapDaddy70

Zing said:


> I've really been enjoying a new blend. It smells like a spa and a great way to start my morning. It's the In the Dark » EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator from eocalc, orange, cedarwood, anise, lavender. I don't like lavender alone or anise alone but this combo rocks! Just FYI if you're looking for a new blend.


I posted about Star Anise usage rate a long time ago because i bought some of it from WSP and their usage rate was .1% and I double checked with them and they said it was not a typo. I never bothered using it because i could not find a definitive usage rate. This In The Dark blend sounds amazing but worried about the amount of Star Anise it allows for Strong 5% usage rate. it ends up being almost 7x the amount based on WSP’s safe usage rate.


----------



## Zing

SoapDaddy70 said:


> I posted about Star Anise usage rate a long time ago because i bought some of it from WSP and their usage rate was .1% and I double checked with them and they said it was not a typo. I never bothered using it because i could not find a definitive usage rate. This In The Dark blend sounds amazing but worried about the amount of Star Anise it allows for Strong 5% usage rate. it ends up being almost 7x the amount based on WSP’s safe usage rate.


I buy anise essential oil from Bramble Berry and their fragrance calculator is 10% (compared to *oil *weight).  Eocalc has anise star at 5% (compared to total *batch *weight).  It makes a big difference if you are talking dividing by the oil weight or the total batch weight.  I don't know if there is a difference between anise essential oil and anise star essential oil.  Eocalc is pretty legit, though, and seems very thorough and scientific and I trust it.

Anise essential oil is fascinating especially when combined with other scents.


----------



## linne1gi

It definitely depends on where you bought your star anise. My usage rate is 10%, but of course I would never use that much.


----------



## Mobjack Bay

Mobjack Bay said:


> Has anyone tried the *Black Rose* blend?  It’s palmarosa, patchouli, grapefruit, geranium, cinnamon leaf and black pepper.  I sounds like my kind of blend.  The grapefruit might be fleeting, but I think most of the other eos would stick around quite well.


OMG, I finally made a test soap with the Black Rose blend and I love it ❤❤❤.  It has a fullness from the patch and a little brightness from the grapefruit.  The florals are there adding a nice touch, but they’re not at all overpowering. I’m not a big fan of Geranium on its own, so this makes me happy. The added spiciness from the cinnamon and black pepper is perfect.  I’m very happy with the scent level at 4% in the test bar.

@AliOop I didn’t have any issues with acceleration, but I only made a single test bar.  I will update when I make a loaf, which will be after I test the test bar.  According to EoCalc, the blend can be used safely at 5% in soap.  I have not had problems with cinnamon leaf in the past. It’s supposed to be much milder than cinnamon bark.


----------



## soapmaker

This sounds like my kind of blend too. If you think grapefruit will fade you could sub lemongrass. It lasts.


----------



## linne1gi

Mobjack Bay said:


> OMG, I finally made a test soap with the Black Rose blend and I love it ❤❤❤.  It has a fullness from the patch and a little brightness from the grapefruit.  The florals are there adding a nice touch, but they’re not at all overpowering. I’m not a big fan of Geranium on its own, so this makes me happy. The added spiciness from the cinnamon and black pepper is perfect.  I’m very happy with the scent level at 4% in the test bar.
> 
> @AliOop I didn’t have any issues with acceleration, but I only made a single test bar.  I will update when I make a loaf, which will be after I test the test bar.  According to EoCalc, the blend can be used safely at 5% in soap.  I have not had problems with cinnamon leaf in the past. It’s supposed to be much milder than cinnamon bark.


Sounds lovely.  I’m going to try it.  Thank you for sharing this!


----------



## szaza

I've been using a soap scented with the *woodland* blend that I made in April 2020 (so +2years old) and it still smells very nice and strong. When I first put it in the shower the entire bathroom smelled of the soap (which isn't that impressive since our bathroom is tiny).
The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)


----------



## soapmaker

szaza said:


> I've been using a soap scented with the *woodland* blend that I made in April 2020 (so +2years old) and it still smells very nice and strong. When I first put it in the shower the entire bathroom smelled of the soap (which isn't that impressive since our bathroom is tiny).
> The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)


Would that be NDA's Woodland Themes FO?


----------



## szaza

soapmaker said:


> Would that be NDA's Woodland Themes FO?


No, this is a thread where we review the blends from the EOcalc website


----------



## soapmaker

szaza said:


> No, this is a thread where we review the blends from the EOcalc website


Oh sorry, I was too hasty. I didn't take time to look properly. Woodland popped into my mind because of my mistake in ordering Woodland Themes from NDA. Advice: don't do it.


----------



## szaza

soapmaker said:


> Oh sorry, I was too hasty. I didn't take time to look properly. Woodland popped into my mind because of my mistake in ordering Woodland Themes from NDA. Advice: don't do it.


Haha well, if you're looking for an alternative, this EO blend is awesome  








						Woodland Essential Oil Blend - Modern Soapmaking
					

This blend was contributed to the library by Kenna of Modern Soapmaking.




					www.eocalc.com


----------



## Mobjack Bay

szaza said:


> I've been using a soap scented with the *woodland* blend that I made in April 2020 (so +2years old) and it still smells very nice and strong. When I first put it in the shower the entire bathroom smelled of the soap (which isn't that impressive since our bathroom is tiny).
> The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)


This is interesting because the blend is heavy on lavender, which often seems to fade fast, but it also includes amyris, which is used as a fixative in perfumes.  Can you still detect the lavender note?


----------



## szaza

Mobjack Bay said:


> This is interesting because the blend is heavy on lavender, which often seems to fade fast, but it also includes amyris, which is used as a fixative in perfumes.  Can you still detect the lavender note?


I feel like the amyris and cedar have overpowered the lavander since the beginning, so I can't really say to be honest. I'd have to compare this bar to a new one and I still don't have much time to soap, but I'll keep it in mind and try to think of scenting my next soap with this blend


----------



## soapmaker

szaza said:


> Haha well, if you're looking for an alternative, this EO blend is awesome
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Woodland Essential Oil Blend - Modern Soapmaking
> 
> 
> This blend was contributed to the library by Kenna of Modern Soapmaking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.eocalc.com


Thanks. Yes, when I realized my mistake I headed straight over to EO Calc and found it!


----------



## Mobjack Bay

szaza said:


> I feel like the amyris and cedar have overpowered the lavander since the beginning, so I can't really say to be honest. I'd have to compare this bar to a new one and I still don't have much time to soap, but I'll keep it in mind and try to think of scenting my next soap with this blend


I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender.  It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you.  I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris.  According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.


----------



## AliOop

Mobjack Bay said:


> I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender.  It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you.  I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris.  According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.


oooo now I want to buy some amyris. Darn you, @Mobjack Bay!


----------



## MelissaG

Pity they haven't updated their EO list in quite a while. They're missing some.


----------



## szaza

Mobjack Bay said:


> I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender.  It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you.  I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris.  According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.


Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..


----------



## Mobjack Bay

AliOop said:


> oooo now I want to buy some amyris. Darn you, @Mobjack Bay!


It’s not an EO I would use as the star of the show, but I will love it if it slows down the loss of the lavandin.  I bought mine from Camden Grey.


szaza said:


> Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..


I can always send you some 2 mm thick slices


----------



## gardengeek

Mobjack Bay said:


> OMG, I finally made a test soap with the Black Rose blend and I love it ❤❤❤.  It has a fullness from the patch and a little brightness from the grapefruit.  The florals are there adding a nice touch, but they’re not at all overpowering. I’m not a big fan of Geranium on its own, so this makes me happy. The added spiciness from the cinnamon and black pepper is perfect.  I’m very happy with the scent level at 4% in the test bar.
> 
> @AliOop I didn’t have any issues with acceleration, but I only made a single test bar.  I will update when I make a loaf, which will be after I test the test bar.  According to EoCalc, the blend can be used safely at 5% in soap.  I have not had problems with cinnamon leaf in the past. It’s supposed to be much milder than cinnamon bark.



How is Black Rose holding up? I'm working on an order at NDA (first time) and considering adding the black pepper and cinnamon leaf to try this blend.

Floral Touch is my absolute favorite blend. I use it in CP at 5% and it holds very well, I mean for at least a year. I made the mistake of sharing some soap with a friend with this blend. When she requested more I had to charge her because EO's ain't cheap! Actually, nothing is anymore


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## Mobjack Bay

@gardengeek   I just recently reported on a long list of EO blends, including Black Rose, here.  The scent is holding well at the 4+ month mark.  I used Floral Touch about a month ago and like that one too, especially if it sticks.  Thanks for sharing your results.


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## szaza

szaza said:


> Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..


I set that last bar aside and recently made some MP soap with this blend. Beside the fact that the scent of the new soap is obviously stronger, I don't feel like there are any notes that faded significantly more than others. Hope this helps!


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