# Blending Ideas...



## jules92207

Been hitting a wall with blending ideas for my EO's.

I currently have:
Lavender 40/42
Pink Grapefruit
Patchouli (dark)
Peppermint
Fir Needle
Eucalyptus Globulus
Tea Tree
Lemon
Rosemary
Bergamot
tiny bit of Sweet Orange

Really want to get:
Anise
Lemongrass
Spearmint
Litsea
Pettigrain

First question - what would you blend with what I have?

 I have done a Lavender, Rosemary and Patchouli blend - very nice. Also been toying with Pink Grapefruit and Fir Needle - my q-tip test is yielding a nice result so far.

Second - what am I missing to make some great blends?

Thanks for any advice.


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## AustinStraight

3 parts orange:1 part patchouli
2 parts grapefruit:1 part lavender
2 parts peppermint:1 part rosemary
2 parts lavender:1 part fir needle

If you get petitgrain, it goes nicely with orange.  Anise I'm not sure about, I've never had success blending it... Lemongrass is nice with patchouli, maybe 2 lemongrass:1 patchouli.  Depends on how much you like patchouli   Patchouli is superb with any citrus oil.  Then again, anything is superb with any citrus oil!  Tea tree is kinda hard to blend aromatically.  It's just "tolerable" with grapefruit, imo.

I recommend getting cinnamon bark or cassia (cinnamon bark smells way better than cinnamon leaf, but is pricier, cassia is the cheapest option), peru balsam (sweet, warm, kinda syrupy vanilla/benzoin scent), and lime.  To be honest, I recommend just stacking up as wide a variety of citrus oils as possible, they're so versatile  Cinnamon is really nice with orange, or just to add a warm quality to any blend.  I personally don't have peru balsam (yet!) but my sister does, and she's shared & let me experiment with it a bit.  It's really nice to add a vanilla smell to a blend without spending a fortune.  Try 2 parts patchouli:1 part peru balsam.

May I ask where you get your essential oils?


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## lsg

Lavender/rosemary/spearmint is nice.


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## eyeroll

I like 2 grapefruit: 1 rosemary. 

I also like anything with lemongrass. Patch & lemongrass is great so I'd think patch & lemon would be pretty nice too.


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## jules92207

AustinStraight said:


> 3 parts orange:1 part patchouli
> 2 parts grapefruit:1 part lavender
> 2 parts peppermint:1 part rosemary
> 2 parts lavender:1 part fir needle
> 
> If you get petitgrain, it goes nicely with orange.  Anise I'm not sure about, I've never had success blending it... Lemongrass is nice with patchouli, maybe 2 lemongrass:1 patchouli.  Depends on how much you like patchouli   Patchouli is superb with any citrus oil.  Then again, anything is superb with any citrus oil!  Tea tree is kinda hard to blend aromatically.  It's just "tolerable" with grapefruit, imo.
> 
> I recommend getting cinnamon bark or cassia (cinnamon bark smells way better than cinnamon leaf, but is pricier, cassia is the cheapest option), peru balsam (sweet, warm, kinda syrupy vanilla/benzoin scent), and lime.  To be honest, I recommend just stacking up as wide a variety of citrus oils as possible, they're so versatile  Cinnamon is really nice with orange, or just to add a warm quality to any blend.  I personally don't have peru balsam (yet!) but my sister does, and she's shared & let me experiment with it a bit.  It's really nice to add a vanilla smell to a blend without spending a fortune.  Try 2 parts patchouli:1 part peru balsam.
> 
> May I ask where you get your essential oils?



AustinStraight - wow, great suggestions. My first big EO order was from NDA so that is most of what I have. Been planning another order and definitely have a few new ones to add now, thanks! 

Is clove better as an EO versus FO?


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## jules92207

lsg said:


> Lavender/rosemary/spearmint is nice.



I think I would like this even better than the lavender/rosemary/patchouli I made - nice!


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## AustinStraight

I've never tried a clove FO, sorry!  The EO is good enough for me


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## LanaBanana

I like lavender with tea tree. I use this in an oatmeal lavender bar.

Another of my favorites is peppermint with tea tree. This combo started my soap making journey--I began trying to re-create a tea tree soap from Nature's Gate!

Lastly, a nice cooling bar is spearmint with peppermint. The spearmint gives the peppermint a sweet smell. It is very pleasant.


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## linbrit

I write down blends whenever I see them ..... have yet to try most of them, but here's a few that I have tried and liked. 

Lemon
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
3:1:1


3 parts lemon / 1 part lavender     OR....    3 parts lavender / 1 part lemon


Lavender
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
3:3:2

Today, I am trying one called "Awesome"   1:1  lemongrass & peppermint.  I just got lemongrass and am anxious to try it.


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## cmzaha

If you happen to have any litsea it will really kick up the lemongrass. I cannot live without litsea (May Chang) and it is not expensive


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## jules92207

AustinStraight said:


> I've never tried a clove FO, sorry!  The EO is good enough for me



I'm really glad you said that cause I was really on the fence about that. The only time I've used clove was from a fancy shop and it was lovely but I'm pretty sure it was just an FO. This was long before I even really started soaping and thought about where they came from or I would have asked. I also spent way too much on that I realize now that I'm buying wholesale.. :???:


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## jules92207

So many great suggestions, I am sure to hit the $100 minimum at NDA now... 

Thank you all!!!


I did a small blend to test some pink grapefruit with a couple different scents and I have to say I'm totally sold on Pink Grapefruit and Fir Needle. Strange, huh? I think I have to give it a try at maybe a 2 pink grapefruit, 1 fir needle.


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## Seawolfe

I like this one recommended in Catherine Failors liquid soap book. She credits Bill and Trina Wallace for "Sea Breezy" which is 2 parts eucalyptus, 2 parts lemongrass (I subbed Litsea cubeba) and 1 part rosemary EO


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## green soap

jules92207 said:


> Been hitting a wall with blending ideas for my EO's.
> 
> First question - what would you blend with what I have?
> 
> Second - what am I missing to make some great blends?
> 
> .



On the first question I like equal parts orange, lavender and bergamot.  

On the second question, I could not live without some type of cedar, and also ylang ylang.  I also use clove and the cassias, and they are not expensive.  I will hold back now because you are already spending a lot of money.


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## jules92207

AustinStraight said:


> May I ask where you get your essential oils?



I just searched NDA and they didn't have Peru Balsam - where do you get yours from?


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## jules92207

Just found some at BB since I went there to get a new mold. Thanks for all the suggestions!!!


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## Nikkor

cmzaha said:


> If you happen to have any litsea it will really kick up the lemongrass. I cannot live without litsea (May Chang) and it is not expensive



That sounds like a nice blend! What ratios would you suggest?


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## neeners

I recently did a blend lavender/rosemary/cedarwood (in oz I did .5/.4/.3).  it's AMAZING.  one of my fav blends so far.


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## jules92207

neeners said:


> I recently did a blend lavender/rosemary/cedarwood (in oz I did .5/.4/.3).  it's AMAZING.  one of my fav blends so far.



Yummmm... that sounds lovely. Again, possibly an alternative to my lavender/rosemary/patchouli - I like it but I bet cedarwood would really kick up the scent layers a bit.


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## jules92207

I know this post is way past due but I finally placed my EO order today - ordered from both Liberty Natural and NDA:

On its way...
Peru Balsam
tiny bit of Cardamom
Lemongrass
Clove bud
Anise star
Spearmint
Key lime
Litsea Cubea
Orange 5 fold
Cinnamon bark
cedarwood
rosewood

Can't flipping wait!!!!  :-D


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## cmzaha

Nikkor said:


> That sounds like a nice blend! What ratios would you suggest?


 
I love lemongrass, litsea with cedar wood. Sorry I mix like I cook only with eo it is smell not tasting. I am absolutely at measuring ratios. I actually think I use approx 1:1:1  Lavender and lemon is also lovely and 2 lavender to 1 peppermint is very nice. The peppermint can overpower the lavender if not careful.


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## CaraBou

I have anise too and use small quantities in blends like I do with peppermint. lsg shared a blend earlier that I finally got around to trying recently, with tweaks to accommodate what I had.  I really like it. In fact I should be thanking lsg again!  The original recipe used patchouli instead of anise, spearmint instead of peppermint, and slightly different percentages, but by the time my alchemy was done it went something like this:
Lav 55%
Rosemary 20%
Cedarwood 13%
Anise 6%
Peppermint 6%

Have fun, I'm jealous of your assortment!


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## jules92207

Blending is such a hit or miss - I've done a lot of mixes and end up feeling like I have nothing really descriptive to say about the scent - it just smells "blended" with no real notes to stand out.

Recently I had some leftover rosemary and peppermint from a rosemary mint blend I did so I thought I'd add some lavender and lemon. That didn't really stand out. So I added some orange and pink grapefruit, then a little more lemon and out of the container I just don't find anything stands out, except maybe the peppermint. Frustrating.

I'm sure once I soap it some notes will come through better but it just leaves me blah for now, and insecure to waste a batch on it if I'm not going to like it. 

This is why I am quite grateful for your suggestions, and other posts on blends I've found in my research. For a newbie its really helpful to get the right footing going forward.

So thank you.


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## neeners

what I like about blending (I did an awesome blend for my friend's wedding soap), that when everything is mixed together, some people pick out certain scents compared to others.  I had the blend sit for a few days too so everyone can mingle together (going to do that from now on).  the blend had 5x orange, lavender, vetivert and ylang.  I picked out strong orange and vetivert, while a friend of mine said lavender straight away.  but, what I really smelled was warmth.

 so maybe keep that in mind when you're blending that other people may smell different things than you do.

 for me, a really good blend should just be like a nice soup - all the flavours really melded together very well.


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## jules92207

Excellent point, I hadn't really thought about that. I'm still so new I don't think about the "audience" yet - mind shifted.

I did order quite a number of empty amber bottles to start mixing too, so I can blend and let them sit a while finally. I really think that will make a difference too. I can't wait to start experimenting.

All my tracking info came for both orders yesterday - I wait with bated breath!


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## neeners

and coffee beans near by so you can cleanse your pallet!  I'm also waiting for my order with baited breath.  then i'll be busy blending as well!


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## Sagebrush

I just discovered an unlikely combo the other day: lemon and anise. I used about 75% lemon and 25% anise. It smells crisp and rich and sweet all at once.


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## jules92207

SageontheMountain said:


> I just discovered an unlikely combo the other day: lemon and anise. I used about 75% lemon and 25% anise. It smells crisp and rich and sweet all at once.



OMG - that actually sounds delish! Oils get here Wed... Too Excited!


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## CaraBou

Oooh lemon & anise, I'll have to try that! Except it'll probably be lemongrass since that's what I have ;-)


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## Sagebrush

I'm sure lemongrass will blend just as nicely as lemon 
I discovered the combo while I was making a batch of soap for my son. The smallest mold I have is a 2lb Lego mold with individual blocks, which is "his" mold, so I was trying to match scents with the colors he picked (pink and yellow). And what a nice surprise


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## jade-15

Hmm think I have to try a different rosemary - the one I have smells nothing like rosemary, got it in a little bottle from the chemist and doesn't blend nicely with anything. But it seems to appear in a lot of blends so I might order a new (small) bottle in my next order!!
I am taking notes from here to help me decide what my next EOs will be. Did a wish list last night and it came out at $450 :O time to cull!


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## jules92207

I really like the spanish rosemary from NDA, it has such a nice smooth scent.

So the oils are slowing coming in, I've been researching for weeks and I am still so insecure about how much to use. Most of my oils till now are relatively "safe" in comparison - now that I"ll have anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom I'm a little freaked out about using them. Most of my EO's I get from NDA and Liberty Natural and they don't have a guide - at least I haven't found it.

I've read a bazillion posts, searched the forum, searched the web, I even have an essential oils book but how do I get past the fear of creating something irritating?

I'm probably being way to paranoid.


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## neeners

there's a list somewhere, i think it's some INCI list?  not sure what the acronym is for....  but there's safety levels on there.  and, some are irritating to some people, but safe for others.  e.g. some people like peppermint in their sensitive areas, while others freak out.


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## jade-15

Just test it out in small batches.  The amount used in soap is such a tiny amount, and that's what survives the saponification process!  Guess you just have to jump in and do it


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## jules92207

jade-15 said:


> Just test it out in small batches.  The amount used in soap is such a tiny amount, and that's what survives the saponification process!  Guess you just have to jump in and do it



You are so right. I just always like to have all my facts. I need to just go for it!


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## CaraBou

jules92207 said:


> So the oils are slowing coming in, I've been researching for weeks and I am still so insecure about how much to use. Most of my oils till now are relatively "safe" in comparison - now that I"ll have anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom I'm a little freaked out about using them. Most of my EO's I get from NDA and Liberty Natural and they don't have a guide - at least I haven't found it. I've read a bazillion posts, searched the forum, searched the web, I even have an essential oils book but how do I get past the fear of creating something irritating? I'm probably being way to paranoid.



I recommend using those kinds of EOs at lows percentages in your blend (say < 10% or 20%). They tend to be strong scented anyway.  That way you'll get the gist of them while being easy on your skin.



SageontheMountain said:


> I discovered the combo while I was making a batch of soap for my son. The smallest mold I have is a 2lb Lego mold with individual blocks, which is "his" mold, so I was trying to match scents with the colors he picked (pink and yellow). And what a nice surprise



Cool, a lego mold!  So... do you line it to get the soap out, or disassemble?


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## Sagebrush

CaraBou said:


> Cool, a lego mold!  So... do you line it to get the soap out, or disassemble?




Carabou, it's a silicone mold...it's supposed to be for cake or jello. With some recipes the little knobs like to stick, though. That's why it's mostly my practice mold  
It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055UFDFC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## LunaSkye

How about blending all of the citrus oils to make citrus blend? I know I like the smell of bergamot and lime oil together, but I ended up blending those two with benzoin since it's a fixative. What about fir needle, tea tree and eucalyptus? I'm just curious about how that goes.

By the way, be careful if you get spicy eos like clove or cinnamon. Clove is sensitizing and may irritate the skin if too much is used. Cinnamon is always suppose to be diluted, but I think I read somewhere that even a dilution could be irritating.


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## jules92207

LunaSkye said:


> How about blending all of the citrus oils to make citrus blend? I know I like the smell of bergamot and lime oil together, but I ended up blending those two with benzoin since it's a fixative. What about fir needle, tea tree and eucalyptus? I'm just curious about how that goes.
> 
> I did a blend of pink grapefruit with fir needle. I haven't yet soaped it but OOB I Love it.
> 
> By the way, be careful if you get spicy eos like clove or cinnamon. Clove is sensitizing and may irritate the skin if too much is used. Cinnamon is always suppose to be diluted, but I think I read somewhere that even a dilution could be irritating.



This is exactly my concern. I have incredibly sensitive skin which is why I started soaping in the first place. I wouldn't want to make it worse. I just mixed a tiny amount of clove with Milk Sugar Kisses from Daystar - MSK 1.65oz to Clove 0.35 oz for a two lb batch and you can certainly smell the clove still so no need to overdo them, a little goes a long way!


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## jules92207

I am just going to say the Key Lime from NDA is to die for.

I can't get enough. I have put it now in almost every blend so far and I love it.


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## cmzaha

Lemon and Anise is devine. I make a lemongrass, litsea and anise. Litsea is an eo I just cannot run out of


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## jules92207

cmzaha said:


> Lemon and Anise is devinel. I make a lemongrass, litsea and anise. Litsea is an eo I just cannot run out of



That is my next blend to try! I am loving the lemongrass and litsea. I think the anise will be great with the puckery lemon scent.


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## neeners

just did my rasta soap - 4 parts lemongrass, 1 part each dark patchouli and blood orange.  it's delicious!


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## jules92207

Seawolfe said:


> I like this one recommended in Catherine Failors liquid soap book. She credits Bill and Trina Wallace for "Sea Breezy" which is 2 parts eucalyptus, 2 parts lemongrass (I subbed Litsea cubeba) and 1 part rosemary EO



I have been playing with this blend and I think I prefer the litsea over the lemongrass. I was kind of on the fence till I added litsea in place of part of the lemongrass - total improvement. I also added a little cedarwood and patchouli.


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## SoapyQueenBee

I have a lemongrass and fir needle shaving soap I can't keep in stock.  It's energizing, fresh and yummy.  Kind of reminds me of eating a key lime pie slice under a really fragrant tree.

Need to try the anise with lemongrass, it sounds interesting.


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## jules92207

Lemongrass and fir needle sounds awesome. I have lemon, litsea and anise blended but haven't soaped it yet. It smells amazing oob!


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## SoapyQueenBee

Ooh.   You're giving me ideas, now lol.


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## jules92207

Its ALMOST my favorite part of soaping!


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## summerflyy

I have a rosewood EO that I used recently in my M&P project and it's really strong + woody.
It's really giving me a headache and I didn't use a lot of it ! What would be a good blend to make it more appealing? 

I have seen the other suggestions and eucalyptus + lemongrass seems good ! going to give a try another day !


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## Farm2Shower

One of my favorites that I make is Cedarwood and citrus. All EO's of 10x orange, lime, lemon, and grapefruit. Crisp smell, but also masculine.


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## jules92207

I am going to try some rosewood I have with some geranium. It was suggested a few times now when I got my first batch of geranium and the more I sniff them the more I think they will be phenomenal together. I would also think rosewood would be great with citrus.

I have also had good luck mixing several different citrus oils with a tad lavender and it really pops. I have a batch that was kind of a fluke - I mixed some leftover rosemary and peppermint (maybe .15 oz) with about .6 oz lavender and the rest was lemon, lemongrass, pink grapefruit, key lime, sweet orange, and orange 5x. I didn't take good measurements but the overall blend was about 2oz. Its my hubby's favorite on me now. Its what I wash with if I know it might get a little steamy...


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## summerflyy

jules92207 said:


> I am going to try some rosewood I have with some geranium. It was suggested a few times now when I got my first batch of geranium and the more I sniff them the more I think they will be phenomenal together. I would also think rosewood would be great with citrus.
> 
> I have also had good luck mixing several different citrus oils with a tad lavender and it really pops. I have a batch that was kind of a fluke - I mixed some leftover rosemary and peppermint (maybe .15 oz) with about .6 oz lavender and the rest was lemon, lemongrass, pink grapefruit, key lime, sweet orange, and orange 5x. I didn't take good measurements but the overall blend was about 2oz. Its my hubby's favorite on me now. Its what I wash with if I know it might get a little steamy...



That sounds really great ! I would try mixing some rosewood with geranium ! I really can't take the smell of rosewood on its own ! I was thinking that maybe I made a mistake in purchasing it haha ! I would try it with my citrus EOs too !  Thanks for the suggestion !


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## blondiegirl23

I had luck mixing tea tree and lemongrass... It was very nice


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## jules92207

I have been looking for a good tea tree blend actually, I like the earthy aroma of it and its so good for my skin but I really want a balanced fragrance and tea tree takes over. I think I will try it with lemongrass, thanks for the tip!


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