# litsea substitute?



## Zing (May 7, 2020)

I'm working on a new gardener's soap and found a blend I like: rosemary, litsea cubeba, and basil essential oils (it smells 'garden-y').  However, I'm super low on litsea and may not have enough.  Is there a similar-smelling eo that I can subsitute if I run out?  Thanks,


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## dibbles (May 7, 2020)

What do you have on hand you can use? If you want to stay as close to the blend as possible, lemongrass might work. Lemon EO would probably be the best sub, but is also likely to fade. What about adding a bit of mint?


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## lsg (May 7, 2020)

You could try a little lemon EO.


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## Zany_in_CO (May 7, 2020)

Litsea is a well-known anchor for EOs so I would replace it for the best result. Otherwise, I would sub lemongrass EO or Lemon Eucalyptus  (Citriodora) -- lovely lemony-minty scent.


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## soapmaker (May 7, 2020)

dibbles said:


> What do you have on hand you can use? If you want to stay as close to the blend as possible, lemongrass might work. Lemon EO would probably be the best sub, but is also likely to fade. What about adding a bit of mint?


Exactly. My gardener's scrub has Lemon, Lemongrass,  Litsea & Spearmint. It's lovely. I would just add all the litsea you have and sub with the others. You may like it better!


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## Zing (May 7, 2020)

You all are so helpful and I appreciate it.  I do have on hand lemon, lemongrass, orange 10X, and bergamot so will definitely try some lemon or lemongrass.

I bought a ton of spearmint thinking it would be a good scent.  And then I try testing various blends (cottonballs in plastic bags) and I just can't get past the mental block that it belongs in a gum or toothpaste!  But @soapmaker 's suggestion sounds intriguing -- another blend to test....

Stay safe everyone!


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## dibbles (May 7, 2020)

If you have bergamot, I'd use what litsea you have and add bergamot to make what you need.


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## SoapSisters (May 8, 2020)

Zing said:


> I'm working on a new gardener's soap and found a blend I like: rosemary, litsea cubeba, and basil essential oils (it smells 'garden-y').  However, I'm super low on litsea and may not have enough.  Is there a similar-smelling eo that I can subsitute if I run out?  Thanks,


That blend sounds great! Would you mind sharing what percentage of basil EO you use in that blend? I bought some basil EO recently but haven't been able to decide what to use it with. I'd go with lemongrass as a substitute for litsea. The lemon EO I've used has faded every time.

ETA: I agree with @Zany_in_CO about Eucalyptus Citriodora. I would just caution you to use a little bit and check usage rates. I used it at 2%, together with rosemary at 3%, and the eucalyptus was STRONG. I'd use it at 1% next time and sweeten it with a bit of spearmint EO.


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## Adobehead (May 8, 2020)

Zing said:


> I'm working on a new gardener's soap and found a blend I like: rosemary, litsea cubeba, and basil essential oils (it smells 'garden-y').  However, I'm super low on litsea and may not have enough.  Is there a similar-smelling eo that I can subsitute if I run out?  Thanks,


do you have any lemon myrtle? this blend sounds lovely, i agree about bergamot, too.


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## lucycat (May 8, 2020)

To get past your idea of spearmint is only gum think about what the sweetness can add to a blend.  I really like rosemary with spearmint as well as cedar blends with a bit of spearmint.  The sweetness can take away the harshness that some woody EOs have.  I have seen another soaper blend patchouli spearmint.   To enjoy, don't think of the blends as 1:1. You may prefer 3:1 or 5:1 so that the spearmint isn't dominant.


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## Nona'sFarm (May 10, 2020)

That blend sounds great. I use only cedarwood to scent my gardner's soap. I just love the earthy smell, but that's just me. (It does sell well.)


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