# Frankincense Essential Oil



## Kamahido

The other day I started a thread about the above essential oil. Upon reading the responses it seems I may not have worded the question correctly. So I wanted to clarify...

Has anyone ever used Frankincense Essential Oil in their soap?


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## Obsidian

I made a batch last week with it, what are you wanting to know?


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## Kamahido

How well it holds up in cold process soap. Did it morph? Did it discolor? Normally I would just buy some and try it out, but as expensive as the essential oil is I figured I would ask around first.


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## Obsidian

well, I only made the soap last week so I have limited experience and I used a blend not straight frank. At this point, I can't really smell the frank but what is there, hasn't morphed and I don't think it discolored at all. I used neem in this soap so its fairly green to begin with.

I used a low quality EO though so it might differ from a good one. Maybe a FO would be a better/cheaper option?


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## Kittish

One of my early batches I used frankincense with, along with fir needle and cedarwood. I didn't see any discoloration. The scent held up fairly well, the only issue is on my end- I used a very light hand with the fragrance with that batch so it's pretty faint. I haven't used it just by itself yet, though. I think I got mine from Bulk Apothecary.


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## ilovebathing

I have used it in my Rose Water Soap batch this year and I also add it lightly.  In the beginning the soap smells really good, eartly smell but as the soap cured the scent didn't last that long. But I was aiming for its skin benefits especially for the face.  I haven't tried using Kaolin clay as I heard many soapers use it to make the scent last a little longer.


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## divinegoddessoaps17

I use it in my CP soaps.  No problems.


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## Kamahido

I went ahead and ordered a bottle of Frankincense Essential Oil. Will let the forum know how it turns out.


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## Kamahido

I have made the soap with Frankincense Essential Oil and it has been curing for 2 weeks now. The scent has mellowed just slightly since making it and is quite woodsy now. Very reminiscent of my Cedar Essential Oil soap. Will report back with a 1 month cure report.


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## Kamahido

Kamahido said:


> I have made the soap with Frankincense Essential Oil and it has been curing for 2 weeks now. The scent has mellowed just slightly since making it and is quite woodsy now. Very reminiscent of my Cedar Essential Oil soap. Will report back with a 1 month cure report.



Soap has cured for a month now and smells exactly like Texas cedar essential oil. I think I now understand why it is usually mixed with myrrh.


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## Obsidian

Thats too bad, I would be very disappointed but I don't care much for cedar. I have frankincense tears and they smell really nice but the myrrh is better.


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## Heika

I made a soap recently with a blend of Frankincense. I blended with litsea to help anchor the scent along with a bit of cedarwood. I mixed the essential oil blend with diatomaceous earth and let it sit overnight before making the soap. It is about 8 weeks along now, and still smells really nice. I also ground frankincense and myrrh, and added it to the soap batter. That may be contributing to the scent. I love the way it smells so much that I made a beard oil with the essential oil blend. I will upload a picture of it, I am pretty happy with how it turned out.


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## Millie

Beautiful!


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## bountifulsoaps

Obsidian said:


> well, I only made the soap last week so I have limited experience and I used a blend not straight frank. At this point, I can't really smell the frank but what is there, hasn't morphed and I don't think it discolored at all. I used neem in this soap so its fairly green to begin with.
> 
> I used a low quality EO though so it might differ from a good one. Maybe a FO would be a better/cheaper option?



The FO is very strong and perfumy (sp) scent.  When I used it in a blend with Lavender eo it was nice.  Right now I have it blended with patchouli and it smells nice but by itself I don't think so.  Mine came from Camden Gray.


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## bountifulsoaps

Can't believe how beauitful Heika's soap turned out.  Wish I had your talent!


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## Spice

ilovebathing said:


> I have used it in my Rose Water Soap batch this year and I also add it lightly.  In the beginning the soap smells really good, eartly smell but as the soap cured the scent didn't last that long. But I was aiming for its skin benefits especially for the face.  I haven't tried using Kaolin clay as I heard many soapers use it to make the scent last a little longer.



ilovebathing, I use Kaolin clay, I have noticed that it keeps the scent fresher, I SB my oils and as am SBing, I pour my clay and mix before adding my lye water. It seems that the bars are a bit whiter too.


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## ilovebathing

Thanks for the tip Spice.   I finally tried my rose clay as well using a mix of EO that were recommended for a lavish spa bar from Modernsoapmaking.com.  The scent lingered even after 4 weeks of cure time. Let's see how goes it for another month.  In terms of frankinsense EO I now use it in my facial cream since it is not a wash on product (for more facial benefits).


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## Spice

ilovebathing said:


> Thanks for the tip Spice.   I finally tried my rose clay as well using a mix of EO that were recommended for a lavish spa bar from Modernsoapmaking.com.  The scent lingered even after 4 weeks of cure time. Let's see how goes it for another month.  In terms of frankinsense EO I now use it in my facial cream since it is not a wash on product (for more facial benefits).


Does the rose clay color your soap? I been using Moroccan red clay for bath bombs, I was wondering if using the red would do anything for EO scent too.


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## ilovebathing

Yes, it is a very light soft pink color   I think all clays IMO help keep the scent in....


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## xmasdeer

I made my own frankincense oil and it has a lovely smell. You can buy the raw frankincense online and mix it with oils but it takes about 6 weeks to infuse. That should not be a problem for soap makers as the soap takes just as long to cure.  The cost of the raw frankinsence was $18 AUD for 500g.  I also made Myrrh oil but the scent is very mild, maybe I didn't leave it infuse long enough.


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## shunt2011

xmasdeer said:


> I made my own frankincense oil and it has a lovely smell. You can buy the raw frankincense online and mix it with oils but it takes about 6 weeks to infuse. That should not be a problem for soap makers as the soap takes just as long to cure.  The cost of the raw frankinsence was $18 AUD for 500g.  I also made Myrrh oil but the scent is very mild, maybe I didn't leave it infuse long enough.



Being infused it won't likely survive the lye monster in CP.  Most things that are infused and not true EO don't survive saponificiation unfortunately.


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## xmasdeer

oh, thanks for that tip, I have not used it in soap, only for skin care.


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## Charles Mehta

xmasdeer said:


> I made my own frankincense oil and it has a lovely smell. You can buy the raw frankincense online and mix it with oils but it takes about 6 weeks to infuse. That should not be a problem for soap makers as the soap takes just as long to cure.  The cost of the raw frankinsence was $18 AUD for 500g.  I also made Myrrh oil but the scent is very mild, maybe I didn't leave it infuse long enough.


Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve been trying essntial oil brands and none seems to be to my liking so I’ve decided to make them myself by using ingredients from https://sportsinside.co.uk/departments/herbs-natural-remedies/aromatherapy/essential-oils.html or buy in local stores. what might be the outcome/risk?


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## shunt2011

I'm sure there are more reliable source for EO than what you've posted.  If making soap and paying those prices it will get really expensive.


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## Cindy Kott

Kamahido said:


> The other day I started a thread about the above essential oil. Upon reading the responses it seems I may not have worded the question correctly. So I wanted to clarify...
> 
> Has anyone ever used Frankincense Essential Oil in their soap?



I have made several batches of goat milk based CP  soap, and used a combination of frankincense and rosemary EO with great success. The scent has lasted and my kids even enjoy it.


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