# Good patchouli fragrance oil



## SheLion (Jan 18, 2017)

My sister loves patchouli and has requested that I make her some patchouli soap. Since EOs tend not to stick/last and can be expensive for soapmaking, I'm going the FO route on this one. She wants the patchouli to smack her over the head and take her hostage so it needs to be really strong.

I've looked at the review chart in the stickied thread but not gotten much love from it. Can anyone recommend a specific FO? I want straight patchouli, not a blend.

Thanks in advance.


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## needadietcoke (Jan 18, 2017)

I'm pretty new to this but I bought some patchouli EO and it is super strong.  Maybe I'm just paranoid about using too much and having my soap smell like old hippies and the soap I used it in has not fully cured yet so I'm not sure if it will stick or not.  I haven't seen a "pure" FO in my online wanderings.


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## 45parallelsoapco (Jan 18, 2017)

I get mine from http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/
It is super strong and my customers who love patchouli really love this one!
It is the "sweet patchouli", not the "patchouli" FO they sell.


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## Marshall (Jan 18, 2017)

I would toss out there that while it is true that some EOs don't stick well, honestly you will find that with some FOs as well. Patchouli is one EO that it strong in CP soap and sticks well from my experience.


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## dibbles (Jan 18, 2017)

I love patchouli and find that EO sticks well. I've purchased patchouli EO from Camden Grey and Bramble Berry and have been happy with both.


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## dixiedragon (Jan 18, 2017)

Patchouli does stick well. For a family member, I would pay the extra cost and use patchouli EO, unless your budget is very tight?


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## Debs (Jan 18, 2017)

Hi - I've used patchouli EO in several recipes and the scent is very light.  Just wondering whether those of you who find it sticks well, did you used aged Patchouli?  I assumed mine would be stronger and have bought from 2 different places in the hope of getting a stronger smell but then read about aged patch.....or maybe organic is stronger???  I have made 100% patch and can't smell a thing and it is only 3 days old, but, the one i mixed with bergamot and orange 10x back in August still has a lovely light scent to it....maybe it is what it is mixed with??? - Interested to hear what you mixed it with or type you used?


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## kchaystack (Jan 18, 2017)

I have used the Now brand of patch eo you can get at heath food stores and I have ordered some from Camden Gray.  Both are strong and stick really well.  

I have smelled a couple patch FOs and have not been impressed with them.  

A little patch eo goes a long way.  2% - 3 % is enough usually


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## dibbles (Jan 18, 2017)

I usually blend patchouli EO with 10X orange EO. One of my favorites!


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## Millie (Jan 18, 2017)

I just checked a 15 month old EO patchouli soap - still scented! It's the light patchouli from NDA. I think of light patchouli as the modern one, dark patchouli as the classic hippy scent, but everyone has their favorite, and I just made that up because I'm surprised I like patchouli now. Love it, actually


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## HowieRoll (Jan 18, 2017)

I  know you asked about FOs, of which I have no experience, but thought I'd throw my EO thoughts into the ring along with the others...  I find patchouli EO seems to stick well, too and just went and checked a soap made on April 25, 2016, that used a blend of 55% Patchouli (dark) EO and 45% Peppermint EO.  The EOs were used at a rate of 3% ppo and the patchouli smell is definitely still there.  I use Dark Patchouli from New Directions Aromatics.

Like Millie, I'm really surprised at how many times I reach for the patchouli to add depth when making a blend... I used to abhor the stuff!


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## Gerry (Jan 18, 2017)

I use the dark patchouli from NDA too.  It's great to use as an anchor for lighter, more volatile scents, or to deepen other woody scents that are on the sweet side like cedarwood.  Like what was said before, a little goes a long way!


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## shunt2011 (Jan 18, 2017)

I use the Dark Patchouli from Fragrance Laboratory or NDA. I have many die hard Patch lovers.  I've tried small amounts from other suppliers but love the Dark. It sticks and lasts a long time.


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## Kamahido (Jan 18, 2017)

I too use Patchouli Essential Oil rather than the fragrance oil. 3% is fine for me.


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## SheLion (Jan 18, 2017)

Thanks for all the input, everyone. I tried a batch with patch EO but the scent didn't stick. Then again, I may not have used enough EO either. That was in the days before I found the wisdom of SMF so I probably only used like .5%.

I have a bottle of patch EO that I bought with soap-making intentions in mind (before I discovered that EOs don't always stick) so I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll try the dark patch from NDA that a couple people have mentioned. My sister likes the intense, resin-y variety so the dark patch will probably be one she likes.

As an interesting aside, I recently learned that patchouli EO can be aged, like wine and cheese. And the character changes a bit over time as well. (I think it gets richer and more complex but that's pure conjecture on my part based on a several years old bottle I had.) I learned this while reading a recnt article written by someone whose benchmark patchouli oil (that he compared other bottles to) was one that was bottled in 1942! I would love to smell that. So if you have a bottle of patch EO that doesn't quite do it for you, set it aside for a couple years then revisit it and see if you like it better.


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## kchaystack (Jan 18, 2017)

Oh yeah.  .5% is not near enough.  That is the range for clove and peppermint - becasue they can cause burning in sensitive parts....


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## cmzaha (Jan 18, 2017)

shunt2011 said:


> I use the Dark Patchouli from Fragrance Laboratory or NDA. I have many die hard Patch lovers.  I've tried small amounts from other suppliers but love the Dark. It sticks and lasts a long time.


These are the same ones I use at 6% and they stick well


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## CaraBou (Jan 18, 2017)

Another patch lover here. Use the real stuff; it is unlikely you will find a good artificial comparison. Try an orange-patch blend at 2:1 with a combined total of 5-7%. It's divine!

Would you post the link to the 1942 bottle?  I completely believe it but would at least like to read about it since I will never put my nose to it.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 19, 2017)

I too use the Patch at 6%.   I have a bar that is 5 year old and still smells like Patch.  It's not a favorite of mine but it's grown on me.


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## joellcox (Jan 20, 2017)

CaraBou said:


> Try an orange-patch blend at 2:1 with a combined total of 5-7%. It's divine!



I like this idea and tinkered around last night. I did a sniffy of 2:1 bergamot and NDA's Light Patchouli and ended up with something that smelled almost exactly like fresh parsley.


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## SheLion (Jan 20, 2017)

CaraBou said:


> Would you post the link to the 1942 bottle?  I completely believe it but would at least like to read about it since I will never put my nose to it.



CaraBou, if I can find it again, I'll post it. I am an unabashed online info gatherer and frequently link-jump so I end up on all sorts of little-known, offbeat sites.

I couldn't find the 1942 patchouli but in searching for it, I ran across this:
http://www.pharmacyantiques.com/107-year-old-patchouli/


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## CaraBou (Jan 20, 2017)

^^Oh wow, how cool is that! I wonder what she paid for it. She doesn't even give a hint. She says it's not dirty hippy, which I think of as the sharpest notes, based on, well... I guess my hippy days   I could be wrong about that, and say it lightly based on my experiences when a teenager and college student. I was just a kid during the real-deal era.

I bought an Indonesian Dark patchouli 2 1/4 two years ago (see here). It is relatively earthy and without those sharpest notes either. Maybe that's the difference between light and dark, I don't know.  I still have about 1/3 of a 16 oz bottle left and try to use it sparingly. Luckily, a little goes a long way since it's so expensive. But I will not hesitate to buy another big bottle when this one runs out. As a hobbyist I don't say that about too many fragrances (lavender EO is another, but it's more risky due to variability). Small quantities of something you love is not wise financially $$



joellcox said:


> I like this idea and tinkered around last night. I did a sniffy of 2:1 bergamot and NDA's Light Patchouli and ended up with something that smelled almost exactly like fresh parsley.



Oh my! You've either mixed herbs in there or you've been smoking some!

JK. But I'm at a loss to explain your experience.  Well, everyone's skin is different, I suppose their noses are too.


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## SheLion (Jan 20, 2017)

CaraBou said:


> I bought an Indonesian Dark patchouli 2 1/4 two years ago (see here).



Oooh. That company (AV-AT) is 30 min from a house my husband and I own in western Maryland. That means that I can visit them in person!!! Of course, that will probably be quite damaging to the checkbook. :mrgreen:


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## CaraBou (Jan 21, 2017)

SheLion said:


> Oooh. That company (AV-AT) is 30 min from a house my husband and I own in western Maryland. That means that I can visit them in person!!! Of course, that will probably be quite damaging to the checkbook. :mrgreen:



GET OUT!! You MUST go! One can never be within 100 miles of a fragrance house without stopping in. Call them to see if they take visitors. Beg them if they say no.  There is no substitute for sniffing samples personally.  I've done it twice in my life, and hope to do it many times more. Brambleberry's front store called Otion and Essential Depot


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## SheLion (Jan 23, 2017)

CaraBou said:


> GET OUT!! You MUST go! One can never be within 100 miles of a fragrance house without stopping in. Call them to see if they take visitors. Beg them if they say no.  There is no substitute for sniffing samples personally.  I've done it twice in my life, and hope to do it many times more. Brambleberry's front store called Otion and Essential Depot



In looking at their website, I did see a mention about visiting them but I will absolutely call first. Our primary residence is further away (>100 miles) so it will take a bit of planning but is pretty easily doable. The biggest block is the weather as getting there involves climbing mountains!


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## CaraBou (Jan 23, 2017)

You're in the East, right? Girl those aren't mountains, they're hills!  :razz:

I hope you make it happen!


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## SheLion (Jan 23, 2017)

CaraBou said:


> You're in the East, right? Girl those aren't mountains, they're hills!  :razz:
> 
> I hope you make it happen!



Hills are just older, wiser mountains. :grin:


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## CaraBou (Jan 23, 2017)

^^Can't argue there. I've always wondered what the Appalachians looked like before they were weathered down. I am totally fascinated by geology and the time frames involved.


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