# Patchouli and Lemongrass



## goteeguy (Oct 20, 2014)

I've not used a lot of essential oils before (mostly due to cost), but  I've always wanted to.  So I decided to purchased a few smaller bottles  at reasonable prices with my last supply order, including Patchouli  (requested by a friend) and Lemongrass.

Straight out of the  bottle, I immediately found the Lemongrass far too similar to "Lemon  Pledge" for my liking and hoped for better luck with the Patchouli.   Unfortunately, my luck was not with me.  The Patchouli was not the dark,  sweet, spicy, earthy, complex smell I remembered from the 70's.   Instead, it was overpoweringly strong; so much so, that I was unable to  isolate any of it's properties and, after a 2nd and 3rd attempt to  "appreciate" it's tones, I was left with a curdled stomach, ready to  vomit, for the next several hours.  Never have I had such a violent  reaction to a smell.  How was I going to soap with this???

The following day I decided to bring a sample of the Patchouli to work for my friend to smell.  It was just a small sample; a cotton ball swiped across the rim of the bottle, placed in a zip-lock bag.  She thought it smelled wonderful.  I, on the other hand, caught one brief sniff and faced the same violent reaction I had previously.  I had to confine myself to the washroom until it had passed.

Well, yesterday I decided to face the demon! :evil:  I whipped up a 2lb batch of my standard soap and added 7 grams of Patchouli and 21 grams of Lemongrass (for a total of 28 grams / 1 oz of scent).  The Lemongrass brightened the Patchouli, offering a sweetness to the blend, while the Patchouli helped ground the Lemongrass with darker, mossy undertones.  Thankfully, I did not have any adverse reaction to the blended scents.

This evening, I was finally able to cut the soap into bars and have been revelling in their scent ever since.  They smell wonderful.  The Lemongrass is still bright (but I anticipate this fading somewhat), while the Patchouli has been transformed.  It now resembles that dark,  sweet, spicy, earthy, complex smell I remembered from the 70's -- and I am left wanting more.  I simply can't walk past them without stopping to inhale them deeply.

Next time, I plan to split the essential oils equally to provide more balance to the blend, but I am very pleased with the result so far.  I believe I can honestly say that this blend is one of my favourites, and that I really, really like my Patchouli.

Happy soaping, everyone!


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## jules92207 (Oct 21, 2014)

Out of the bottle essential oils can be so concentrated it is overwhelming. Good for you for pushing through and having happy results. 

Essential oils surprise me all the time. You just never know. I thought I would love this peru balsam eo, out of the bottle it was lovely. I made a few batches with it and can not stand any of the batches I made. I don't know if it's that eo or if I just haven't blended well but it just goes to show you never know.


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## TheOneWhoSoaps (Oct 21, 2014)

It's always nice to read a happy ending! 
Patchouli is one of the essential oils that can vary greatly between suppliers and quality. Patchouli has a stronger blending factor compared to lemongrass, so you might not need to go to a 50/50 split between the essential oils, otherwise the patchouli might be too dominating in the blend.
I made a diffuser blend here recently, with 1/3 patchouli and 2/3 lemongrass, and the patchouli is still the first scent I get when I smell it.


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## goteeguy (Oct 21, 2014)

TheOneWhoSoaps said:


> I made a diffuser blend here recently, with 1/3 patchouli and 2/3 lemongrass, and the patchouli is still the first scent I get when I smell it.



Good to know; thanks very much.    I had originally considered those ratios, but was a little wary of using too much Patchouli.  I may try it next time, before moving to 50:50, as I don't want to over do it.


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## El_Granado_Loco (Oct 21, 2014)

I had a similar reaccion when I first bought EO Patchouli. I was very disappointed and wondered what to do with it... But as you did, I decided to face it to the end, so many people love it, it couldnt be that awful! Patience and    persistence pays off! Good for you!! :smile:


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