Got a bunch of E.O! Combinations?

mikvahnrose · Oct 2, 2016

I am not yet ready to start adding e.o's as i want to get a good base oil recipe down first. But i bought alot of e.o oils for the day that does come! And want to know what intersting scents that go well together.

So what i got:

Citrus:
Sweet Orange
Lemon
Lemongrass
Bergamot

Woodsy/Herby:
Rosemary
Clary Sage
Eucalyptus
Vetiver
Coffee

Spicy:
Star Anise
Clove

Floral:
Palmarosa
Tuberose
Lavender Bulgarian
Rose 3%
Ylang Ylang

Medicinal:
Tea Tree
Niaouli
Spearmint
Peppermint

lsg · Oct 2, 2016

Here are two websites with lots of info.:

http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/aromaticblending.asp

http://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/pdf/HarmoniousBlendsChart.pdf

Susie · Oct 2, 2016

I am going to second checking out the sites above.

Some thoughts on the oils you got, though:

The sweet orange and lemon are going to fade in CP. I promise you. No matter what you mix them with. Save those for liquid soap or HP.

Clove can be a bit of an accelerator, although if you add your EOs to your oils, it is not horrible. It can also be an irritant, so use sparingly until you learn what you can tolerate. I usually stick to 2.5% or less.

Tea Tree is a very strong scent that overwhelms just about everything that is mixed with it.

Try using the Q-tip/plastic bag method of mixing scents (someone else on here came up with this, but it is a WONDERFUL method in spite of my not remembering who it was), touch the tip of a Q-tip into the inside of the lid of the EO (assuming it has some oil on it) or touch it to the surface of the EO, then toss into a plastic bag. Repeat with all other oils you want to mix it with. You close the bag and walk into another room with it so that you can only smell what is in the bag. Open the bag and sniff. This helps you get the true scent of the oils, rather than just what comes out the top of the bottle. To add more of one, just use additional Q-tips.

snappyllama · Oct 2, 2016

I really recommend looking at safety information on your EOs. Your supplier should be able to provide that to you. Like Susie mentioned, clove can be an irritant and has a low usage rate. Ditto with peppermint that can give folks a very unpleasant tingling. Even rosemary carries warnings not to use it if pregnant and such.

Disclaimer: I rarely use EOs, but I think this is a pretty good writeup on EO usage rates: http://www.modernsoapmaking.com/essential-oil-usage-rates-ifra-guidelines/

cmzaha · Oct 2, 2016

snappyllama said:
I really recommend looking at safety information on your EOs. Your supplier should be able to provide that to you. Like Susie mentioned, clove can be an irritant and has a low usage rate. Ditto with peppermint that can give folks a very unpleasant tingling. Even rosemary carries warnings not to use it if pregnant and such.

Disclaimer: I rarely use EOs, but I think this is a pretty good writeup on EO usage rates: http://www.modernsoapmaking.com/essential-oil-usage-rates-ifra-guidelines/

I use peppermint at 6% with no complaints about it in 6+ yrs. I do put a warning label on the package about not using it in all body areas. Have even been told it is not strong enough. I keep clove in the 1% range because it is really overpowering in soaps for sale, for my daughter I use it at 2% of my eo blend. She loves clove

The clary sage, Rose and Bulgarian I would save for a leave on product, they are pretty expensive to use in soap. The tuberose I am assuming is synthetic and not sure of the cost. But that is my opinion and since I sell I cannot really recoup the money it would cost me to make them. For home use that is up to how much you want to spend on a bar of soap

snappyllama · Oct 2, 2016

cmzaha said:
I use peppermint at 6% with no complaints about it in 6+ yrs. I do put a warning label on the package about not using it in all body areas. Have even been told it is not strong enough. I keep clove in the 1% range because it is really overpowering in soaps for sale, for my daughter I use it at 2% of my eo blend. She loves clove

The clary sage, Rose and Bulgarian I would save for a leave on product, they are pretty expensive to use in soap. The tuberose I am assuming is synthetic and not sure of the cost. But that is my opinion and since I sell I cannot really recoup the money it would cost me to make them. For home use that is up to how much you want to spend on a bar of soap

Thanks!

I'll have to try my clove by itself at 2%. I love the smell but have been just using it as a blender with orangex15. That soap would just be for me...

dibbles · Oct 2, 2016

I haven't used many of the EOs you have, but I do like rosemary and peppermint (2:1). Lavender goes with just about everything. I like cedarwood with lemongrass, so maybe vetiver with that. Tea Tree is very strong so use a light hand. I use litsea with it, so maybe lemongrass would be a decent sub, with some lavender or palmarosa. Do the Q-tip test - it is very helpful. You have to be patient when trying to come up with a blend. It can be a slow process, but finding one you like is worth the effort.

If your orange is a folded oil, clove or lavender are good with that. If not, I'm afraid what the others have said is true - it will fade. But go ahead and try it if you want to. Maybe everyone needs to experience the heartbreak of citrus EOs in CP soap for themselves.

Susie · Oct 2, 2016

Clove is my favorite scent/flavor/everything. I adore it. Seriously adore it. I use it in many blends. I even use cinnamon bark, clove, ginger, and nutmeg EOs in a blend to make a soap that smells exactly like spice cake. Now that I know about the FO Warm Vanilla Sugar, I will add a bit of that to the blend.

mikvahnrose · Oct 2, 2016

I have a list of the usage rates for each essential oil, and would figure spicy scents like clove and anise would need very little.

I was just wondering if there is any combo's you like as i have a lowered sense of smell from an injury i had long ago. Called Head injury anosmia, over the years it has gotten better. But certain smells don't register

DianaPopova · Jan 29, 2017

My favs are citrus ones and herbal e.o., I think they're universal. I would also add a Cinnamon EO as my favorite, it makes cute combination with Citrus EO, very actual in winter time.

Susie · Jan 29, 2017

mikvahnrose said:
I was just wondering if there is any combo's you like as i have a lowered sense of smell from an injury i had long ago. Called Head injury anosmia, over the years it has gotten better. But certain smells don't register

You have my sympathy, truly. My sister-in-law has anosmia due to medications, and she lost not just some of her sense of smell, but the ability to taste much of anything.

Millie · Jan 30, 2017

Each of these (pulled from your list) smell fantastic on their own:

Lemongrass
Bergamot
Rosemary
Star Anise
Palmarosa
Lavender
Spearmint
Peppermint

It is a great list, because you can pair any two of those together. Cedar is another great EO that goes with everything.

The only exception for pairing on that list is anise - I haven't tried it with many scents yet so I just don't know. I do love anise with folded orange and spices though, and it's great on its own.

Good luck!

Edit: I also haven't tried palmarosa with the mints, but it goes well with the rest of the list

Let me know if you find a good combo for Ylang Ylang, I have been struggling with that one.

joellcox · Feb 2, 2017

Lavender and anise make a nice combination. They have similar notes and work very well together, with the bonus that your soap doesn't smell like a licorice stick.

cmzaha · Feb 2, 2017

Peppermint and anise is nice. Rosemary is another one I cannot get to stick. But I love Eucalyptus with Spearmint

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