Advice please .. amount of EO to use.

[MzMolly65]

I was about to make a soap today but saw a post that has me holding off until I get some more advice from the EO experts.

I am making a soap for my hubby .. on request .. for smelly feet. (I posted another thread about this in the CP department so I'm just looking for EO advice right now)

I want to use Bonnie's Triple Butter recipe to help moisturize the feet and add tea tree, lavender and Vetiver .. the first two for antibacterial/antifungal and the vetiver for soothing sore muscles, destressing, relaxing and a bit of a manly smell.

I've had advice to keep EO's around 8% of total fats .. then 5% and now just saw a thread saying 3%.

So here I am. Can anyone confirm the amount I should use, specifically for these 3 oils, in this recipe I want to use. I don't want to make a soap that will cause harm and I'm new to this. I also don't know if I should use equal amounts of each oil or a smaller amount of the vetiver since it's so strong. All advice appreciated.

If hubby likes it I will send some to my two brothers as they both work on their feet all day too.

 

[dixiedragon]

It depends on the EO. I like to use Brambleberry's fragrance calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx

Or Kathy Miller's suggestions:
Average Essential Oil
.7 oz. per pound of oils used in soap
* Strong Essential Oil (like cinnamon, clove, mint, etc.)
.4 oz. per pound
* Citrus Essential Oils
.9 oz. per pound
Average Fragrance Oil
.5 oz. (1 T./Tablespoon) per pound
Strong Fragrance Oil
1 - 1.5 tsp. per pound

 

[jade-15]

Can I ask a silly question?
Is that 3% in total, or 3% per EO? (Or whichever levels you choose to use?)
So if I wanted to use teatree, lavender and vetiver, would I use 0.7oz ppo for each EO or would I juse ensure the TOTAL amount of EO used adds up to 0.7oz ppo?

 

[osso]

Yes, the 3% is for the total amount of the EOs.

 

[judymoody]

3% (about .5 ounce PPO) is my general rule for EO usage.

I would keep the vetiver low as it will take over a blend and because it's super expensive. I usually weigh in grams because it's easier to do the math and it's more accurate.

You might try a ratio of 4 lavender: 4 tea tree: 1 vetiver to start and see how you like it. You can experiment with different ratios using drops on a cotton ball or a coffee filter. Put the result in a ziploc bag and smell it a few hours later to see how you like it.

 

[MzMolly65]

3% (about .5 ounce PPO) is my general rule for EO usage.

I would keep the vetiver low as it will take over a blend and because it's super expensive. I usually weigh in grams because it's easier to do the math and it's more accurate.

You might try a ratio of 4 lavender: 4 tea tree: 1 vetiver to start and see how you like it. You can experiment with different ratios using drops on a cotton ball or a coffee filter. Put the result in a ziploc bag and smell it a few hours later to see how you like it.

Thank you Judy .. excellent information and much appreciated.