DomTheDillyHoo
Active Member
Does anyone have a super good reliable great quality cheap source for essential oils? With plenty of essential oils? Perhaps details about how they affect cp soap?
Anyone have a good source of essentia oils?
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I get the vast majority of essential oils from Bramble Berry which is a trusted homemade soap and cosmetics company. Essential oils are expensive and some will never be in my budget range (lookin' at you, sandalwood!!). I wait for BB to have a sale and then stock up. You can order small sample sizes before committing to large jars. Or you can get the small bottles from a store.
I love Camden Grey and New Directions Aromatics. Camden Grey usually has free shipping if the order is over $100, which isn't hard to do with essential oils, or fragrance oils, for that matter.
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Camden Grey and Eden Botanicals are two of my favorites. I am afraid that quality EOs are not cheap anywhere.
I buy my EOs from Camden Grey and BrambleBerry and have been very satisfied.
In terms of how EOs affect CP soap, are you asking about acceleration? If so, some will cause acceleration, with ylang ylang III being particularly fast. Clove is also an accelerant. Many EOs behave well, and some like orange will decelerate trace. Since many of us use EOs in blends, it’s a little harder to pin down the ones that behave badly, but my results have been consistent with the list posted here:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/eo-behaving-badly.63212/post-641774
If you’re curious about how long EOs last in soap, the short answer is usually not as long as the longest-lasting fragrance oils. Some will last long enough for me to justify using them in the first place. Here’s a list that summarizes EO longevity based on the experiences of SMF contributors:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/longest-lasting-eos.77315/post-884722
Hope that helps!
Catscankim
Well-Known Member
Where would we be without @Mobjack Bay 's experiment postings?! Walkin' in the dark, that's where!
Just out of curiosity, how do you measure "quality"? I mean, YL and DoTerra will tell you that *no* EOs except their EOs are any good at all. I like NDA, as they're one of the few suppliers I can afford, but I have bought singles of perhaps a dozen other brands: I have *no idea* about the quality of these oils. I can't tell!
What metrics do people use to tell EO quality?
Personally, when a company sells all of their EOs at the same price point (peppermint and lemon should be much cheaper than patchouli or spruce or ginger) I get suspicious. But that's really my only metric...
Quality isn't cheap. I long ago decided I won't use essential oils in soap due to the expense and the fact that soap is a wash off product. Things that sit on the skin or you soak in are a different matter. There are lots of places to get them. I have an orange EO from Crafters Choice, Lavender from Brambleberry, and Peppermint from Soapmaking With Lisa.
MsTigress02
Well-Known Member
I've been thinking long and hard about adding them to my soaps, but this makes sense!
I love getting EOs from Liberty Naturals! The online shopping interface isn’t the easiest to use. But their oils have been top notch and their prices are good.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Rainbow Meadow LLC has been around for 26 years and has great essential oils at great prices.
I will try them from just about anywhere besides MLMs. I’ve gotten some I’ve really enjoyed from Eden’s Garden but I’ve also heard good things about Liberty Naturals and Mountain Rose! Also, Nurture Soap just started carrying a few and their prices are great.
Nicolesica
Well-Known Member
I love Pepper Jane’s. I found them on Etsy but they also have their own website. I’ve never had any issue with their FO and they are very careful to indicate their performance in cp. Very reasonable pricing and lots of sales. Pepper Jane's Colors and Scents
While it looks like they have some decent fragrances, although one never knows until they try them I do not see their prices are anything great. The OP was asking about Essential Oils I did not find any on their site.
I like NDA, Sun Pure Botanicals, Liberty Naturals, and Camden Grey for EO's.
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penelopejane
Well-Known Member
I don't use many EOs in soap. Mostly because I'm alergic to most EOs but don't react to the FOs I use! Go figure. Natural isn't always the best. Even in a wash off product.
We have a great EO supplier in Oz who tell you where the particular batch of EO is from and the qualities of each different type - there are a huge range of Lavender which they describe in detail. Whether you can apply it to your skin or whether it is better as a room spray.
Is it cinnamon bark EO (more expensive) or cinnamon leaf EO? If they just call it cinnamon EO it's probably leaf.
You want an EO that isn't chemically extracted (cheaper ones are and they can smell overpoweringly chemically). You want an EO with a good colour (not blackish brown), that retains it scent, that actually smells like it's supposed to.
Some suppliers EOs just accelerate at a ridiculous rate. I think it is the way they are extracted. If you buy from a different supplier and the same EO doesn't accelerate you get an idea of what a "quality" supplier is like.
Good quality doesn't have to cost the earth.
Pretty sure none of the aromatherapy qualities of an EO are going to outlast the lye in soap. If you go into a shop and smell the EO soap you can rarely smell any scent at all. But, that's just my opinion - maybe my nose isn't that good.
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