Best Anchor/Fixative for an Orange Essential Oil?

[Noodge]

I'm planning on making a mountain-range sunset inspired soap, and thought an orange essential oil would be quite nice since there's gonna be a lot of orange colour in the soap itself, but citrus EOs are notoriously flighty innit

I want to get a few new EOs anyways, and thought that maybe Cedarwood would be a good anchor for the orange, as well as working with the theme? I'm only going by what I've read, I've no idea what Cedarwood actually smells like haha

I'm also thinking of investing in some kaolin clay as a fixative. Or is there a better option?

Do I seem to be on the right track? Any input whatsoever would be brilliant.

Cheers in advance!

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

not a fan of cedarwood--I think it smells like burnt wood--but mixed with orange and bergamot it is a nice scent. I always get orange 10x and it seems to last but it will also discolor soap to a lighter orange--which should work for you

 

[KiwiMoose]

Firstly - LOL - I spent 10 years in the UK and had forgotten about 'innit'.
I've found that sweet orange EO sticks way better than orange five-fold - but have heard others say that 10-fold is better than 5-fold.
I used to put May Chang in nearly everything as a 'base' because it is relatively cheap and the smell seems to stick quite well. That would work quite well with orange. Or maybe Lemongrass could also work?
Funnily enough, I now use Sweet Orange in practically everything - Gardenia and Sweet Orange, any of my fruity FOs with Sweet Orange EO, Patchouli and Orange are a nice combo. One of the reasons I like using orange is because it can slow trace ( as can any citrus), so if I'm using an accelerating FO it can help to offset that.

 

[SoaperForLife]

For straight up orange I incorporate about a teaspoon of orange wax in the pot with my oils and melt it with the rest of them. I have a gardener's bar that is five fold orange essential oil and orange wax and I can still smell orange after a year. Another option would be the orange/patchouli blend that KiwiMoose suggested.

 

[gloopygloop]

Tangerine EO seems to stick so much better, its smell of tangerine rather than orange but it is citrus. Cedarwood I think is a wonderful aroma and does work well with citrus.

 

[lsg]

Litsea cubeba can be used as an anchor for citrus EOs.

 

[Noodge]

Brilliant responses guys!

I despise patchouli with the ferocity of a thousand burning suns, so I've ended up buying a bottle of bergamot and a bottle of may chang... I was just gonna choose one but I found a deal on ebay and, well...

I might end up just using both. So, what ratios do we think I should aim for? I definitely want the orange and cedarwood to be quite forward, but know that cedarwood can easily be overpowering. I've seen someone mention a 3:1 ratio of orange to cedarwood, so per 1lb of oils I might try:

1.5 tsp Sweet Orange
0.5 tsp may chang
0.5 tsp cedarwood
0.5 tsp bergamot

What do we think? (And yes I know it's 3 in the morning and I've been researching this far past my bedtime haha )

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I used to do a lot of EO blending but now I just like matching up an EO with an FO to give it staying power.

When blending EOs, I like to plan what I'm going to try to create a day ahead of time, then spend an afternoon working on it. I put drops on a cotton ball set on a square of aluminum foil. Once done, I fold the foil over the cotton and lay a label on it to close it. Takes a bit of time, confidence and concentration, but well worth it.

Here's a link to learn more about blending EOs:

https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/create-your-own-essential-oil-blends-for-soapmaking/

 

[KiwiMoose]

I would weigh your EOs, not use teaspoons.
Approx PPO:
8mg orange
3mg bergamot
3mg May Chang
2mg cedar wood
Lol - patchouli is certainly a divider. I love it with the ferocity if a thousand suns!
My sister hates it, but I used it once as a base note to ground her rose scented soap and she doesn’t even know it’s in there!

 

[Amonik]

I would weigh your EOs, not use teaspoons.
Approx PPO:
8mg orange
3mg bergamot
3mg May Chang
2mg cedar wood

This would probably smell amazing, but just to be nitpicky: g is grams, mg is milligrams.

 

[KiwiMoose]

This would probably smell amazing, but just to be nitpicky: g is grams, mg is milligrams.

Whoops! Yes, grams

 

[Zany_in_CO]

8mg orange
3mg bergamot
3mg May Chang
2mg cedar wood

Just for the sake of discussion, I would take that ratio and convert it to a volume measure of drops:
8 drops orange
3 drops bergamot
3 drops May Chang (Litsea Cubeba)
2 drops cedarwood

Once blended on a cotton ball, if I like it, I would stop there. If not, I would repeat by trying different ratios until I arrived at something pleasing to my nose, i.e., I might eliminate the May Chang even tho it's known as an anchor for citrus, simply because it "mind smells" too lemony for me. LOL If that makes sense.

Once I've got the ratio I want, I would continue with mls instead of grams... just cuz I prefer volume measures to weight when making blends... I figure that's what pipettes are for! Haha

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Can anyone explain the “anchor effect”? I don’t understand how it works. Does the anchor EO somehow change the one that wants to flee, or does it just outlast it?

 

[Amonik]

Once I've got the ratio I want, I would continue with mls instead of grams... just cuz I prefer volume measures to weight when making blends... I figure that's what pipettes are for! Haha

Do you still use volume when you measure it out for soap?

 

[KiwiMoose]

Can anyone explain the “anchor effect”? I don’t understand how it works. Does the anchor EO somehow change the one that wants to flee, or does it just outlast it?

An 'anchor' gives it something to 'hang onto' - it provides a base that you don't necessarily notice, but it helps the scent to stick around a bit longer and gives it more depth.

 

[Dahila]

Do not measure in volume, if you want the consistent results. I get goose skin when someone measures in volume, It is highly unprofessional , serious maker measure it in grams ounces and excetera.
Very good anchor for scent is litsea cubea. or mixing scent with Natrasorb powder is good too but I would not use it for soap.

 

[gloopygloop]

Now I do not find that an anchor actually anchor's asKiwiMoose finds, to me it is the aroma which lingers in the ends despite many saying that it does anchor including many "Noses" in the perfume world, but I just do not find that my orange EO stays like no tomorrow cos it had a little anchor aroma, I get the anchor aroma eventually but not say the orange EO, well only everso slightly, that goes for proprietary cologne's etc. too.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Do you still use volume when you measure it out for soap?

Good question, Amonik! As a matter of fact, once the blend is made and stored on my fragrance shelf, I measure by weight when adding to soap.

 

[Noodge]

Oh guys, I am such an unlucky boy, I got my delivery this morning aaaand, no May Chang. They were out of stock and didn't let me know, so now I can't get any until next week

I've told the seller I'll wait until next week (curse their unbeatable prices!) But I wanna crack on with what I have, So with orange, bergamot and Cedarwood, what ratio would you recommend? I of course will be having a play about myself, but would like a nudge in the right direction from someone more experienced!

Approx PPO:
8mg orange
3mg bergamot
3mg May Chang
2mg cedar wood

This one will be tested as soon as it arrives

 

[KiwiMoose]

I'd just up the bergamot if it were me - you won't really notice it in there, but it will contribute to the citrus smell. Something along these lines...
9g orange
4g bergamot
2 - 3 g cedar wood.