Blending Ideas...

[cmzaha]

That sounds like a nice blend! What ratios would you suggest?

I love lemongrass, litsea with cedar wood. Sorry I mix like I cook only with eo it is smell not tasting. I am absolutely at measuring ratios. I actually think I use approx 1:1:1 Lavender and lemon is also lovely and 2 lavender to 1 peppermint is very nice. The peppermint can overpower the lavender if not careful.

 

[CaraBou]

I have anise too and use small quantities in blends like I do with peppermint. lsg shared a blend earlier that I finally got around to trying recently, with tweaks to accommodate what I had. I really like it. In fact I should be thanking lsg again! The original recipe used patchouli instead of anise, spearmint instead of peppermint, and slightly different percentages, but by the time my alchemy was done it went something like this:
Lav 55%
Rosemary 20%
Cedarwood 13%
Anise 6%
Peppermint 6%

Have fun, I'm jealous of your assortment!

 

[jules92207]

Blending is such a hit or miss - I've done a lot of mixes and end up feeling like I have nothing really descriptive to say about the scent - it just smells "blended" with no real notes to stand out.

Recently I had some leftover rosemary and peppermint from a rosemary mint blend I did so I thought I'd add some lavender and lemon. That didn't really stand out. So I added some orange and pink grapefruit, then a little more lemon and out of the container I just don't find anything stands out, except maybe the peppermint. Frustrating.

I'm sure once I soap it some notes will come through better but it just leaves me blah for now, and insecure to waste a batch on it if I'm not going to like it.

This is why I am quite grateful for your suggestions, and other posts on blends I've found in my research. For a newbie its really helpful to get the right footing going forward.

So thank you.

 

[neeners]

what I like about blending (I did an awesome blend for my friend's wedding soap), that when everything is mixed together, some people pick out certain scents compared to others. I had the blend sit for a few days too so everyone can mingle together (going to do that from now on). the blend had 5x orange, lavender, vetivert and ylang. I picked out strong orange and vetivert, while a friend of mine said lavender straight away. but, what I really smelled was warmth.

so maybe keep that in mind when you're blending that other people may smell different things than you do.

for me, a really good blend should just be like a nice soup - all the flavours really melded together very well.

 

[jules92207]

Excellent point, I hadn't really thought about that. I'm still so new I don't think about the "audience" yet - mind shifted.

I did order quite a number of empty amber bottles to start mixing too, so I can blend and let them sit a while finally. I really think that will make a difference too. I can't wait to start experimenting.

All my tracking info came for both orders yesterday - I wait with bated breath!

 

[neeners]

and coffee beans near by so you can cleanse your pallet! I'm also waiting for my order with baited breath. then i'll be busy blending as well!

 

[Sagebrush]

I just discovered an unlikely combo the other day: lemon and anise. I used about 75% lemon and 25% anise. It smells crisp and rich and sweet all at once.

 

[jules92207]

I just discovered an unlikely combo the other day: lemon and anise. I used about 75% lemon and 25% anise. It smells crisp and rich and sweet all at once.

OMG - that actually sounds delish! Oils get here Wed... Too Excited!

 

[CaraBou]

Oooh lemon & anise, I'll have to try that! Except it'll probably be lemongrass since that's what I have ;-)

 

[Sagebrush]

I'm sure lemongrass will blend just as nicely as lemon
I discovered the combo while I was making a batch of soap for my son. The smallest mold I have is a 2lb Lego mold with individual blocks, which is "his" mold, so I was trying to match scents with the colors he picked (pink and yellow). And what a nice surprise

 

[jade-15]

Hmm think I have to try a different rosemary - the one I have smells nothing like rosemary, got it in a little bottle from the chemist and doesn't blend nicely with anything. But it seems to appear in a lot of blends so I might order a new (small) bottle in my next order!!
I am taking notes from here to help me decide what my next EOs will be. Did a wish list last night and it came out at $450 :O time to cull!

 

[jules92207]

I really like the spanish rosemary from NDA, it has such a nice smooth scent.

So the oils are slowing coming in, I've been researching for weeks and I am still so insecure about how much to use. Most of my oils till now are relatively "safe" in comparison - now that I"ll have anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom I'm a little freaked out about using them. Most of my EO's I get from NDA and Liberty Natural and they don't have a guide - at least I haven't found it.

I've read a bazillion posts, searched the forum, searched the web, I even have an essential oils book but how do I get past the fear of creating something irritating?

I'm probably being way to paranoid.

 

[neeners]

there's a list somewhere, i think it's some INCI list? not sure what the acronym is for.... but there's safety levels on there. and, some are irritating to some people, but safe for others. e.g. some people like peppermint in their sensitive areas, while others freak out.

 

[jade-15]

Just test it out in small batches. The amount used in soap is such a tiny amount, and that's what survives the saponification process! Guess you just have to jump in and do it

 

[jules92207]

Just test it out in small batches. The amount used in soap is such a tiny amount, and that's what survives the saponification process! Guess you just have to jump in and do it

You are so right. I just always like to have all my facts. I need to just go for it!

 

[CaraBou]

So the oils are slowing coming in, I've been researching for weeks and I am still so insecure about how much to use. Most of my oils till now are relatively "safe" in comparison - now that I"ll have anise, clove, cinnamon and cardamom I'm a little freaked out about using them. Most of my EO's I get from NDA and Liberty Natural and they don't have a guide - at least I haven't found it. I've read a bazillion posts, searched the forum, searched the web, I even have an essential oils book but how do I get past the fear of creating something irritating? I'm probably being way to paranoid.

I recommend using those kinds of EOs at lows percentages in your blend (say < 10% or 20%). They tend to be strong scented anyway. That way you'll get the gist of them while being easy on your skin.

I discovered the combo while I was making a batch of soap for my son. The smallest mold I have is a 2lb Lego mold with individual blocks, which is "his" mold, so I was trying to match scents with the colors he picked (pink and yellow). And what a nice surprise

Cool, a lego mold! So... do you line it to get the soap out, or disassemble?

 

[Sagebrush]

Cool, a lego mold! So... do you line it to get the soap out, or disassemble?

Carabou, it's a silicone mold...it's supposed to be for cake or jello. With some recipes the little knobs like to stick, though. That's why it's mostly my practice mold
It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055UFDFC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[LunaSkye]

How about blending all of the citrus oils to make citrus blend? I know I like the smell of bergamot and lime oil together, but I ended up blending those two with benzoin since it's a fixative. What about fir needle, tea tree and eucalyptus? I'm just curious about how that goes.

By the way, be careful if you get spicy eos like clove or cinnamon. Clove is sensitizing and may irritate the skin if too much is used. Cinnamon is always suppose to be diluted, but I think I read somewhere that even a dilution could be irritating.

 

[jules92207]

How about blending all of the citrus oils to make citrus blend? I know I like the smell of bergamot and lime oil together, but I ended up blending those two with benzoin since it's a fixative. What about fir needle, tea tree and eucalyptus? I'm just curious about how that goes.

I did a blend of pink grapefruit with fir needle. I haven't yet soaped it but OOB I Love it.

By the way, be careful if you get spicy eos like clove or cinnamon. Clove is sensitizing and may irritate the skin if too much is used. Cinnamon is always suppose to be diluted, but I think I read somewhere that even a dilution could be irritating.

This is exactly my concern. I have incredibly sensitive skin which is why I started soaping in the first place. I wouldn't want to make it worse. I just mixed a tiny amount of clove with Milk Sugar Kisses from Daystar - MSK 1.65oz to Clove 0.35 oz for a two lb batch and you can certainly smell the clove still so no need to overdo them, a little goes a long way!

 

[jules92207]

I am just going to say the Key Lime from NDA is to die for.

I can't get enough. I have put it now in almost every blend so far and I love it.