When I was testing colorants in cp soap this past winter and spring, I also tested some eo blends. I find it easier to make blends that stick now that I have a sense of which eos stick in general (see this table; and special thanks to @HowieRoll for sharing her insights). A few of the blends I tested are from EOCalc and others are likely inspired by SMF members that I can’t acknowledge based on poor notes (so sorry ). Most of the blends are at the four month mark with good scent retention. All eos are from Camden Grey unless otherwise indicated. All blends were used at 3% of TOW. I have not checked safe usage rates for all of these blends.
I’m still in search of blends that use palmarosa, geranium, and ylang ylang without the addition of less common or expensive eos. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
Lavender 40/42/Lavandin dominant:
50% lavandin, 38% clary sage (amazon), 12% patchouli (Indonesian) - more floral than the next one, almost smells like I added geranium (a puzzler); I don’t love it enough…
50% lavandin, 25% patchouli, 25% peppermint - gentle lavender/fresh, not peppermint forward; I like this one better than above and may try adding some amyris to see if it helps to strengthen the lavender scent
50% lavender 40/42, 38% peppermint, 12% anise - ever so slightly lavender floral, peppermint, anise; will use again, probably with lavandin
50% lavandin, 25% bergamot, 12.5% amyris, 12.5% geranium - a variation of EOCalc’s French Kiss - nice, gentle floral; have used in past with good scent retention (> 1 yr) and will likely use again
Clary Sage dominant:
50% clary sage, 25% lavandin, 25% amyris - soft lavender that leans a little herbal; nice; scent retention could be an issue and I will probably try adding some amyris and also try a different clary sage for comparison since I bought the bottle I had on Amazon.
Tea Tree dominant:
45% tea tree, 25% peppermint, 15% lavender 40/42, 15% eucalyptus globulus - EOCalc’s Revive - fresh, minty, tea tree; I’ve been using this in ocean-themed soaps for three years now and like it.
Citrus dominant:
50% litsea cubeba (Brambleberry), 25% rosemary, 18% lime, 7% spearmint - “Irish Spring” possibly from Pinterest - fresh, a little minty with a hint of lime, I’m not sure that I can smell the rosemary (based on EOCalc, this is fine at 3%); I like this one and will use again.
75% litsea cubeba, 25% lemon eucalyptus (BB) - nicely toned down from straight lemon eucalyptus, citrusy with lemon eucalyptus in the background; IMPORTANT NOTES: Lemon eucalyptus is not in EOCalc, but “Tisserand and Young do not indicate any known hazards” per Aromaweb. On eocalc, litsea and lemongrass both go into the red range at >50% of a blend for 3% usage rate. I am one of those people that likes lemon eucalyptus, so I may increase it to 50% of the blend or I will keep it at 25% by adding another eo, like lime, to the blend.
50% litsea cubeba, 25% orange,17% bergamot, 8% basil - gentle citrus with a hint of basil, (this one is in safe usage range at 3%); I like it and will use again.
50% orange 10x (BB), 38% cederwood (Virginian), 12% patchouli - I don’t love it
Cedar dominant:
50% bergamot, 50% cedarwood - a nice way to use cedar; I think the thanks go to @Zing for the inspiration
Floral blends:
50% palmarosa, 25% litsea cubeba, 12.5% geranium, 12.5% ylang ylang III - floral, but a bit weak; try again…
26% palmarosa, 24% patchouli, 19% grapefruit (pink), 18% geranium, 8% cinnamon leaf, 5% pepper (black) - EOCalc’s Black Rose by Kenna; floral with spice; I like it and will use again
20% lavandin, 20% bergamot, 20% rosemary, 10% orange, 10% litsea, 10% ylang ylang III, 10% peppermint - an Aveda Shampure dup inspired by Pinterest; not strong at the 5+ month mark, but acceptable for soap that hasn’t been stored in a box; at this point it smells mostly like rosemary mint to my nose; will use again
33% geranium, 33% patchouli, 20% amyris, 14% palmarosa - sticking well in a soap made in February 2022. Floral patchouli; I like it and have had positive feedback, including from a male friend who loves patchouli; I think I could drop the geranium percentage back a bit and still get a nice scent that sticks.
36% lavender 40/42, 23% petitgrain, 19% ylang ylang III, 19% bergamot - EOCalc’s Fallen by Kenna; floral with a slightly spicy note (possibly from the ylang ylang?); this one really sticks. I came across a couple of bars that I’ve had stashed away since January 2021 and the scent is still strong. Will use again!
edited to add the last floral blend
I’m still in search of blends that use palmarosa, geranium, and ylang ylang without the addition of less common or expensive eos. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
Lavender 40/42/Lavandin dominant:
50% lavandin, 38% clary sage (amazon), 12% patchouli (Indonesian) - more floral than the next one, almost smells like I added geranium (a puzzler); I don’t love it enough…
50% lavandin, 25% patchouli, 25% peppermint - gentle lavender/fresh, not peppermint forward; I like this one better than above and may try adding some amyris to see if it helps to strengthen the lavender scent
50% lavender 40/42, 38% peppermint, 12% anise - ever so slightly lavender floral, peppermint, anise; will use again, probably with lavandin
50% lavandin, 25% bergamot, 12.5% amyris, 12.5% geranium - a variation of EOCalc’s French Kiss - nice, gentle floral; have used in past with good scent retention (> 1 yr) and will likely use again
Clary Sage dominant:
50% clary sage, 25% lavandin, 25% amyris - soft lavender that leans a little herbal; nice; scent retention could be an issue and I will probably try adding some amyris and also try a different clary sage for comparison since I bought the bottle I had on Amazon.
Tea Tree dominant:
45% tea tree, 25% peppermint, 15% lavender 40/42, 15% eucalyptus globulus - EOCalc’s Revive - fresh, minty, tea tree; I’ve been using this in ocean-themed soaps for three years now and like it.
Citrus dominant:
50% litsea cubeba (Brambleberry), 25% rosemary, 18% lime, 7% spearmint - “Irish Spring” possibly from Pinterest - fresh, a little minty with a hint of lime, I’m not sure that I can smell the rosemary (based on EOCalc, this is fine at 3%); I like this one and will use again.
75% litsea cubeba, 25% lemon eucalyptus (BB) - nicely toned down from straight lemon eucalyptus, citrusy with lemon eucalyptus in the background; IMPORTANT NOTES: Lemon eucalyptus is not in EOCalc, but “Tisserand and Young do not indicate any known hazards” per Aromaweb. On eocalc, litsea and lemongrass both go into the red range at >50% of a blend for 3% usage rate. I am one of those people that likes lemon eucalyptus, so I may increase it to 50% of the blend or I will keep it at 25% by adding another eo, like lime, to the blend.
50% litsea cubeba, 25% orange,17% bergamot, 8% basil - gentle citrus with a hint of basil, (this one is in safe usage range at 3%); I like it and will use again.
50% orange 10x (BB), 38% cederwood (Virginian), 12% patchouli - I don’t love it
Cedar dominant:
50% bergamot, 50% cedarwood - a nice way to use cedar; I think the thanks go to @Zing for the inspiration
Floral blends:
50% palmarosa, 25% litsea cubeba, 12.5% geranium, 12.5% ylang ylang III - floral, but a bit weak; try again…
26% palmarosa, 24% patchouli, 19% grapefruit (pink), 18% geranium, 8% cinnamon leaf, 5% pepper (black) - EOCalc’s Black Rose by Kenna; floral with spice; I like it and will use again
20% lavandin, 20% bergamot, 20% rosemary, 10% orange, 10% litsea, 10% ylang ylang III, 10% peppermint - an Aveda Shampure dup inspired by Pinterest; not strong at the 5+ month mark, but acceptable for soap that hasn’t been stored in a box; at this point it smells mostly like rosemary mint to my nose; will use again
33% geranium, 33% patchouli, 20% amyris, 14% palmarosa - sticking well in a soap made in February 2022. Floral patchouli; I like it and have had positive feedback, including from a male friend who loves patchouli; I think I could drop the geranium percentage back a bit and still get a nice scent that sticks.
36% lavender 40/42, 23% petitgrain, 19% ylang ylang III, 19% bergamot - EOCalc’s Fallen by Kenna; floral with a slightly spicy note (possibly from the ylang ylang?); this one really sticks. I came across a couple of bars that I’ve had stashed away since January 2021 and the scent is still strong. Will use again!
edited to add the last floral blend
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