EO usage suggestions?

[anjouwu]

The cold process soaps that I've scented with essential oils have largely been disappointing. The scents are too faint, don't stick, or no longer smell like they should after tangling with the lye monster. I turned to FO's and have had success, but lately I long to make a totally "natural" bar again.

I understand that it's nearly impossible to give blanket suggestions because oils behave so differently, but would those of you who use EO share some if your success stories- and maybe a recipe or two? I'd be grateful.

 

[cmzaha]

Citrus are notorious non stickers with being mixed with an anchor such as patchouli. Even eucalyptus tends to fade and I use it at a full 6%. Basil and Thyme will stick and are so strong they have to be used very lightly and good mixed. I have good luck with Japanese Peppermint sticking but unlike many I use it at 6%, Lavender I usually go 6.5%. Lemongrass is also fades for me, but Litsea is good mixed with something like Cedarwood or lemongrass. Even Dark Aged Patchouli fades over time. I do not use a lot of EO's because of cost and not sticking well. Clove, cinnamon and allspice I do not go over 3% in soap, since they can be irritating. Brambleberry and The Sage both have Fragrance Calc so you can check their suggested amount. You just put in the amount of oils in your batch and choose soap.

 

[jules92207]

I'm with cmzaha, I tend to be heavy handed with my eo's with the guidance of a good fragrance calculator of course.

I have really good luck with lavender, citrus anchored with lavender or mint, Patchouli is easy to work with, Rosemary makes a good anchor too. Some of my staples are lemongrass, litsea, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and geranium.

 

[shunt2011]

I'm another one who doesn't use a lot of EO's due to issues of them sticking. I mostly use FO's.

 

[bbrown]

Tea tree, rosemary and peppermint blended stays. I have a charcoal bar with these 3 and it's still going strong.

 

[Susie]

Spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, clove bud, cinnamon bark, and lemongrass all stick for me.

Nutmeg sticks, but it morphs, so it is the morphed scent that sticks. It is not bad, it is just not what you would expect nutmeg to smell like.

Ginger EO plays well with other EOs, but again, the scent is not what you would expect.

 

[Seawolfe]

I use almost exclusively EO's - most FO's smell weird to me. I've learned to use the max safest usage, and to always use a good base note in the blend. IF I use citruses, you have to have a really good blend, and realize that it will morph. If you are using clay, soaking the clay in the EO before adding can help, in my experience. "Stickers" that I commonly use are Rosemary, Lavender, Mints (and menthol in shaving soap), Patchouli, Geranium Rose, Litsea Cubeba, Cedar Anise and Eucalyptus. I do add EOs to these, like the 5X or 10X citruses, but these basics are usually in the mix too.

 

[anjouwu]

Thank you, everyone, for so many excellent suggestions. I now realize that I was using the wrong blends at the wrong concentrations to really get good results. I'm going to apply several of your ideas during my next soaping adventure!

If you are using clay, soaking the clay in the EO before adding can help, in my experience. .

What a great tip about hydrating clays in EO! I use Kaolin & Bentonite periodically, and will give this a try soon.

 

[anjouwu]

Also, being fairly new to the forum, I didn't realize that soliciting recipes is kind of a faux-pas, as many of you have worked for a long time to perfect yours and understandably often see them as proprietary. So, sorry about that!

 

[jules92207]

I didn't find your request faux pas at all, when I was really new I struggled with what works and what doesn't and this forum has been invaluable to get me on my journey and keep me from wasting a ton of money on stuff that wasn't necessary. I know one of my first posts was also about essential oils and which ones were worth getting. I bet if you search a bit in the archives you'll find lots of blend suggestions too.

Everyone's preferences are different though, if you want to explore about your likes I'm sure we could offer some blending suggestions for you. Like I enjoy a 50/50 blend of Rosemary and Spearmint, so I'm happy to share that, but you may not like Rosemary or Spearmint.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Ditto what Carolyn said about MMS & BB Fragrance Calculators. Modern Soapmaking has an Essential Oil Blend Calculator... I haven't used it yet, so if you try it, please let us know how it works for you. Here's the link:
http://www.modernsoapmaking.com/find-blends/
As it happens, I collect EO blends like other people collect wine corks and I have a ton of them. If you let me know what EOs you have on hand, I'll see what I have in my files.

bbrown mentioned a charcoal bar and I have one also that's scented with an EO blend I wanted to use up. Like clay, it seems charcoal helps stick the scent too.