I have been curing in cardboard boxes that I punch holes in the sides of. I was under the impression that I needed airflow during curing. Is that not the case? I could easily not poke holes if that would help me to maintain some of my EO.
EOCalc.com Blend Reviews
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So I had forgotten that I made a soap in February with Whisper. When I realized I had forgotten about it. The smell is very discernible if you just pick up a bar and take a sniff. But I used it in the shower yesterday and WOW!! It’s a lovely light floral scent. Soft but there. Had my husband try it and he also picked up the scent. Not his favorite but it is floral and he loved the creaminess of the soap. As far as I’m concerned it’s a keeper.
You definitely need airflow when you are curing. I cure my soaps in my master bathroom (which is huge) on a painted metal rack, that I cover with thin tea towels. I can cure about 200 bars on my racks. After curing (minimum 6 weeks for most soap), then you could store in cardboard boxes with holes.
There's a difference between the initial 4-6 weeks of cure time and storage after that. Although it's true that soap is never finished curing, the most water is lost in the initial 4-6 weeks, which is what you need airflow for. After that you can package and store however you like.
I just started using a soap scented with salient at 5% that I made mid-april (so about 4 and a half months ago). I replaced the lemon with a blend of lemongrass and litsea. In the beginning I found the lemon too overpowering, but I really like it now. It actually smells a bit salty somehow. It's a very fresh, clean scent that I think would work well with a beach themed soap and also would be great in unisex (or men's) products. I swore off lemon EO because it doesn't last, but might be persuaded to buy a little bit, just to try the original blend.
@szaza I just looked that up, and that is actually my very favorite diffuser combination, although I've never used litsea in the diffuser, just lemon. I don't know why I never thought to try it in soap. Thanks to you, I will try that in a soap-on-a-rope batch that I'm making this weekend. Based on a one-off sample I made for her, a friend ordered some for her grandson and granddaughter, so a unisex scent would be perfect.
I almost hesitate to add this blend to the mix, because I made a HUGE change to it. But on 10/22/20, I made a batch of soap using the Balance blend from EOCalc.com. However, a major component of the blend is Tea Tree EO (42% of blend), of which I have none. So I substituted for 42% Peppermint EO, instead. All of the water was subbed for 100% fresh-pressed apple cider (no additives), compliments of our neighbor's orchard. The EO blend was used at 4% of my oil weight.
My notes indicate that while it traced on me faster than my recipe normally does, likely due to either the apple cider or cinnamon leaf EO, or both, I still had a small bit of working time and think I would have had even more had I stick-blended less than I did. As I wasn't adding any colors or doing any designs, I SB it right to a medium trace. Because of the apple cider, I didn't CPOP and instead let it sit right on the counter, where it got very hot and went into gel but didn't volcano or crack.
I love the smell, it reminds me of cinna-mint gum. Spicy with a minty, yet sweet, finish, and my husband immediately said it reminded him of Thanksgiving. Not sure what that means, but it does seem very autumn-like. I suspect the top notes will fade over time, but my experience with cinnamon leaf EO is that it'll stick around a long while, even if faint.
My notes indicate that while it traced on me faster than my recipe normally does, likely due to either the apple cider or cinnamon leaf EO, or both, I still had a small bit of working time and think I would have had even more had I stick-blended less than I did. As I wasn't adding any colors or doing any designs, I SB it right to a medium trace. Because of the apple cider, I didn't CPOP and instead let it sit right on the counter, where it got very hot and went into gel but didn't volcano or crack.
I love the smell, it reminds me of cinna-mint gum. Spicy with a minty, yet sweet, finish, and my husband immediately said it reminded him of Thanksgiving. Not sure what that means, but it does seem very autumn-like. I suspect the top notes will fade over time, but my experience with cinnamon leaf EO is that it'll stick around a long while, even if faint.
I have almost totally depleted my basic EOs - no citrus, lavender or peppermint on hand!!! +1 on the thanks to @HowieRoll for starting this thread because it will be so much easier to decide what to order with these great reviews and updates available. Revive, Calm and French Kiss are among my favorites so far, but I’ve rarely found an EO blend that I don’t like.
Thanks for the tip @HowieRoll I'll add balance to the 'to try' list.
Lately I've been using a bar scented with up in smoke (redux) that' almost 6 months old. I didn't store the soap very well and the smell has faded quite a bit, although it's still present and pleasant smelling. (it was not packaged, but it did spend the last 2 months in a cardboard box with other soaps).
Lately I've been using a bar scented with up in smoke (redux) that' almost 6 months old. I didn't store the soap very well and the smell has faded quite a bit, although it's still present and pleasant smelling. (it was not packaged, but it did spend the last 2 months in a cardboard box with other soaps).
I made a variation of my “stormy seas” soap today (the one in my current avatar) using Seascape, after discovering that I had some lemongrass in the house, plus eucalyptus, rosemary and cedar. ❤ ❤ ❤ I have no idea how the soap design will turn out because I used micas instead of indigo, added two additional colors, and had the batter too thin at the beginning 
, but I know it will smell wonderful.
, but I know it will smell wonderful.I just started using a soap scented with seascape and it's still wonderful after 7 months. The scent actually sticks to my hands, which I'm not used to with EO's..
I also started using a soap that I made in February (so 9 months ago) with gusto. To my surprise, the orange is still very much there. Iirc, I had too little cinnamon and added about 10% patchouli to make up for it, so it's not a 'real' gusto..
I also started using a soap that I made in February (so 9 months ago) with gusto. To my surprise, the orange is still very much there. Iirc, I had too little cinnamon and added about 10% patchouli to make up for it, so it's not a 'real' gusto..
Thank you! Just looked those both up, and they sound great. Can't use cinnamon, but patchouli is a great alternative to be paired with orange.
I have a birthday coming up and my present is a new batch of EOs. Between what I have on hand and my new order, I should be able to make every blend reviewed!!! That’s what I get for reading through the entire thread yet again. I expect to have lots of time to make soap over the holiday break. The timing is good because nearly everyone in my family has a spring birthday. Heaven, I’m in heaven...
Recently, I've been using some soaps with eocalc blends, so I wanted to come back to share my experience.
I used a soap that I made with highbrow in January 2020 (so a bit over a year old), that smelled amazing! I think the cedar lingered on my hands a bit after washing (which I don't often experience with EO scented soap)
Another one I'm absolutely in love with it whisper. I made this soap in February 2020 (so also just over a year old). The colors all faded, but the scent is just SO Lovely!
All these were stored individually packaged and in a cardboard box.
I used a soap that I made with highbrow in January 2020 (so a bit over a year old), that smelled amazing! I think the cedar lingered on my hands a bit after washing (which I don't often experience with EO scented soap)
Another one I'm absolutely in love with it whisper. I made this soap in February 2020 (so also just over a year old). The colors all faded, but the scent is just SO Lovely!
All these were stored individually packaged and in a cardboard box.
I made soap with the Awakening blend 3.5 months ago and just took one out of the cardboard box to send to my mom for her birthday. It smells wonderful. I didn’t find it mentioned above, or maybe I missed it. It’s a very floral blend of geranium, bergamot, petitgrain, ylang ylang lll and palmarosa. I knew it would accelerate a bit, so stuck to a simple swirl. Based on this batch and a few others I made this past winter, I’m also totally sold on the benefits of storage in a tight container. My soaps aren’t individually wrapped, but there’s not a lot of empty airspace in the boxes and I’m keeping them packed by scent blend.
I guess it’s time to move Whisper to the top of my list. I’m such a laggard.
I guess it’s time to move Whisper to the top of my list. I’m such a laggard.
I've suddenly caught up with myself to the point (a soap cure span ago) where I started making soap pretty much every day... I'm really struggling to figure out how to store them well to preserve the scents! So far I've been putting them in individual brown paper bags, but then they're all together in a big cardboard box, which is not a good long term option. What's the best thing? Shoe boxes? Wood boxes? (I could practice my joinery
) a dedicated storage cupboard? (I could practice my cabinetry 
)
There are lots of options, but this space efficient approach is working well for me. I think shoe boxes would work well, too, but I don’t have any sitting around that I’m not using for something else.
I keep my “archived” soaps in brown paper bags inside bigger boxes that fit under a bed.
More ideas here and here
I keep my “archived” soaps in brown paper bags inside bigger boxes that fit under a bed.
More ideas here and here
Another thing I look for in second hand or thrift stores: pretty decorative boxes to store cured soaps! Sometimes I find them on sale on dollar-type stores as well.
Perhaps not as uniform in size as what Mobjack Bay and some others here use, but I like the decorative look on my shelves.
Perhaps not as uniform in size as what Mobjack Bay and some others here use, but I like the decorative look on my shelves.
Has anyone tried the Black Rose blend? It’s palmarosa, patchouli, grapefruit, geranium, cinnamon leaf and black pepper. I sounds like my kind of blend. The grapefruit might be fleeting, but I think most of the other eos would stick around quite well.
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