EOCalc.com Blend Reviews

[soapmaker]

No, this is a thread where we review the blends from the EOcalc website

Oh sorry, I was too hasty. I didn't take time to look properly. Woodland popped into my mind because of my mistake in ordering Woodland Themes from NDA. Advice: don't do it.

 

[szaza]

Oh sorry, I was too hasty. I didn't take time to look properly. Woodland popped into my mind because of my mistake in ordering Woodland Themes from NDA. Advice: don't do it.

Haha well, if you're looking for an alternative, this EO blend is awesome
https://www.eocalc.com/blends/woodland/

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I've been using a soap scented with the woodland blend that I made in April 2020 (so +2years old) and it still smells very nice and strong. When I first put it in the shower the entire bathroom smelled of the soap (which isn't that impressive since our bathroom is tiny).
The bar was packaged after cure and stored in a cardboard box in another cardboard box (so not much airflow going on)

This is interesting because the blend is heavy on lavender, which often seems to fade fast, but it also includes amyris, which is used as a fixative in perfumes. Can you still detect the lavender note?

 

[szaza]

This is interesting because the blend is heavy on lavender, which often seems to fade fast, but it also includes amyris, which is used as a fixative in perfumes. Can you still detect the lavender note?

I feel like the amyris and cedar have overpowered the lavander since the beginning, so I can't really say to be honest. I'd have to compare this bar to a new one and I still don't have much time to soap, but I'll keep it in mind and try to think of scenting my next soap with this blend

 

[soapmaker]

Haha well, if you're looking for an alternative, this EO blend is awesome
https://www.eocalc.com/blends/woodland/

Thanks. Yes, when I realized my mistake I headed straight over to EO Calc and found it!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I feel like the amyris and cedar have overpowered the lavander since the beginning, so I can't really say to be honest. I'd have to compare this bar to a new one and I still don't have much time to soap, but I'll keep it in mind and try to think of scenting my next soap with this blend

I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender. It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you. I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.

 

[AliOop]

I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender. It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you. I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.

oooo now I want to buy some amyris. Darn you, @Mobjack Bay!

 

[MelissaG]

Pity they haven't updated their EO list in quite a while. They're missing some.

 

[szaza]

I used Woodland in a soap I made yesterday, but subbed in lavandin for the lavender. It smells great this morning and I would use it again if it holds up as well for me as it did for you. I mostly smell lavandin, but in a softer way than if I used it alone, perhaps due to the amyris. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, here, amyris acts as a fixative and has subtly warming, woody and balsamic notes balanced with sweet vanilla-like undertones that reveal as it dries.

Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..

 

[Mobjack Bay]

oooo now I want to buy some amyris. Darn you, @Mobjack Bay!

It’s not an EO I would use as the star of the show, but I will love it if it slows down the loss of the lavandin. I bought mine from Camden Grey.

Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..

I can always send you some 2 mm thick slices

 

[gardengeek]

OMG, I finally made a test soap with the Black Rose blend and I love it ❤❤❤. It has a fullness from the patch and a little brightness from the grapefruit. The florals are there adding a nice touch, but they’re not at all overpowering. I’m not a big fan of Geranium on its own, so this makes me happy. The added spiciness from the cinnamon and black pepper is perfect. I’m very happy with the scent level at 4% in the test bar.

@AliOop I didn’t have any issues with acceleration, but I only made a single test bar. I will update when I make a loaf, which will be after I test the test bar. According to EoCalc, the blend can be used safely at 5% in soap. I have not had problems with cinnamon leaf in the past. It’s supposed to be much milder than cinnamon bark.

How is Black Rose holding up? I'm working on an order at NDA (first time) and considering adding the black pepper and cinnamon leaf to try this blend.

Floral Touch is my absolute favorite blend. I use it in CP at 5% and it holds very well, I mean for at least a year. I made the mistake of sharing some soap with a friend with this blend. When she requested more I had to charge her because EO's ain't cheap! Actually, nothing is anymore

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@gardengeek I just recently reported on a long list of EO blends, including Black Rose, here. The scent is holding well at the 4+ month mark. I used Floral Touch about a month ago and like that one too, especially if it sticks. Thanks for sharing your results.

 

[szaza]

Aaah I wish I had time to soap! I just saw this is my last bar of this soap, so I need to be quick if I want to compare..

I set that last bar aside and recently made some MP soap with this blend. Beside the fact that the scent of the new soap is obviously stronger, I don't feel like there are any notes that faded significantly more than others. Hope this helps!

 

[Tammyfarms]

Posting here as @Servant4Christ asked about Spearmilyptus and @Mobjack Bay recommended we move the question to this post. Thank you Mobjack, I didn’t know this thread existed.

I have made soap with spearmilyptus and I liked the blend. It has a very fresh, spa like fragrance. I made this batch of soap back in November 2023 using 3% of oil weight and still have one bar left. There isn’t really any smell left at this point. I store my soaps on a bookcase and probably need to change that to boxes as mentioned above. When the soap was fresh there wasn’t a lot of spearmint scent, more would have definitely been desirable. If I make this again, it will be at 5% which is within with IFRA guidelines.

I will go through my notes and update here with other blends I have made and I encourage others to do the same.

 

[Servant4Christ]

Thank you so much @Tammyfarms! I've been falling further and further down the EO rabbit hole since recently being gifted a bar of soap scented with lemongrass. Smells much better in the soap than in the bottle. Turns out, we have dear friends (that we next to never see since they moved out of state) who now make their own soap, too!

Has anyone tried Forty Thieves? I'm guessing this is similar to Thieves by another company and we have a neighbor who loves that scent. Would it be better to sub the lemon with litsea or lemongrass to get the scent to stick?

 

[Tammyfarms]

Thank you so much @Tammyfarms! I've been falling further and further down the EO rabbit hole since recently being gifted a bar of soap scented with lemongrass. Smells much better in the soap than in the bottle. Turns out, we have dear friends (that we next to never see since they moved out of state) who now make their own soap, too!

Has anyone tried Forty Thieves? I'm guessing this is similar to Thieves by another company and we have a neighbor who loves that scent. Would it be better to sub the lemon with litsea or lemongrass to get the scent to stick?

You are very welcome! It’s awesome you have friends that also found soapmaking. What a neat thing to discover.

I made forty thieves this past September. I used 4% ppo, so far the scent is sticking and I really like it. I was concerned about the cinnamon leaf and clove bud accelerating but the batter behaved well.

I should add that I make a slurry for all of my EO blends. I use about 1 TB Kaolin clay and 15 grams castor oil ppo. I let it soak at least a day and sometimes several weeks.

 

[Servant4Christ]

You are very welcome! It’s awesome you have friends that also found soapmaking. What a neat thing to discover.

I made forty thieves this past September. I used 4% ppo, so far the scent is sticking and I really like it. I was concerned about the cinnamon leaf and clove bud accelerating but the batter behaved well.

I should add that I make a slurry for all of my EO blends. I use about 1 TB Kaolin clay and 15 grams castor oil ppo. I let it soak at least a day and sometimes several weeks.

Did you use the lemon eo in that blend? From what I've read here on the forum, I thought lemon would disappear in soap. Thankyou for the tip for the slurry. Do you subtract the castor from your recipe or just consider it extra SF?