First time buying EO - which scent?

[Rahmi]

So I've found a supplier that's reputable here with prices that are really good, and I'm willing to try few EOs. However I have to order in 1 litre quantity minimum, each.

My question is, is there some basic EO scent that is a staple in soapmaking? Easy to combine scents and scents that will stick?

I'm planning to get:
English lavender, because I adore it.
Cedarwood because I want something earthy and because it's quite cheap
Thyme because I like it and it would blend well with Lavender (I think)

My thoughts are with these three scents I can make a total of 9 scents. Any suggestions of other scents? I thought of peppermint, but not sure if it would combine well with others? Thanks!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

So I've found a supplier that's reputable here with prices that are really good, and I'm willing to try few EOs. However I have to order in 1 litre quantity minimum, each.

My question is, is there some basic EO scent that is a staple in soapmaking? Easy to combine scents and scents that will stick?

I'm planning to get:
English lavender, because I adore it.
Cedarwood because I want something earthy and because it's quite cheap
Thyme because I like it and it would blend well with Lavender (I think)

My thoughts are with these three scents I can make a total of 9 scents. Any suggestions of other scents? I thought of peppermint, but not sure if it would combine well with others? Thanks!

Have you looked at the EO combinations at EOcalc? I would be lost without it!

 

[Fiona Robertson]

Have you looked at the EO combinations at EOcalc? I would be lost without it!

I never knew about EOcalc, thanks so much for bringing this to my attention!!

 

[lsg]

You might try patchouli.

 

[dixiedragon]

I do love lavender.

Mint and lemongrass. Patchouli is wonderful but on the $$$ side. But if you can afford a liter of patch, go for it.

 

[soapmaker]

Yes, my thoughts were peppermint and patchouli

 

[runnerchicki]

Lavender, cedarwood, lemongrass, and orange essential oils are the ones I like best in soap (not necessarily all at the same time lol) If you get orange - a 10-fold orange is probably a good idea because regular orange won't stick. A citrus scent can really lift a fragrance blend - the trick is getting it to stick.

 

[Susie]

Lemongrass is the one and only I buy in large quantities.
Patchouli is a "either you love it or hate it" EO.
Lavender is a good one, if you like lavender.
Mints are great, and blend well with other EOs.

 

[MGM]

Lemongrass is the one and only I buy in large quantities.
Patchouli is a "either you love it or hate it" EO.
Lavender is a good one, if you like lavender.
Mints are great, and blend well with other EOs.

I second Susie's choices (and happen to love patchouli). Mints are required for me and lemongrass is so fresh and sticks hard (IME).
Wow, buying a litre of each though. I bet if you added up my 60+ EOs, you'd barely get to a litre ;-)

 

[DeeAnna]

I would advise against thyme. Thyme EO has a pungent, rather medicinal odor that isn't the same as the fresh herb. It's not a "plays well with others" kind of scent, to be honest.

If you plan to use thyme EO in soap, be aware it will accelerate trace A LOT. At least the thyme EO I have used has done that.

If you want an herby, green, spicy scent, a better choice might be rosemary. It's a classic scent and blends nicely with many other fragrances, including lavender and mint.

I also recommend storing EOs in the refrigerator or even the freezer. That is especially true for lavender. Unoxidized lavender is fine for use on skin, but oxidized lavender has a higher chance of causing skin irritation in some people. And oxidized lavender EO can accelerate rancidity in soap. I don't say this to discourage the use of lavender EO, just to encourage people to store lavender and other EOs for best longevity.

 

[Anglezarke]

May Chang (a.k.a. Litsea) and Geranium both hold really, really well. Petitgrain is another good one, as is Bergamot.

 

[cmzaha]

I was going to say the same as DeeAnna and nix the thyme. You will never use 1 litre of the stuff, it overpowers everything. I would add in Litsea (May Chang) because I find it much nicer than Lemongrass. In fact if I do use Lemongrass I always add in some Litsea, because it helps anchor the Lemongrass and smells delicious. With the mention of Petitgrain, I find it also very pungent and needs to be used in very small percentages. Germanium is nice but accelerates in soap and is quite expensive, but maybe for you, the price is more affordable than here. Cedarwood is also nice to have around and mixes well, Patchouli is a love it or hate it and I do think Lavender is necessary.

 

[dibbles]

I like Litsea better than lemongrass personally, but a lot of people do love lemongrass. Lavender and mint is a nice combination, as is lemongrass and mint. I love patchouli and it blends well with everything IMO (unless you don't like it - then it blends with nothing). I use a 10x folded orange and that does stick, but my experience is that not folded orange and lemon fade quickly. Rosemary is nice, and combines well with mint.

If I had to pick 5 they would be peppermint, litsea cubeba, patchouli, lavender and 10x orange.

 

[Rahmi]

Thanks all!

EOcalc is great! I think I'll settle for lavender, rosemary and mint.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

anise is a fav and it mixes great with lavender or orange. I love spearmint and I just bought some ylang ylang that I really like too. oh and bergamot. bergamot, orange and cedarwood is awesome together

 

[Dawni]

Thanks all!

EOcalc is great! I think I'll settle for lavender, rosemary and mint.

When I first bought EOs I could only afford 6... I settled with one each of the "categories" so a citrus (lemongrass), a floral (lavender), a woodsy (cedarwood), a herby (rosemary), a mint (spearmint) and an earthy (elemi, close to frankincense). I haven't grown my collection much since then but those 5 alone gave me many combinations already.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I use May Chang ( litsea cubeba) in almost every batch. It's a good mixer with any fruity or floral, or nice on its own, and sticks well. I also LOVE patchouli and it sticks well in soap. Lavender can fade I have discovered. Lemon grass and spearmint are lovely together. Patchouli and sweet orange are lovely together. If you want a herby one, then Rosemary is nice with lemon grass or spearmint. Yes Bergamot is a goodie, and I LOVE Ylang Ylang but it fades dreadfully, so i have recently stopped buying the EO and instead use an ylang ylang FO. You need to consider getting a floral of some kind, and i don't regard lavender as a floral, I regard it as more of a herby scent. Patchouli is slightly floral I guess. That geranium sounds good - might try that one myself. Good luck! Such a hard decision.

 

[Rahmi]

Between peppermint and spearmint, what's the difference? I don't remember them being too different, but I haven't smelled them side by side. Are they pretty much interchangeable? Spearmint seems to be much lower cost.

Dawni, your list seems to be what I'm getting close to. Minus the elemi

Thanks!

 

[Dawni]

Between peppermint and spearmint, what's the difference? I don't remember them being too different, but I haven't smelled them side by side. Are they pretty much interchangeable? Spearmint seems to be much lower cost.

Dawni, your list seems to be what I'm getting close to. Minus the elemi

Thanks!

To me the spearmint is a sweeter minty scent than peppermint. And "feels refreshing" more than peppermint, but that's just me.

To second what the others said, I like lavender but it doesn't stick around for long in soap compared to geranium for example, but I use it everywhere (lotion bars, body oil, room n linen spray, surface cleaner), and it's safe for kids so I always keep a bottle..

Elemi is our local alternative to frankincense, which costs more, but both are similar. They're also called resinous EOs, along with myrrh and benzoin.

Earthy is what some classify patchouli as.

My staples now also include lemon and tea tree, which I also use in other stuff.

 

[true blue]

Peppermint is more overpowering than Spearmint and doesn't play as well with others in blends IMO. Of course, it depends on what you're going for. A more medicinal blend - Peppermint. More non-medicinal - Spearmint. Two of my best sellers are Orange & Spearmint and Lemongrass & Rosemary.
I really like adding either Bergamot or Petitgrain to blends to add a 'fresh' yet not obviously 'citrus' component. Litsea seems to smell more 'citrus' overall than Lemongrass, which has a bit more grassy or green edge that it adds to a blend.