FO Curious.

[TashaBird]

I’ve been a strictly EO soarer so far. I have used FO soaps that I’ve liked, but I have no idea where they came from. I know FO can be easier to work with in CP, and I know I’d have more options for variety and longevity. Many FO give me headaches, but not all. Is that the case for anyone else? What brands/flavors have you found that don’t do that for you? This could give me a place to start. Also, I feel like the FOs that I’ve liked have seemed more similar to EOs, if that makes sense. Any one have any suggestions for FO companies and scents that have a sort of “naturalness” to them?

 

[sarahmarah]

WSP has an EO/FO line. They’re on the pricey end but they’ve been having sales often. For EO/FO blends I love Grapefruit, Burmese Wood, Iced Tea Twist, Green Tea and Yuzu. Yuzu is strong—a little goes a LONG way, maybe not good if your prone to headaches. For nice FO’s I love Matcha, Blackberry Sage Tea, Dahlia and Lychee, Beach, White Tea, Oatmeal n Honey, Rice Milk and Cardamom, Baby Bibb, The Great Outdoors, Hoya and Sage, Espresso and Tabac and Leather.

 

[TashaBird]

WSP has an EO/FO line. They’re on the pricey end but they’ve been having sales often. For EO/FO blends I love Grapefruit, Burmese Wood, Iced Tea Twist, Green Tea and Yuzu. Yuzu is strong—a little goes a LONG way, maybe not good if your prone to headaches. For nice FO’s I love Matcha, Blackberry Sage Tea, Dahlia and Lychee, Beach, White Tea, Oatmeal n Honey, Rice Milk and Cardamom, Baby Bibb, The Great Outdoors, Hoya and Sage, Espresso and Tabac and Leather.

Thank you! What is WSP?

 

[sarahmarah]

Wholesale Supplies Plus

 

[Angie Gail]

WSP also has a lot of natural fragrance oils (NFO) along with the EO/FO blends. They are expensive but like sarahmarah said they do have sales quite often. I have used the Chamomile and Lavender NFO and it was nice. They do have a note with the NFOs that they may not be suitable for cold process soapmaking. I do hot process so I can't say how well they work in CP soaping.

 

[TashaBird]

WSP also has a lot of natural fragrance oils (NFO) along with the EO/FO blends. They are expensive but like sarahmarah said they do have sales quite often. I have used the Chamomile and Lavender NFO and it was nice. They do have a note with the NFOs that they may not be suitable for cold process soapmaking. I do hot process so I can't say how well they work in CP soaping.

I’d love a chamomile that could CP!!!

 

[cmzaha]

Here is a link to a Fragrance Review spreadsheet created by DeeAnna I personally buy very few fo's from WSP or Brambleberry. The Sage has high quality FO's but they are on the pricey side although many times you get what you pay for. California Candle supply has some very nice Fo's but it is best to ask me first since I have tested many of them. Saponification also uses some of Cal Candle FO's. I also Soapsupplies.net for some of my FO's
SMF Fragrance Oil Review

 

[TashaBird]

Here is a link to a Fragrance Review spreadsheet created by DeeAnna
SMF Fragrance Oil Review

That’s great! Thank you!!

 

[Arimara]

Some FOs (usually the cheap sold in certain stores )I avoid like the plague. They're usually FOs that are cut with DPG (dipropylene glycol) or something to be used as a perfume oil or something similar. As for pure FOs, I tend to do well to avoid ocean scents, most VS type scents as well as some Lush-types. I also scent my soaps on the lighter end due to migraines being a thing but not all FOs have triggered my migraines.

 

[linne1gi]

WSP has an EO/FO line. They’re on the pricey end but they’ve been having sales often. For EO/FO blends I love Grapefruit, Burmese Wood, Iced Tea Twist, Green Tea and Yuzu. Yuzu is strong—a little goes a LONG way, maybe not good if your prone to headaches. For nice FO’s I love Matcha, Blackberry Sage Tea, Dahlia and Lychee, Beach, White Tea, Oatmeal n Honey, Rice Milk and Cardamom, Baby Bibb, The Great Outdoors, Hoya and Sage, Espresso and Tabac and Leather.

I love WSP's eo/fo blends. I have several of them. I used lavender and sandalwood which are both very very expensive for my son's wedding.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Many FO give me headaches, but not all. Is that the case for anyone else?

Me (raises hand.). Also sneezing. I used strictly EOs for 4 years before I got into selling via my wholesale customers. No kidding. Fragrance sells! I came to the conclusion some time ago that combining EOs with FOs (for "sticking power") is the way to go. I was delighted when WSP started offering FO/EO Blends. They now offer 139 choices! Some have more EOs and resins than others.

I've tried 2 so far. Bladderwrack and PINK. Alas, both are sold in 25 lb bulk orders only. I bought 3 more to try during their sale last week: L de' Lolita Lempicka, Rainforest, Verbena. I chose Lolita because I remember that I liked it when I got it as a sample FO. (Typically, 1 out of 100 WSP FOs work for me.) I've been searching for a good lemon verbena for a while and the description of that blend sounds more like what I'm looking for than the actual Lemon Verbena blend.

Another option for you would be to pair what EOs you have on hand with FOs from other suppliers like MMS. You can do a quick search using the drop down list on their fragrance calc

I used lavender and sandalwood which are both very very expensive for my son's wedding.

With anything from WSP it's important to keep in mind that shipping is included in the price if you reach the $25 minimum. Once you add in shipping from their competitors prices they aren't more expensive. At least that's what I've found. If you want to save money, use them exclusively to build up a $500 total spent over a year's time. That puts you into the "Silver" plateau with freebies and discounts.

ETA: They have a great selection of contaniners for lotion, liquid soap, foamers, creams, etc. That's how I got to $500 fairly fast. I didn't even try their FOs at the time.

 

[TashaBird]

T

Me (raises hand.). Also sneezing. I used strictly EOs for 4 years before I got into selling via my wholesale customers. No kidding. Fragrance sells! I came to the conclusion some time ago that combining EOs with FOs (for "sticking power") is the way to go. I was delighted when WSP started offering FO/EO Blends. They now offer 139 choices! Some have more EOs and resins than others.

I've tried 2 so far. Bladderwrack and PINK. Alas, both are sold in 25 lb bulk orders only. I bought 3 more to try during their sale last week: L de' Lolita Lempicka, Rainforest, Verbena. I chose Lolita because I remember that I liked it when I got it as a sample FO. (Typically, 1 out of 100 WSP FOs work for me.) I've been searching for a good lemon verbena for a while and the description of that blend sounds more like what I'm looking for than the actual Lemon Verbena blend.

Another option for you would be to pair what EOs you have on hand with FOs from other suppliers like MMS. You can do a quick search using the drop down list on their fragrance calc


With anything from WSP it's important to keep in mind that shipping is included in the price if you reach the $25 minimum. Once you add in shipping from their competitors prices they aren't more expensive. At least that's what I've found. If you want to save money, use them exclusively to build up a $500 total spent over a year's time. That puts you into the "Silver" plateau with freebies and discounts.

ETA: They have a great selection of contaniners for lotion, liquid soap, foamers, creams, etc. That's how I got to $500 fairly fast. I didn't even try their FOs at the time.

This is exactly whea I was hoping to hear! Thanks! I’m going to check them out and start studying their blends. I love the EOs I’ve been using! But, I want some florals!!

Another option for you would be to pair what EOs you have on hand with FOs from other suppliers like MMS. You can do a quick search using the drop down list on their fragrance calc

I don’t totally understand, mixing FO and EO myself? That’s super interesting! I don’t see how to do that with their calculator.

 

[cmzaha]

Me (raises hand.). Also sneezing. I used strictly EOs for 4 years before I got into selling via my wholesale customers. No kidding. Fragrance sells! I came to the conclusion some time ago that combining EOs with FOs (for "sticking power") is the way to go. I was delighted when WSP started offering FO/EO Blends. They now offer 139 choices! Some have more EOs and resins than others.

I've tried 2 so far. Bladderwrack and PINK. Alas, both are sold in 25 lb bulk orders only. I bought 3 more to try during their sale last week: L de' Lolita Lempicka, Rainforest, Verbena. I chose Lolita because I remember that I liked it when I got it as a sample FO. (Typically, 1 out of 100 WSP FOs work for me.) I've been searching for a good lemon verbena for a while and the description of that blend sounds more like what I'm looking for than the actual Lemon Verbena blend.

Another option for you would be to pair what EOs you have on hand with FOs from other suppliers like MMS. You can do a quick search using the drop down list on their fragrance calc


With anything from WSP it's important to keep in mind that shipping is included in the price if you reach the $25 minimum. Once you add in shipping from their competitors prices they aren't more expensive. At least that's what I've found. If you want to save money, use them exclusively to build up a $500 total spent over a year's time. That puts you into the "Silver" plateau with freebies and discounts.

ETA: They have a great selection of contaniners for lotion, liquid soap, foamers, creams, etc. That's how I got to $500 fairly fast. I didn't even try their FOs at the time.

I think WSP quit with the plateau reward program. I could be wrong but I have not seen it in existence for a couple of years or so. What aggravates me with their "free shipping" is shipping is added into the price of each item you purchase, so if you place a large order of several items you end up paying a lot of shipping. Not exactly "Free Shipping".

 

[Arimara]

T

This is exactly whea I was hoping to hear! Thanks! I’m going to check them out and start studying their blends. I love the EOs I’ve been using! But, I want some florals!!

I'd be careful with florals. I've heard a lot of them don't behave well. I know you're have to see for yourself but you should take care to notate which scents you find irritating and which scents give you a headache. Keeping track of which scent families your FO can be put into can also be helpful.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I don’t totally understand, mixing FO and EO myself? That’s super interesting! I don’t see how to do that with their calculator.

Hmmm. The way I create blends is to set aside an afternoon to play. I first write down a couple of variations of the blend I want to make. I put a cotton ball onto a square of tinfoil. I use drops to make the blend. Fold the foil over the cotton ball and label. I then sniff each variation an hour later; a day later; 2 weeks later. ETC. In other words, trust your nose. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[TashaBird]

Ok, have any of you found a FO, or an EO/FO that you really like for rose, jasmine, chamomile, or sandalwood?

 

[AliOop]

As @cmzaha noted, you can find a lot of good recommendations on the SMF Fragrance Oil Review. If you sort it by name, that can help you find the ones named "rose." Looks like a few people recommended the Rose Garden from NDA.

ETA: I've heard good things about the Mysore Sandalwood from Oregon Trail Soaps. Just ordered their sample pack and am hoping I can find some that don't give me the instant headache. I too would love to use FOs if I could, so I'm starting small and seeing if anything will work for me.

 

[TashaBird]

As @cmzaha noted, you can find a lot of good recommendations on the SMF Fragrance Oil Review. If you sort it by name, that can help you find the ones named "rose." Looks like a few people recommended the Rose Garden from NDA.

Oh right! SO much information!! It’s kind of overwhelming. Wish there was a place I could go smell them.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

TIP: Most suppliers have a "best sellers" list. That would be a good place to start.
Also, Pure Fragrance Oils hasn't been mentioned. They are in CA. A good company to do business with. The reason I and most others don't use them often is because they only sell FOs -- no other soap making supplies. Definitely worth a look though. They took over fragrances from popular sellers when they went out of business. If you type "rose" into the search box, several scents show up. They all sounded very nice to me.

ETA: Just smelling a scent isn't very helpful. You want to know how it behaves in CP? Does it discolor? Does it stick? Does it fade? and that you can only learn by testing.

 

[sarahmarah]

Pure Fragrance oils are pretty good. Their Tom Ford dupes are very weak but their Vervain Olive Blossom is heavenly.