Frankincense Essential Oil

[Kamahido]

The other day I started a thread about the above essential oil. Upon reading the responses it seems I may not have worded the question correctly. So I wanted to clarify...

Has anyone ever used Frankincense Essential Oil in their soap?

 

[Obsidian]

I made a batch last week with it, what are you wanting to know?

 

[Kamahido]

How well it holds up in cold process soap. Did it morph? Did it discolor? Normally I would just buy some and try it out, but as expensive as the essential oil is I figured I would ask around first.

 

[Obsidian]

well, I only made the soap last week so I have limited experience and I used a blend not straight frank. At this point, I can't really smell the frank but what is there, hasn't morphed and I don't think it discolored at all. I used neem in this soap so its fairly green to begin with.

I used a low quality EO though so it might differ from a good one. Maybe a FO would be a better/cheaper option?

 

[Kittish]

One of my early batches I used frankincense with, along with fir needle and cedarwood. I didn't see any discoloration. The scent held up fairly well, the only issue is on my end- I used a very light hand with the fragrance with that batch so it's pretty faint. I haven't used it just by itself yet, though. I think I got mine from Bulk Apothecary.

 

[ilovebathing]

I have used it in my Rose Water Soap batch this year and I also add it lightly. In the beginning the soap smells really good, eartly smell but as the soap cured the scent didn't last that long. But I was aiming for its skin benefits especially for the face. I haven't tried using Kaolin clay as I heard many soapers use it to make the scent last a little longer.

 

[divinegoddessoaps17]

I use it in my CP soaps. No problems.

 

[Kamahido]

I went ahead and ordered a bottle of Frankincense Essential Oil. Will let the forum know how it turns out.

 

[Kamahido]

I have made the soap with Frankincense Essential Oil and it has been curing for 2 weeks now. The scent has mellowed just slightly since making it and is quite woodsy now. Very reminiscent of my Cedar Essential Oil soap. Will report back with a 1 month cure report.

 

[Kamahido]

I have made the soap with Frankincense Essential Oil and it has been curing for 2 weeks now. The scent has mellowed just slightly since making it and is quite woodsy now. Very reminiscent of my Cedar Essential Oil soap. Will report back with a 1 month cure report.

Soap has cured for a month now and smells exactly like Texas cedar essential oil. I think I now understand why it is usually mixed with myrrh.

 

[Obsidian]

Thats too bad, I would be very disappointed but I don't care much for cedar. I have frankincense tears and they smell really nice but the myrrh is better.

 

[Heika]

I made a soap recently with a blend of Frankincense. I blended with litsea to help anchor the scent along with a bit of cedarwood. I mixed the essential oil blend with diatomaceous earth and let it sit overnight before making the soap. It is about 8 weeks along now, and still smells really nice. I also ground frankincense and myrrh, and added it to the soap batter. That may be contributing to the scent. I love the way it smells so much that I made a beard oil with the essential oil blend. I will upload a picture of it, I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

[Millie]

Beautiful!

 

[bountifulsoaps]

well, I only made the soap last week so I have limited experience and I used a blend not straight frank. At this point, I can't really smell the frank but what is there, hasn't morphed and I don't think it discolored at all. I used neem in this soap so its fairly green to begin with.

I used a low quality EO though so it might differ from a good one. Maybe a FO would be a better/cheaper option?

The FO is very strong and perfumy (sp) scent. When I used it in a blend with Lavender eo it was nice. Right now I have it blended with patchouli and it smells nice but by itself I don't think so. Mine came from Camden Gray.

 

[bountifulsoaps]

Can't believe how beauitful Heika's soap turned out. Wish I had your talent!

 

[Spice]

I have used it in my Rose Water Soap batch this year and I also add it lightly. In the beginning the soap smells really good, eartly smell but as the soap cured the scent didn't last that long. But I was aiming for its skin benefits especially for the face. I haven't tried using Kaolin clay as I heard many soapers use it to make the scent last a little longer.

ilovebathing, I use Kaolin clay, I have noticed that it keeps the scent fresher, I SB my oils and as am SBing, I pour my clay and mix before adding my lye water. It seems that the bars are a bit whiter too.

 

[ilovebathing]

Thanks for the tip Spice. I finally tried my rose clay as well using a mix of EO that were recommended for a lavish spa bar from Modernsoapmaking.com. The scent lingered even after 4 weeks of cure time. Let's see how goes it for another month. In terms of frankinsense EO I now use it in my facial cream since it is not a wash on product (for more facial benefits).

 

[Spice]

Thanks for the tip Spice. I finally tried my rose clay as well using a mix of EO that were recommended for a lavish spa bar from Modernsoapmaking.com. The scent lingered even after 4 weeks of cure time. Let's see how goes it for another month. In terms of frankinsense EO I now use it in my facial cream since it is not a wash on product (for more facial benefits).

Does the rose clay color your soap? I been using Moroccan red clay for bath bombs, I was wondering if using the red would do anything for EO scent too.

 

[ilovebathing]

Yes, it is a very light soft pink color I think all clays IMO help keep the scent in....

 

[xmasdeer]

I made my own frankincense oil and it has a lovely smell. You can buy the raw frankincense online and mix it with oils but it takes about 6 weeks to infuse. That should not be a problem for soap makers as the soap takes just as long to cure. The cost of the raw frankinsence was $18 AUD for 500g. I also made Myrrh oil but the scent is very mild, maybe I didn't leave it infuse long enough.