Longest lasting EOs

[HowieRoll]

@HowieRoll will you share your percentages on the patch/lavender and patch/bergamot blends? I haven’t been able to make soap in almost two weeks, but I’m off next week and trying to decide what to do first!

Oh, Mobjack Bay, I'm sorry for the miscommunication on my part but I was only using those two as hypotheticals off the top of my head because they were simple blend examples (and easy to type!) and I was feeling somewhat lazy. But an actual example of a blend where I switch out the top note (that doesn't generally stand on its own) is: 58% Orange 5-fold, 25% Cedarwood (Virginian), 17% Dark Patchouli. Sometimes I switch the orange with 58% Bergamot, and even though the orange and bergamot aren't known to stick I still feel like the soaps smell differently months later.

Anyway, in the past, I have made a 90% Lavender 10% Patchouli (dark) soap and it was okay, but I felt like it was missing something. Now I mostly tend to go for blends that involve at least 3 EOs. A while ago @SideDoorSoaps shared a blend and I've made it now a couple times and LOVE it. I feel like the lavender (lavandin, in my case) is somehow accentuated by the blend, which is what I was hoping for with just lavender/patchouli but never got there.

From SideDoorSoaps:
28% Lavender (I've been using lavandin)
28% Patchouli
15% Orange 5-fold
15% Amyris
14% Rosemary

PS EOCalc.com suggests blending 65% Lavender with 35% Patchouli, which might be great. I didn't go that high with the patchouli in my lav/patch blend, but maybe that was the problem with it!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@HowieRoll Good to know and both of those blends smell great in my brain. Thanks!

In case anyone is interested, I found a webpage with useful information about storing EOs and how long to expect them to last:

https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/articles/how-to-store-essential-oils-to-maximize-oil-life.html

And this one with general information about EOs, including how they are produced:
https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/products/about-essential-oils.html

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@HowieRoll @KiwiMoose - I need additional info on the type of anise EO. According to AromaWeb, there are two - Star Anise oil (Illicium verum) and Anise oil (Pimpinella ansium).

I was also looking for safe usage rates. At WSP, the IFRA maximum usage of Illicium verum for soap is given as 0.1%. Does that sound about right? It sounds really low, compared with cinnamon leaf at 0.5%, for example.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I used Illicium verum (star anise) and I used 10g EO to 1000g oil, which sounds like it's over the safe usage rate? It was combined with 30g Lavender EO and it held its own against the lavender. If anything, especially after 6 months, the Anise was stronger than the lavender.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

If I’m reading these sources correctly, this pdf gives 0.5% for class 9A soap: https://www.nhrorganicoils.com/uploads/20180926192722e_Anise_Star_IFRA_48.pdf

And Nature’s Garden gives 0.1% for soap on the IFRA certificate info linked off this page: https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/wholesale-star-anise-essential-oil

 

[KiwiMoose]

Eeek! So that would mean 1g in 1000g oils? Hardly seems worth it!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I poked around EOCalc and mostly found blends using 1 -1.5 g of star anise EO for “light” and 5 -7.5 g for “strong” per 1000 g oil. For example, “South of France” for the lower end and “Wake the Dead” for the higher end. The “Blackjack” blend, which is just star anise and spearmint, uses 12 g of star anise EO for 1000 g of oils for a “moderate” scent level. Higher concentrations of anise for that blend are in the red zone (violates IFRA standards).

I’m wanting to try the South of France blend, which is lavender (50%), orange (20%), patchouli (20%) and anise (10%).

As a side note, this morning is the first time I noticed that the EOCalc calculator has been updated to provide the weights for the blends in grams for total oils in grams.

 

[HowieRoll]

I've used Anise Star (Illicium verum) from ND a couple times and generally haven't used it at more than 1% of oil weight, although this source states "Tisserand and Young recommend a dermal maximum of 1.75%." I say generally, because I used it in a blend once where the EOs totaled 3% oil weight (60% peppermint, 40% anise star) and that meant the anise star came in at 1.2% usage, which I didn't personally feel was a safety issue.

I'm super excited for you to try the South of France - can't tell you how many times I've wanted to make it and haven't gotten around to it yet! You are inspiring me to get out the Anise Star!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I've used Anise Star (Illicium verum) from ND a couple times and generally haven't used it at more than 1% of oil weight, although this source states "Tisserand and Young recommend a dermal maximum of 1.75%." I say generally, because I used it in a blend once where the EOs totaled 3% oil weight (60% peppermint, 40% anise star) and that meant the anise star came in at 1.2% usage, which I didn't personally feel was a safety issue.

I'm super excited for you to try the South of France - can't tell you how many times I've wanted to make it and haven't gotten around to it yet! You are inspiring me to get out the Anise Star!

I understand the reason for the IFRA guidelines, but given how flighty most EOs are in soap, I can’t help but wonder what the final concentrations are after curing. I imagine the EU makers are getting a handle on it since their soaps have to go through an analysis.

You may get to the South of France scented soap before I do. I still have to order the EO!

 

[HowieRoll]

You may get to the South of France scented soap before I do. I still have to order the EO!

Well, get on it! A whole new world awaits! lol

 

[KiwiMoose]

I understand the reason for the IFRA guidelines, but given how flighty most EOs are in soap, I can’t help but wonder what the final concentrations are after curing. I imagine the EU makers are getting a handle on it since their soaps have to go through an analysis.

You may get to the South of France scented soap before I do. I still have to order the EO!

I have all those oils right here right now....race ya!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

And now I’m thinking about ordering some benzoin, too, especially after reading this.

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

@Mobjack Bay, I’ve used lavandin as well! I like how it’s just a bit more floral than the lavender. And I’m so glad you love the blend. It is my fave! For my Lavender and patchouli, I just like it equal parts and use dark patchouli. I’m not a huge Lavender fan...ooh lately I have been loving Lavender and lemon!!

 

[HowieRoll]

Thanks for bringing up that thread, @Mobjack Bay, because I just noticed I had made a typo that needs to be corrected! Aye, aye aye. Anyway, I wrote that I used benzoin at 5% oil weight, but that is incorrect - I've never used it above 2% because it may be a sensitizer for some people. I must've been looking at the SF for that recipe. Oy.

(as an aside, I upped the cocoa butter from 25% to 30% on my chocolate soap this year, added the 2% oil weight benzoin, and call it chocolate mousse. It smells incredible. As another aside, I just took out a bar I made last year with 25% cocoa butter and 2% benzoin and it still smells like hot chocolate. It's faded a little, but still love it. Bottom line is I encourage you to get the benzoin. Do it! Do it! Do it! How's that for enabling?).

 

[Hawksquill]

The EOs I've used that have lasted the longest so far are lavender (going strong at 18 months+ now!) and a blend of peppermint and tea tree.

 

[Millie]

The EOs I've used that have lasted the longest so far are lavender (going strong at 18 months+ now!) and a blend of peppermint and tea tree.

Phew, glad I'm not the only one lavender sticks for!! I gave out the same batch of lavender soaps a couple years in a row, and since this thread I've been plagued with the thought that I might have given out musty smelling soaps.

I noticed lavender shares a good chunk of aroma chemicals in common with petitgrain which is supposed to stick great. Maybe a portion of lavender's makeup fades out while the remainder sticks?

Petitgrain (Sicily, NDA): 45.9% linalyl acetate
Lavender 40/42 (NDA): 36.1% linalyl acetate, 29.5% linalool
Linalyl acetate reacts with lye to make linalool and some other stuff, says the internet.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

The EOs I've used that have lasted the longest so far are lavender (going strong at 18 months+ now!) and a blend of peppermint and tea tree.

What kind of lavender do you use? I now have 40/42 and lavandin, but haven’t had a chance to make soap for a couple of weeks now.

 

[lsg]

For soap, I use 40/42. For lotions creams, etc., I use French fine lavender.

 

[Hawksquill]

What kind of lavender do you use? I now have 40/42 and lavandin, but haven’t had a chance to make soap for a couple of weeks now.

I use 40/42 and it's stuck really well!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I have star anise EO on the way .

I also wanted to add that I’ve had good results with using orange wax for a lasting orange scent in my soaps. A soap I made on May 24, 2019, using 3% orange wax still smells orangey. Orange wax definitely accelerates. If anyone is interested, there’s more info about the wax and my and other member experiences using it, here.

I’ve also had good results using Monoi de Tahiti oil (flower infused CO) at 5% of a recipe. A soap I made in April 2019 still has a light scent (better with a “fresh nose”) and the soap I made in August smells great. More about the oil and my results, here. I bought it on Amazon (Sparkle brand). I gave some of the first batch to my stepmother and she couldn’t smell it at all, but my son thought it was pretty strongly scented. I later learned from my sister that my stepmother is smelling-impaired.