Men's shaving soap EO blends

[JackofallShaves]

All,

I am a new soap maker and am thinking of selling men's shaving soaps. I finally have a recipe that I really like and have been shaving with it for some time(unscented).

I am really struggling with finding the right scent/EO blends. I recently tried adding some EO's to my next batch and they were little bit of a disaster, the soap is still safe and works great, but does not smell as good as I would have liked. I tried a combination of Blood Orange, Black Pepper and Texan Cedarwood.

Couple of questions:

1) Are there tried and tested formulas or pre-made EO blends for men's soaps?

2) Is there a way to "test" an EO combination without making soap? I am afraid if I experiment with EO combination while making my soap batches, I will end up with a ton of shaving soap.

 

[soapmaker]

Question #1: not sure about that one.

Question #2: Yes there is a way to test. Scale down your recipe to 1 lb. for trials.

My favourite EO combination is Patchouli, Clary Sage & Lemongrass.

 

[Millie]

1) https://www.eocalc.com/
There is a review thread somewhere for those scent blends

2) You can add a squirt of lye to a few drops of your fragrance to see if they will react and change the scent. Might still be a little different in soap but that will let you know of any big scent changes right away. Sometimes you get crystals

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I asked about men’s scents not too terribly long ago: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/what-scents-do-the-guys-like.76926/

and there’s this more recent thread: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/recommendation-needed-masculine-scents.77509/#post-808127

a thread on long lasting EOs and blends, which may be helpful, here: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/longest-lasting-eos.77315/

and reviews of some of the EoCalc blends, here: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/eocalc-com-blend-reviews.77266/

 

[Zing]

I test ratios of EO combinations with cottonballs in a plastic bag.

 

[JackofallShaves]

Thanks folks, this is extremely helpful! I am also going to try testing the EO combinations with cotton balls, I hope I don't end up burning my nose lol.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I use a little piece of paper towel to check the scent combo since I don’t have cotton balls in the house.

 

[lsg]

One of my favorites is equal parts of a good sandalwood FO and allspice EO. This is a good dup. for Old Spice.

 

[Nanette]

Thanks folks, this is extremely helpful! I am also going to try testing the EO combinations with cotton balls, I hope I don't end up burning my nose lol.

You can also make "scent strips" with thin strip of a paper coffee filter--about the size of a pen- and put your drops of eo on that. Put in plastic baggie and smell over the next few days..at least you will get the idea of what the blend you have made is like...and the cotton balls work too! I like patchouli and lime....and the suggested sandalwood fo and allspice eo...very nice.

 

[sirtim100]

Bergamot, rosemary, lavender and peppermint.

Worked very nicely. It's now one of my favourites for shaving.

If you want to try an unusual one, try lavender and anise, a blend recommended by @KiwiMoose, and an interesting one it is too.

I'm going to make some new blends in the next few days, time and work permitting, so I'll keep you posted...

Also consider the option that many of the best shaving soaps out there have pretty simple blends, with just one predominant smell (Trumper's Lime, Proraso Sandalwood, Fine Accountrements Lavender). So perhaps opting for simplicity is not a bad idea either.

Do let me know about your blends when you have something you like. Like you, I'm interested in making shaving soaps for men.

Happy soaping

 

[JackofallShaves]

Bergamot, rosemary, lavender and peppermint.

Worked very nicely. It's now one of my favourites for shaving.

If you want to try an unusual one, try lavender and anise, a blend recommended by @KiwiMoose, and an interesting one it is too.

I'm going to make some new blends in the next few days, time and work permitting, so I'll keep you posted...

Also consider the option that many of the best shaving soaps out there have pretty simple blends, with just one predominant smell (Trumper's Lime, Proraso Sandalwood, Fine Accountrements Lavender). So perhaps opting for simplicity is not a bad idea either.

Do let me know about your blends when you have something you like. Like you, I'm interested in making shaving soaps for men.

Happy soaping

@sirtim100 - Your comment about keeping it simple could not have come at a better time. I made a new batch with just Lavender and I really like it.

The one that I DID NOT like at all was Sweet Orange and Cedarwood, ugh, almost want to throw up.

I am a new soap maker and I think I am just going to keep it simple and use only 2 EO combinations in my soaps. I am trying to keep my soaps all natural, so sticking with only EOs.

Looking forward which blends worked best for you and yes, happy soaping!

 

[sirtim100]

@sirtim100 - Your comment about keeping it simple could not have come at a better time. I made a new batch with just Lavender and I really like it.

The one that I DID NOT like at all was Sweet Orange and Cedarwood, ugh, almost want to throw up.

I am a new soap maker and I think I am just going to keep it simple and use only 2 EO combinations in my soaps. I am trying to keep my soaps all natural, so sticking with only EOs.

Looking forward which blends worked best for you and yes, happy soaping!

I found the same with Sweet Orange and Cedar, just didn't work for me.

One soap I'm definitely going to make is an HP with lime EO. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[JackofallShaves]

@sirtim100 - Have you had the chance to try the lime EO soap? How did it turn out?

 

[sirtim100]

Sorry for not replying sooner, @JackofallShaves, seems that most of Spain suddenly wants short, nasty, complicated translations and reviews, and then wants to complain about them...

No, I haven't had the time to do any soap at all. With a bit of luck I should have some free time this weekend, and if so, it's first on my list. If it comes off, I'll definitely let you know.

 

[sirtim100]

Quick update for @JackofallShaves

Still haven't had made any soap yet, but tried out some EOs with cotton pads in in a plastic baggie, and the secret seems to be that less is more... and better, or at least for shaving soaps.

The nicest blends so far are lavender and rosemary, and lime with nothing more added. Lime is so complex in itself it needs nothing else. However, since citrus EOs die a swift death in soaps and need a fixative, I used a dash of benzoin. The end result was very nice, like a lime drink with a tiny vanilla undercurrent, hardly noticeable.

The other pad test was two drops of Nag Champa, which I think just might work as a shaving soap scent. But I'm not entirely convinced yet.

So this week the promise is to make one batch a la Silver Fox, divide it into two and add the lime/benzoin mix to one and then i) lavender/rosemary or ii) Nag Champa

Will let you know how it goes

Happy soaping, everyone

 

[JackofallShaves]

@sirtim100 - I have been busy finalizing my labels past couple of weeks so have not had the chance to make soap at all. A couple of updates on the EO blend side though:

1) The blood orange and cedarwood blend that I hated up until last week is starting to catch up to me. It seems like the fragrance has evolved over the course of the last couple of weeks, I don't hate it as much anymore.

2) I got a couple of bottles of Patchouli EO. I am going to try Bergamot + Patch. next, seems like a popular one to try.

Again, I am just trying to keep it simple. Us men are not hard to please I guess, we just need something that smells nice. The rookie soap maker in me tells me that we can achieve "nice" with a max. of 2-3 EOs, I am going to refrain from going crazy with 4-5 blends as often suggested on various forums on the internet.

On a different note @sirtim100 and others, has anyone given thought to the EO vs. FO topic? Based on reading almost every thread on this topic, seems like there is no tangibly better option. In terms of skin sensitivity, folks have an equal chance of being sensitive to an EO or an FO. My motivation behind using EOs only is to keep my soaps all natural.

Is adding some FOs to my soap going to take away the all natural messaging completely given the miniscule amounts of FOs as compared to all the other ingredients(oils, super fats, lye, water etc.?)

 

[gloopygloop]

Is adding some FOs to my soap going to take away the all natural messaging completely given the miniscule amounts of FOs as compared to all the other ingredients(oils, super fats, lye, water etc.?)

I do not think so, what is an FO it is only really the same aroma chemicals found in the originals, isolated and remixed with a carrier, is it not? and in many the Eos are also blended in as well, its not like a weird chemical has been invented I dont think, and in many cases its safer to use and FO rather than an EO. I also find that Eos can be disappointing in so much that they often smell of turpentine to me, lime is one of those which has a fuel aroma to my nose. Mint also can be very medicinal and its difficult to not overpower I have found but the FOs with mint in are usually soft with that lemony edge you find in the real herb, well to my nose anyhow.

 

[JackofallShaves]

Interesting perspective @gloopygloop . I might try some good quality FOs as well. I do agree some EOs smell like "medicine", the blood orange EO that I have kinda smells like Nyquil to my nose sometimes.

 

[sirtim100]

The problems I have with FOs are: a) lack of availability in Spain; b) you don't necessarily know what you're getting. I bought an FO that presumed to be finest sandalwood and actually smelt like a Turkish toilet cleaner. Gave you a migraine with just one sniff. And it wasn't cheap either.

So I prefer to stick with EOs for now. Are they better or worse than FOs? That's down to the soap maker. I like the idea of putting something actually made from a flower/bark/plant into a soap, call me old-fashioned...

@JackofallShaves , like your blends. Cedarwood is an odd one for me. Thought I'd love it, didn't, and then liked it again. As for patchouli and bergamot, I tried it in a soap and it just didn't convince. Don't ask me why, I thought I'd love since I like both EOs but the combination just didn't gel for me. Hope it'll work for you.

I have the nag champa and the lime/benzoin batches sitting in their moulds, and they smell fantastic. I'm on a big lime jag at the moment. Everything must be lime...

Happy soaping, everyone

 

[Millie]

It has to be patchouli + cedar + bergamot all together. The holy trinity of EOs Just 2 of them together is never quite right.