Question on basil essential oil

[LuvMyCats]

My friend suffers with migraines and finds basil to be helpful. She wants me to make soap using basil oil or a basil leaf inside the soap. I've heard that lye kills the scent, so that won't work. Is it possible to add lavender and basil essential oils and somehow make it work? Not sure what to do. Thanks in advance.

 

[shunt2011]

I wouldn't use fresh basil in my soap. But you can use lavender and basil if you so choose. I would check with your supplier for the usage rate on your EO's. You could also check Brambleberry fragrance calculator. I've not used basil so not sure on it but I do use .5 oz. ppo when using lavender.

 

[CaraBou]

You can definitely use the EO. There's no guarantee it will help with migraines but at the very least it should make a nice scent, especially to someone who associates it with migraine relief.

I recently bought some basil EO and am anxiously awaiting to soap with it for the first time. I've been wanting to try blends of basil/mint, or basil/mint and a hint of something lemony or limey (e.g., lemon, lime, litsea, lemongrass, etc). Basil and lavender sounds interesting too as I am a lavender lover; let us know how it smells if you end up making it!

 

[lenarenee]

Saponification will destroy quite a bit of the therapeutic aspects of the essential oil, which might greatly reduce any benefit she'll get from the soap. If you hot process the soap and let the batter cool as much as you can while still leaving it pliable enough to stir, then mix in the basil eo, I think you'll have a better scent, and retain a lot more therapeutic value. I do this for a friend's special request cedarwood soap, and it works well.

 

[goji_fries]

First: see if there is a recommended safe maximum for basil EO. If I remember correct there is a high linalool (maybe even a linalyl) and maybe chavicol in basil EO. EOs are highly concentrated; some EOs are even up to 1500 times stronger as opposed to the plant.

Instead of having to add more and more and more EOs to get the scent you want in CP, try an HP recipe and add the EOs after the cook but before the HP is to be poured into the mold. Stir good and you will have a more active scent as opposed to the black hole of lye eating it.

 

[Second Impression]

Basil eo sticks around forever in soap and can easily overpower anything else in your blend. I pair it with litsea or lemongrass and the scent stays STRONG well after the one year point. Don't have my notes handy but I know I use it at 2% or less....probably less.

 

[LuvMyCats]

Thank you

To Shuntzoll, Carabou, Lenarenee, Goji_fries and Second Impression. Thank you again for your great suggestions. I will do it HP style and add the EO after the cook, before pouring it into the mold like suggested.

 

[Obsidian]

Does basil EO actually smell like basil in soap? I was going to buy some once but it smelled so bad OOB that I didn't.