Struggling with FO Purchases

[Zany_in_CO]

For example I don't like oatmeal, milk and honey; however a lot of people do. I don't like patchouli, however a lot of people do I'm not a big sandalwood fan, but other people are.

Oh my goodness. Those are all proven winners. One might wonder what's wrong with your nose! Just kidding!

Post them here for us to take first pick. No sense de-stashing to complete strangers when so many members, especially new members, are more than willing to take them off your hands!

Please and Thank You!!!

 

[MelissaG]

I’ve been spending a lot of time reading reviews and trying to find scents that I want to use consistently. This has led me to spend a good bit of money on FO, most of which I don’t end up liking.

What do you do with scents that you don’t like? Was it an arduous process to find companies that carried FOs that you like at a reasonable price?

Destash on a facebook destash group. I run one and am a mod for a second. I have a bunch to destash right now.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

If there are any popular scents or perfumes that you like, my suggestion is to search for FO dups of the scent. I’ve seen them for Chanel 5, Shalimar and many other perfumes and colognes while browsing FOs. Another approach is to buy some straight up type FOs. There was no need to explain citrus, florals and woody notes to my nose, but it needed help with amber, sandalwood, musk, tonka, moss, powder, and probably a few others. Ozone remains a mystery For an FO that I think is just okay, I usually blend it with a single note FO that I think will work, or just add a small bit of it to another FO that I like. As for price points, I’m okay with spending a bit more on an FO if the scent will stick.

 

[math ace]

Oh my goodness. Those are all proven winners. One might wonder what's wrong with your nose! Just kidding!

Post them here for us to take first pick. No sense de-stashing to complete strangers when so many members, especially new members, are more than willing to take them off your hands!

Please and Thank You!!!

Absolutely! You can have first dibs the next time I stumble across a fragrance heavy in these fragrance notes.
I am not a huge lavender fan either . However, I will happily cross the garden path and walk through some Eucalyptus or Camphor! EVERYONE'S nose is different. I try to offer something for every nose as long as it isn't too offensive to my nose lol

 

[BWt]

I have multiple samples of FO, most in the 5ml range. Am a beginning soaper and have made about 20 batches to date. Have been combining the FO's. I add two or three drops of FO into a small glass bowl and then add one or two drops of another FO that I think will blend together. Then I sniff to see what I think. This way I am not wasting. Sometimes I blend a floral FO with EO in order to use up what I already have. Have found that lavender EO blends well with any floral scent. Also have been adding 1 tsp of kaolin clay (per lb of oil) to soaps in order to help anchor the scents. Seems to be working with the exception of the citrus oils which refuse to cooperate :/ So far I've only had one stinker and it is drying down and might be ok after all (it involved mint and seems to becoming more tame as it drys.). Oh I also tend to soap on the cool side as my first few batches got too thick too fast when adding FO and EO. Am not doing anything cool with swirls or colors yet. Just learning. Always learning. Being able to read posts on this site is extremely helpful!! Thank you everyone.

 

[BritS]

Yeah, at this point I’m just sucking it up and ordering things I think I might like. I’ve been mixing a few together with really good results. I’m starting to understand that trial and error is going to be the only way I’m going to find what I like.

 

[MelissaG]

Oh, I should mention that I hate patchouli. It stinks. I made vanilla patchouli and some people have liked it but it really isn't selling. Then I tried sandalwood patchouli and nearly everyone I talk to has liked it plus it's been selling. I know you're not partial to either but they mellow each other out nicely. You might like to consider it.

 

[math ace]

I have multiple samples of FO, most in the 5ml range. Am a beginning soaper and have made about 20 batches to date. Have been combining the FO's. I add two or three drops of FO into a small glass bowl and then add one or two drops of another FO that I think will blend together. Then I sniff to see what I think. This way I am not wasting. Sometimes I blend a floral FO with EO in order to use up what I already have. Have found that lavender EO blends well with any floral scent. Also have been adding 1 tsp of kaolin clay (per lb of oil) to soaps in order to help anchor the scents. Seems to be working with the exception of the citrus oils which refuse to cooperate :/ So far I've only had one stinker and it is drying down and might be ok after all (it involved mint and seems to becoming more tame as it drys.). Oh I also tend to soap on the cool side as my first few batches got too thick too fast when adding FO and EO. Am not doing anything cool with swirls or colors yet. Just learning. Always learning. Being able to read posts on this site is extremely helpful!! Thank you everyone.

How do you make sure the blend you are creating is still skin safe and safe at the rate you are using?

 

[AAShillito]

Oh, I should mention that I hate patchouli. It stinks. I made vanilla patchouli and some people have liked it but it really isn't selling. Then I tried sandalwood patchouli and nearly everyone I talk to has liked it plus it's been selling. I know you're not partial to either but they mellow each other out nicely. You might like to consider it.

2 questions- what FB group do you recommend and what fragrances did u use for sandalwood/patchouli bc the patchouli I last tried made me feel queasy

 

[BWt]

How do you make sure the blend you are creating is still skin safe and safe at the rate you are using?

When using plant based FOs from FNWL (fromnaturewithlove.com) Each product has a percentage of usage chart and I normally use the "rinse off" category as recommended per product. Or alternatively I use the amount of scent recommended in the soapcalc.net.

When using EO depends on the EO. Most of my EO are from Edenbotanicals.com and Woolzies 10 grams (plus or minus a bit) per lb of oils in CP soap seems to work well.

FO seem to be entirely proprietary so it is very difficult to know exactly what is in them.
EO are much more easily worked with for me because I know exactly what is in them.

Skin safe. I research the EO and try to use those that are generally well received such as Chamomile, Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Rosemary, Litsea Cupeba, Lemon Verbena, and the more common EO's found in skin products.

Have found the citrus EO soaps to be the most difficult to retain a scent with EO usage. The lye seems to simply "eat" the EO. Today I tried a mix of Lime, Orange, Vanilla, and Vetiver EO and it was pretty nice (but the Vetiver is very pricey).

Hopefully I am not making mistake with my measurements. Haven't sold a thing yet, but have some friends that are testing my first attempts. IF and when I do sell a product I would list the EOs on the label so Buyers could determine allergic issues.

Personally I am severely allergic to latex and it seems to have crossed over into other plastics. So I have difficulties with foods and items wrapped in plastics. That is why I started making my own hair shampoo and conditioner. Have a grand daughter that is allergic to nuts, all dairy, sesame and a few other items. Allergies are a huge concern for me. Skin safety is part and parcel of the same concern.

Thank you for your question. Hoping for your opinion on my measuring methods. Best,

 

[BWt]

Yeah, at this point I’m just sucking it up and ordering things I think I might like. I’ve been mixing a few together with really good results. I’m starting to understand that trial and error is going to be the only way I’m going to find what I like.

Oddly enough I had a FO from FNWL (fromnaturewithlove) that is called "Canaga flower". It did not smell that good in the bottle but I had 3 samples of it (not sure how I had 3, perhaps they multiply when I am not looking). At any rate added some to a lard based soap test and the smell is lovely in the soap. Perhaps the type of fat affects the smell? I should start using lard in my solid perfumes then :/

 

[MelissaG]

2 questions- what FB group do you recommend and what fragrances did u use for sandalwood/patchouli bc the patchouli I last tried made me feel queasy

I could give you mine but I don't like self promotion here. Search "soap destash" on facebook.

The Sandalwood Patchouli I have is from Wholesale Supplies Plus. Men seem to love it. I usually have any guy buy it as soon as they smell it.

 

[math ace]

That might be what I have to do. Some companies only offer 1/3oz samples trial sizes, which isn't enough to make a full batch on my smallest mold at 3%.

What are some of your favorite FOs from them?

when I test my fragrances, I make a regular size batch of batter and then use individual cavity molds to test 1 fragrance per cavity. This way I can test 12 to 16 fragrances at a time. I do different color mica drizzles on top of the soap to tell them apart. My samples are 2 to 3 ounces each.

 

[AAShillito]

I could give you mine but I don't like self promotion here. Search "soap destash" on facebook.

The Sandalwood Patchouli I have is from Wholesale Supplies Plus. Men seem to love it. I usually have any guy buy it as soon as they smell it.

Thank you

 

[BWt]

View attachment 67124when I test my fragrances, I make a regular size batch of batter and then use individual cavity molds to test 1 fragrance per cavity. This way I can test 12 to 16 fragrances at a time. I do different color mica drizzles on top of the soap to tell them apart. My samples are 2 to 3 ounces each.

This is a fabulous idea. Both the testing scents on individual bars and the mica marking to identify the scents. Math Ace thank you for sharing this.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

This way I can test 12 to 16 fragrances at a time.

I do something similar. I tested colorants (micas) and FOs at the same time. I found it's best to do in a calm environment, i.e., when you have plenty of time so you don't rush through it.

TESTING FOs EOs COLORANTS IN CP