what to do with this weirdo EO?

[rainycityjen]

I got a batch of EOs from Liberty Natural this week, and on an impulse threw in Bee Balm aka monarda essential oil, because it's local to the PNW and I'd read was "lightly floral." Well, it's not. It's a close cousin smell-wise of thyme and oregano. Sniffing it makes me want a meatball. So ... what have people mixed with their thyme-like EOs to make them prettier? I'm afraid I'll make a lavender or mint spaghetti soap.

 

[ClaraSuds]

I use white thyme in floral fragrances a lot. Good complements include geranium bourbon, cedar & lavender. Fougere, the original type of fragrance is a mix of geranium, lavender and heavy herbs like rosemary and thyme. A very nice easy fougere is

5 drops of cedar
1 drop patchouli
5 drops of geranium bourbon
1 drop of lavender
1 drop of thyme or in your case your bee balm.

It's a very strong scent but after a few days of melding you will find that this becomes a herbal accent that cuts through the cloying sweetness of florals to give the scent freshness.

 

[Obsidian]

I would save out a cup of batter from your next soap and scent it with the EO so you can see how it smells in soap. EO's often smell overly strong/weird OOB.

 

[Cindy2428]

Not much of a strong floral fan myself, or FO's that are super sweet I like to ground these with the more herbal, "medicinal" FOs. As obsidian mentioned, I will use extra batter and make scent blocks with my brownie bite mold for scent testing. Ylang-Ylang (more expensive) and Litsea Cubeba (more cost effective) make very good blenders.

 

[Dorymae]

I would blend it with a strong floral to mellow it out a bit or with a woodsy scent like a pine or cedar wood. Maybe even sandalwood.

Stick a cotton swab in each fragrance and put them in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer for an hour together. That will give you an idea of the final scent. If you are thinking of a 2:1 ratio then do 2 swabs of one and one of the other.

It can be really fun blending scents to find a really good one. Have fun.

 

[TRBeck]

2 parts lavender EO
1 part clary sage EO
1 part geranium EO
1 part bee balm
2 parts cedar
1 part patchouli

OR

1 part litsea
1 part lemongrass
1 part bee balm
1 part clary sage
1 part spruce/pine/fir
2 parts cedar

Basically, use the herbaceousness to create an agrestic effect by adding the clary sage as a harmonizer and then either citrus or florals to brighten. Wood at the base.

 

[Susie]

Lemongrass/thyme EO is actually amazing in CP, as is Thyme/spearmint. Note that I did not say OOB it smelled good. I am waiting to order more thyme when I run out of other EOs to save on shipping.

Try it in a cup of batter like Obsidian said. That is the only way you know what it will smell like in actual CP.