whats your favorite FO?

[dirrdee]

I got a free sample of cherry blossom from BB with my order and I am in love. I havent really delved into the realm of FO's but this is going to change my mind. The few FO's I have smelled were just so strong, they gave me an instant headache, but this one makes me hungry...nom, nom, nom

So to help save me a ton of money, and help prevent any fights with my DH, what are your favorites? BTW, I dislike vanilla and bakery scents but other than that where do I start?????

 

[IrishLass]

Oh goodness....don't get me started! (I'm such a FO-HO.)

Mango Tea- SweetCakes
White Peach- ScentWorks
Bartlet Pear- Peaks
Jasmine Yin Hao- Oregon Trails
Salty Sailor- Daystar
Paradise- Daystar
Tahitian Tiare Flower- ScentWorks
Midsummer's Night- WSP
Raspberry Lemonade- WSP
Tassie Lavender- Southern Soapers and also MMS
Sugared Spruce- WSP
Green Tea & Cucumber- WSP
Bossa Nova- Southern Soapers
Blackberry Basil- ScentWorks
RoseMilk- Southern Soapers
PassionFruit & Guava - Peaks
Sweet Pea- Peaks
Spruceberry- Peaks
Bayberry- Nature's Garden
The Perfect Man- Nature's Garden
Santa's Pipe- SweetCakes
May Lily- Scent Works
Violet Bouquet - WSP
Blooming Violets - Daystar
Pineapple Blossom- Oregon Trails
Spiced Plum- Oregon Trails
White Tea- WSP

This is just a partial, off-the-top-of-my-head list. I could go on, but I'd be up all night!

IrishLass

 

[judymoody]

First off, all scents EO or FO are likely to smell overly strong in the bottle. You won't get a clear idea until you test in product. One easy method is to get some unscented lotion base and mix in a few drops. Of course, this is more complicated with soap as the lye can cause the fragrance to change in unexpected ways. Sometimes the FO is better in the cured soap, sometimes not.

Second, sign up for the Soap Scent Review Board (SSRB): http://soapscentreview.obisoap.ca

You need a paid internet account (no yahoo, hotmail, aol, etc.) If you have an account that comes with your internet access subscription or an .edu that should suffice. It has thousands of reviews by real consumers and it will save you time and money.

I have tested a few hundred FOs by now, many through sniffie swaps or by buying one ounce sample bottles during sales. I have liked only about 10-20% of them, and this is AFTER many quality hours spent on the SSRB. So expect a fairly low success rate. That said, not everybody's nose is alike and you can probably trade or sell the ones that don't make the grade.

 

[dirrdee]

Thanks guys! That is a good list to get me started Irishlass...lol, wow :shock:

Do those scents hold up in CP?

BTW, Im just joking about my DH fighting with me, he is actually very supportive!

 

[IrishLass]

Ditto what judymoody said, with the only difference being that I ended up liking a good deal more than 10% to 20% of the FOs I tried after researching on SSRB. FO-HO that I am, it's been closer to 50% for me , but like judy said- noses are different. Since I started soaping, I've found the sense of smell and what people find to be strong and/or weak, and distasteful and/or pleasurable are very individual things indeed. For example, what one person perceives as a lovely, sweet jasmine scent, another might perceive as cat pee. Really!

Do those scents hold up in CP?

Yep- except for Rosemilk (only because I haven't CP'd it yet), every single one of them holds up great for me in my CP. You'll have to play with the amounts, though. A few do great for me only at @ 1 oz ppo, most do great for me @ .75 oz ppo, and a few need as little an amount as .5 oz ppo. for me.


IrishLass

 

[Twisted Wick]

No matter what my fav FO is today, it will change with my next order of new scents

 

[dirrdee]

Well Im going to start working my way thru that list , hopefully they can send me samples. I just ordered a new supply of oils so I better wait a minute...lol. The cherry blossom really faded, but then I only put the little free bottle in so maybe not enough...gosh I love that scent!

It is bizarre how noses differ, what my DIL loves, I usually hate! Thank you so much for giving me some direction

 

[Genny]

I've had the same favorites for a while now:

Ginger Papaya ~ Symphony Scents
Kentish Rain ~ BB
Apples & Oak ~ Bittercreek North
Cucumber Ivy Mint ~ Bittercreek North

 

[Robbiegirl]

This topic is scentsational!
I love my perfect man...bet the scent is really nice.
I just ordered six from WSP
I'm going to order a few more.
This is going to be a soapful weekend.

 

[semplice]

I've received two of those Cherry Blossom samples from BB within the last two weeks. It's a VERY nice fragrance.

I can tell IrishLass is a fan of florals and fruits!

I tend to lean more towards foodie scents - so I love vanillas, pretty much anything with coocnut in it and fruits. That being said:

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey - WSP
Exotic Coconut - WSP
Coconut Creme - New Directions
Pomegranate - New Directions
Twilight Woods - WSP (kinda perfumey but I still LOVE it)
Patchouli Honey - Elements Bath and Body
Amber Romance - WSP
Passion Fruit - Southwest Candle Supply

 

[kharmon320]

I love talking about FOs! I think I'm more addicted to buying FOs than making the actual soap :shock: . I also love Semplice's observation. Different people lean towards certain types of FOs, foody, fruity, clean, manly, etc. I think I lean more towards manly/woodsy, less floral and fruity. I don't sell so I don't really have to cater to different tastes (at this point). There are a few fruity fragrance that I do like.

Blackberry Sage- Peaks or Aroma Haven (both soaped really well, edge to AH for more depth)
Basil & Herb- Candlescience, but it accelerates like no other.
Energy- BB
Salty Sailor- Daystar
Tonka Bean & Soft Sugar- Oregon Trails (OT) smells so sensual, nice woodsy undertone, accelerates.
Bay Rum- BB *I like the Bay Rum from OT, but doesn't smell like Bay Rum to me, more like Old Spice, etc. BB smells more true to bay rum to my nose.
Spiced Mahogany- BB **Hubby's absolute favorite** Sticks & Sticks, also accelerates and discolors dark reddish/brown.
Ancient Sedona-BB smells wonderful OOB, haven't soaped yet.
Love Spell- Peaks or Candlescience, both soap like a dream and stick.
Honeycomb- CS doesn't really smell just like honey, more florally/honey, but it really smells good soaped (much better than OOB) It's worth a shot at the very least.
Wild Mtn Honey- Peaks (very strong) and accelerates, but smells like an orange blossom honey to my nose. I will actually soap this much lighter next time (maybe only 0.25oz/ppo) to give a light honey scent to the soap.
Spiced Cranberry-Peak very popular when I took it to work
Spruce Christmas Tree-Peak **Lovely for candles and soap**
Winter Wonderland-Peak nice at christmas. Mix Spruce Christmas Tree and Winter Wonderland 1/2 and 1/2 for a christmas soap that's not too spicy.
Dirt- WSP This really smells just like dirt. Mixed with a touch of grass FO, it smells like freshly turned earth.

All I can think of off top of my head. I don't think you can go wrong by trying Peak, Oregon Trails, DayStar, BB or Candle Science. I've only tried one or two from WSP, but have read they have good FOs.

ETA: Forgot Dragon's Blood from Nature's Garden is a nice manly, unisex scent. It's better soaped than judged from bottle. Peak's Black Canyon was also well received.

 

[dirrdee]

I just have to thank you all, this information is so valuable to a newb like me and to others as well!

 

[Maythorn]

It's a tie between Oatmeal Milk & Honey (any supplier's I've liked) and my lavender and rosemary essential oils soap. Lighter on the rosemary. Both these make me feel pampered and for different reasons are really luxurious and fun to use.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

My favorite FOs are the florals

Cotton Blossom
Lily of the Valley
Lilac

or herbal scents like

Lemongrass & Sage
Citrus Linen

But my absolute favorites are the EOs I put together myself like:

Pepper Zest: Sweet Orange, Lime, Lemongrass & Black Pepper
Lily of the Wood: Lavender, Patchouli and just a touch of Lily of the Valley
EucaMint: Eucalyptus, Spearmint & Peppermint
MardiGras: Lavender & Spearmint