Friday, October 25, 2013

My Favourite Scents in Soap: Part 1, Essential Oils


All essential oils are amazing, however when it comes to cold process soap, some perform better than others. My criteria for EOs in soap is that they hold their scent well, don't accelerate trace, and are reasonably inexpensive to buy. These are my "must have" essential oils for a soapmaker's arsenal!

Cedarwood 
Eucalyptus  
Frankincense
Lavender
Lemongrass
Lime
Mandarin
Orange 10fold
Patchouli
Peppermint
Petitgrain
Rose Geranium
Rosemary
Tea Tree
Ylang Ylang

These are some of my favourite blends:

Hippie Blend
2 parts patchouli
1 part lemongrass
1 part orange 10fold

Ocean Blend
2 parts lavender
2 parts rosemary
1 part lemongrass
1 part peppermint

Forest Blend
2 parts lavender
1 part cedar wood
1 part lime
1 part rosemary

Minty Blend 1
1 part peppermint
1 part eucalyptus

Minty Blend 2
2 parts lavender
1 part peppermint
1 part spearmint

Spiritual Blend
3 parts frankincense
3 parts mandarin
1 part lemongrass
1 part patchouli
1 part orange 10fold

Bliss Blend
3 parts rose geranium
3 parts cedarwood
2 parts patchouli
2 parts mandarin
1 part ylang ylang

Eau De Cologne Blend
2 parts petitgrain
2 parts lavender
1 part orange 10fold

Clear Complexion Blend
1 part lavender
1 part tea tree


Do you have a favourite essential oil or blend in soap? Pop it in the comments below!

9 comments:

  1. patchouli, vetivert, orange 5 fold, petitgrain, eucalyptus are some of my faves and my fave blend would be vetivert, geranium, lavender.
    the possibilities are endless huh?! xx

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  2. Pinned this for future reference. Thank you SO much for a great list of scent combinations. I'm a big fan of the citrus and mint families, and use those quite a bit, but I'm starting to experiment with patchouli and petitgrain. So much fun!

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  3. Thank you....it is lovely when experienced soapmakers are willing to share their expertise. I am going to try some of these to see which I like!

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  4. I love your blends! The only essential oil you mention that I don't have is frankincense. I will try your 2nd minty blend out soon - equal parts of peppermint and spearmint are just not doing it for me....lol.

    My favourite blend is a simple one: May Chang/Litsea with Lavender (or Lavandin Grosso in soap so it comes through better).

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  5. I like the combination on Forest Blend, thank you, I will try it in one of my new soaps for Christmas.

    I really enjoy the following blends:

    Provence
    Rosemary 1
    Thyme 1
    Mint 1
    Lavender 1

    Young and Sexy
    Ylang Ylang 3
    Rosemary 2
    Rosewood 1

    Floral
    Ylang Ylang 2
    Frankincense 2
    Lavender 1
    Patchouli 1/2

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  6. Great blends, however have not had good luck with lime in cp soaps.

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    Replies
    1. In my experience with CP the lime can come through quite nicely with a small amount of lemongrass to help it stick.

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  7. Your blog is so inspiring to a new soapmaker like me, could you please explain the 1 part of the essential oils, how much in ml or drops, thanks a lot ......

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  8. lemongrass and vanilla, vanilla and basil,lime and orange, olive and lemon are my faves. :)

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