Essential oils / soap making So i'm having a go at cold process soap making in a couple of days and i'm wondering about scents. Since essential oils are pretty damn expensive, i'm not gonna buy the whole range and start trying different combos. At least not at this point. Does anyone here have experiences with the oils and maybe some suggestions to what combinations of/stand alone oils make great "manly" scents??? The soaps will be for shaving (Personal use and gifts. I'm not going into the soap making business). Other tips & tricks are welcome...
Well scent is a very personal choice, but I really like Bay Rum essential oil. Also, Lime, Lemongrass, and Bergamot.
Here are a few of my choices: Almond Badedas Beach Breeze Caribbean Coconut Coco Lime Cooler Coconut Lime Verbena Cool Citrus Basil Cool Water Dragon's Blood Herbal Mint Juniper Lavender/Herbal Leather Lemon Verbena Oakmoss Patchouli P. I. for men Rosemary/Mint Sage Vanilla Mint Yuzu
Is that your "short list" Irena? :happy102 I like to mix EOs in my VDH soap as well as with Cornhuskers lotion to make homemade "Skin Food". my personal faves are: Lavender, Sage, and Peppermint. Mmm... Pepperemint. :love055 Mind you, those are stand-alone -- I haven't delved into mixing yet. I also bought lemon EO to mix with my witch hazel to make a nice, refreshing post shave splash. As for being "manly" I think sage is about as manly as it gets. As for the expense, it's all pretty relative as a little goes a long way, and those tiny 1/2 oz bottles will last a long, long time.
Thanks for the input. I haven't started making the soap yet, as some of the oils were harder to get (castor oil and palm oil), but i bet i'll find some tomorrow. The goal is making a good shaving soap, so my recipe so far is: Olive oil 30% Palm oil 30% Coconut oil 25% Castor oil 8% Almond oil 7% I'm hoping this will make good lather and not dry out the skin. If anybody, who knows better, sees some flaws in this, please let me know. As for the scent - i still don't know. I had my eyes on Bergamot, Patchouli, Sandelwood and Vanilla for standalone and/or mix, but maybe i'll just try a simple Lemon Tea Tree I guess i'll find out at the store tomorrow...
With that much castor and almond you recipe will most likely be soft. I would go with no more than 5% castor and up your olive oil. Be aware that vanilla by itself or in a blend can make your soap very dark brown, with possible brown bubbles.
You're welcome. Start simple my friend. Don't forget to use a lye calculator. If you need one, send me a PM.
My only thought is the amount of Coconut Oil seems a bit high. The harder the soap, the harder it will be to lather, I'd think. But I've never made CP, and I will certainly bow to Irena's knowledge and experience in the handmade bath and beauty arena.
The recipe was made using a very detailed lye calculator. It should still be a fairly soft soap... I'll tweak it a little to fit Irenas advise
Soaps are sliced, diced and put to sleep Bergamot scented - If i don't like it, i'll mill it into another batch with lime. If the soap don't produce as good a lather as i'm hoping for, i'll try a simpler recipe next time. The castor oil, the palm oil and the essential oil was quite expensive (only one retailer and it was organic). All that's left is waiting and getting some pH strips, but i think the lye calculator did a good job...
