So, for those of you who use exclusively essential oils in your soaps and skincare products, do you create your blends based on how it smells or what it will do for your skin?
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| (My latest Potpourri Soap - with Lavender, Lemongrass, Fennel and Ylang Ylang Essential oils, a blend I created for the scent...) |
I usually aim for therapeutic value…. But try to blend nice scents. For example, our oily skin soap has a nice blend of Tea Tree with Eucalyptus. Our sensitive skin soap has my favourite blend – Patchouli, Geranium and Lavender.
Sometimes it is more difficult… so many things to think about. In creating our Rose Hip facial serum, as we are aiming this product at mature skin, I had a blend in my mind before ever smelling one of the essential oils I wanted in it… Then it arrived… I opened the bottle with so much anticipation (I am like a kid in a candy store with new essential oils!!), and YUCK. Have you ever smelled Carrot Seed Essential Oil? Well, it smells like DIRT. I knew I didn’t want any citrus essential oils in a product specifically for the face because of photo-sensitivity and was sure I wanted Frankincense in it… so I finally came up with a blend that is loaded with therapeutic value for the skin, and has a pleasant but not a Wow scent.
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| Me, at our stand at the Artisan trade fair we did this past weekend in Murcia |
Maybe I will grow to like Carrot Seed Oil? That has happened to me with several oils in the past. Oh how I love essential oils… blending… sniffing… inhaling… some are love at first sniff… the passion develops slowly for others… like patchouli (which I couldn’t stand at first but now love it but only in blends), and like my new obsession – Vetiver. What a change from supplier to supplier… I recently opened my vetiver essential oil from a new, local, supplier and WOW! Previously Vetiver was simply smokey campfire to me… unique but basic. Had never created a blend I loved with it… but now? I can’t get enough. Alone, blended, whatever… the oil from this new supplier is incredible… it is more than smokey campfire, it is bewitching, lingering, enticing, sensual, reminiscent, luring, addicting, playful yet calming, up & down, feet-on-the-ground yet magic-carpet ride… I am in love.
Questions for you:
1) What are your favourite Essential Oil blends for soap and for other skincare products? Why?
2) Does anyone out there like the scent of Carrot Seed Essential oil? What do you blend it with?
3) What are your favourite Frankincense blends?
4) Can you contribute any soapy essential oil blends with Vetiver?
5) As the scent of essential oils changes during the soaping process, I have had certain blends turn out beautifully in soap, but then haven’t been able to achieve the same scent in a non-soap product! Like patchouli, geranium and lavender… I have been trying to duplicate my soap scent for one of my moisturizing creams… I have attempted so many different versions but it never comes out smelling like the soap. Any tips?
Please feel free to share any thoughts on Essential Oils!
Happy Soaping!
xo Jen
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