Q: I seem to be having trouble with some scents dissipating from my soap after just a few weeks, particularly citrus essential oils. I read a lot of internet chat about “anchoring” to make the scent last longer. Can you tell me what I can use to anchor lemon, lime, orange, & mango please. I would love to have a strong lemon soap.

A: Citrus Essential Oils (EOs) are very volatile and tend to dissipate quickly. Anchoring is a fairly common term that is used to refer to blending a heavier, deeper, “stickier” scent with the fragrance you wish to hold onto. The heavier scent usually will help the lighter scent stick in your soap or toiletry recipe for longer.

I have fairly good luck with Lemon, Lime and Orange when I anchor them with Litsea and Lemongrass. As for Mango, you might try another brand of Mango because there are some that definitely stick in soap fairly well. Either that, or try blending the Mango with another orange fruit such as Tangerine or a synthetic orange fragrance that is designed to stick in soap.