Teach Soap

What are some of the best, or your favorite, spicy, woodsy, or medium/low note essential oils? I have mainly only tried herbal, floral, or citrus types. I would like to try a spicier one for a fall or Christmas soap.

Thanks all!

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Olivia :)

I love patchouli, but it is really a love it or hate it kind of oil. Some people can't stand it. Also vetiver, anise, and of course cinnamon in small amounts.

Anything with dark, iron distilled, well aged patchouli!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks soapbuddy and and goodcleanfun!! I think I'm finally going to take the plunge and get some patchouli!!!

These are the other spicy/woodsy EOs that BB carries that I am considering. Of these, which are your top two or three favorites?

Balsam of Peru
Bay Laurel
Black Pepper
Cedarwood
Cinnamon Leaf
Clary Sage
Clove Leaf
Sandalwood

I have not tried any of these yet.

Thanks all!

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Olivia :)

Does anyone know what the difference between Cedarwood and Cedarwood Atlas essential oils is? There is a difference in price, but what about the fragrance? What about Clary Sage and Dalmation Sage? The Clary Sage is the more expensive.

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Olivia :)

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thank you for the reply ljm1180!! How do they smell different? Is one stronger, sharper, sweeter, deeper, etc. than the other?

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Olivia :)

StokedTopHat:

I am in love with Carnation! It smells like all very well scented Carnations should smell like...It's very yummy and clove-y.

Thanks boatygirl! I would have assumed it smelled floral, how interesting though that it's clove-y! You aroused my curiosity and I went and read some reviews of it over at BB (I'm assuming you're talking about BB's Carnation FO?), and people seemed to like it as a fall or Christmas-type scent even.

I'm really wanting to try some spicy essential oils, though, instead of fragrance oils. I think I have decided to go with patchouli and clove bud EOs. Can't wait to try these out in some Christmas soaps!!

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Olivia :)

Oh, I goofed by not reading that you were interested in the EO's not the FO's! I hope you find some good ones...I'll check back and see which ones you like. I shy away a bit from using most of the EO's ...and, yes, the Carnation FO is BBs.

Have fun!

Top Hat - I agree with Soapbuddy - ANYTHING with a GOOD quality patchouli...

Other than that, I love cedarwood because it really stays in the soap for years. If you lather up good & leave it on a couple minutes, you won't get ticks or mosquitoes bugging you in the woods... and men love it.

The clary sage I love because it really relaxes people, takes the edge off after a hard day. (I once "doped" my husband with a combination of marjoram & clary sage & lavendar...)

Atlas Cedarwood, to me, smells just a bit more "white" than Cedarwood.

One of my favorite native american blends is:

Patchouli 7 drops
Cedarwood 5 drops
Vetiver 4 drops
Ginger 2 drops
Basil 4 drops
(of course, you'd use % & make a bigger batch for soaping)

Reminds me of mountain woods smells, but the name of the blend is "Fast Money Oil" (for the casino, eh?) I used to wear this for a perfume but am now using in soap & it appeals to both men & women. Of the 7 varieties I have in the local pharmacy, I can't keep this one always in stock because I have to order oils from the US & they take time to get here...

On the issue of cinnamon or clove oil - you might want to put a note on your label for folks with sensitive skins. I'm one of those who gets a blister if a single drop of pure cinnamon or clove gets on my skin. Anyone with eczema would want to steer clear.

So glad folks are trending toward earthy & woodsy smells now. I got really sick of strawberry in the 70s.

I make a soap that is a mixture of ginger/clove/cinnamon essential oils and it is very popular among my family and friends. It's like washing with a piece of spice cake. The percentages I use are roughly:

50% ginger
25% clove
25% cinnamon

These are all fairly strong oils, so I try to err on the side of caution and not add too much to each batch.

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Lassie

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Australian sandalwood is nice and it's economical and much more sustainable. It's not quite as good as real Sandalwood (what is?) but it's close. I have a blend I really like from Essential Oil University (this was years ago, I don't think it's available anymore) that included the australian sandalwood, cedarwood and other woodsy EOs.