Teach Soap

I'm going to be buying some new FOs/EOs for the Fall/Winter. I know this forum as well as other websites provide people's opinions on a variety of scents, however ultimately we won't know if we like a fragrance until we smell it in person and use it in our products.

I'm thinking of playing it safe and getting a variety of smaller bottles to test in CP and MP soaps, making multiple batches in a day/week, and then seeing what I like so that I can purchase larger bottles. I need to hurry up though seeing as how it is already October 3rd...I need to make sure I have plenty of time for my packages to arrive and for my soaps to cure!!!!

With that said, how does everyone go about purchasing fragrances for the first time? Do you purchase a small 1 or 2oz bottle and make small batches of soap with it to see if you like it prior to buying a bigger bottle? Or do you just hope you'll like the fragrance and go for the gusto and get a bigger bottle?

Before I buy a bottle, I usually check out The Soap Scent Review Board to see if that fo/eo faded or morphed for others. If it did, then I move on to another fo. If it didn't, then I buy a small bottle to test it out in my soap recipe.

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Genny

I'm going through this too, with shipping being sooo high, I want to make my orders worth it. I'm sooo tempted to buy the bigger bottles, but I'm holding back for the time being.

I do pretty much what Genny does, but I will also read the on-site customer reviews to see if anyone has commented about how well the scent holds up; what did it do in CP, etc.

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

I read the scent review board and the posts here on teach soap. If something comes very highly recommended I will jump in head first and get 4 ounces. If it is something that I really just want to try I will ask for a sample of it in my box. Even if I do not like a fragrance I can usually find a family member or friend who does. And for what I have left I use it in blends.... I did this with cucumber melon. Also have a fragance notebook so I know which ones are keepers and what I do not want to order again (incase my mind fails me !).

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I look for deals on buying a certain amount of 1 oz samples, when then gives me a break on each sample.

I check the Scent Review Board as well. Some suppliers have their own review boards, too.

The thing is, scent is so subjective, I don't necessarily go by what someone else says about how much they like a particular scent. Personally, I don't really much care for straight lavender or patchouli. I have found some blends with those that I like, but don't care for them on their own.

I do better if a review board can kind of describe the scent - is it green, floral, woody, fresh, etc. Just someone saying, ooh, I really like this one isn't much help to me.

I have also found that if I buy the teensy bottles, I will inevitably pick a scent that I wish I had a gallon of. And if I buy the gallon it turns out to be something I wouldn't wash out the garbage can with . . . .

Murphy (of Murphy's Law fame) has nothing on me!



Anita

I started out reading the reviews on the different sites. Unfortunately I found in each group of reviews very contradicting comments (it seized, it was awesome to work with, it was a great smell, it faded quickly, etc.). Therefore, I order about one dozen one ounce bottles of different FOs. Then I went to make a batch of CP using my bar mold and realized I needed at least 4 ounces of FO for the amount of batch I was making. So I combined some I felt smelled great together.

Now I'm ordering 4 ounce bottles. However, I've also starting a book writing down what sites have which FOs that I might want and who charges what for each. The thing of it is . . . my first batch doesn't have as much smell to it as my second batch. Both are the same size (about 10 lbs. of soap). The 2nd batch has my entire house smelling of honeydew melon.

I keep a separate running list of all FOs that I use. The list headings are: FO Name; Supplier; Date Used; Recipe Used; Comments. Under the comments I write down my thoughts about the scent OOB and after soaping, how well it worked, usage rate, any problems (ricing, acceleration, discoloration, etc). If it's one that I really like I put an * next to the name so it's easy to find again.

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

Go for ones you think you will like -- well, let me retract that . . . there are soooooooooooooooooooooo many that sound soooooooooooooo good!