Blending FOs

I am interested in mixing some FOs but not sure which ones would smell good together. I have a few bottles with just small amounts left in them that I would like to maybe try mixing.

Just curious if anyone has customer favorites that you use that you wouldn't mind sharing.

Thanks, Tina

I've actually just begun experimenting with blends. I've fallen IN LOVE with Bay Rum as a blender. I got a bottle b/c it was a "masculine" scent. It's very harsh and powerful. But blended with Lime Blossom - LOVE. Blended with Coconut - LOVE.

One thing you can do is get some jars - babyfood jars are perfect - and put a cotton ball in there, then put the FOs on the cotton ball, close the jar, and in a day or so open it up and see if you like it. For example, put 1 drop of FO A and 2 drops of FO B, and if you like it, try making a soap with 1 part FO A and 2 parts FO B.

Another option is to split a batch of soap, scent each part with a different FO, and then pour them in. That's my preference for Lavender Vanilla. I found that mixing the Lavender EO and Vanilla FO make a sickly-sweet, medicinal smell. But when I make a bar that is 1/2 lavender soap and 1/2 vanilla soap, I like it much better.

I just googled "fragrance oil and blending recipes" and came up with several hits. Here is one link:

http://www.candletech.com/candle-making/tips-and-tricks/scent-mixing-ideas/

I use perfume strips for testing and mixing. Musky woodsy go nicely with florals such as plumeria. I do a mix with 2 parts plumeria 1 part hardwood musk and it is a big seller for me in soaps and lotions. Best if used with a very nice realistic plumeria. Musky woods also mix nicely with citrus

Over the last few months I've been playing with blends a lot. I use the little (are they cosmetic pads) round cotton pads. Just count the drops of each scent i drop on them, then notate it on a piece of paper. I drop them into ziplocks and tape the recipe on the bag. Then if I like it, I can just ratio out the recipe into a batch for a soap.

Here's some links I found a while back that gave me some ideas. Hope they help.

http://www.soapdisharchives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=44258

http://www.fusionperfumery.com/recipes.htm

http://www.growingupherbal.com/blending-essential-oils-for-beginners/

I have a few blends up my sleeve that I love, but the one I'm most proud of is my Oatmeal Milk & Honey (OMH) blend. I had searched for the longest time for an OMH that smelled like it's name instead of smelling like almond/cherry like so many of them seem to do, and I finally found one at Oregon Trails soaps that didn't have any almond/cherry notes, but I felt it needed a bit more of a milky note to be perfect. Enter Daystar's Milk Sugar Kisses, (a dupe of Matin Calin) which is a lovely, comforting, pure, sweet milky scent. It was a match made in Heaven. I mix them @ 5 parts Milk Sugar Kisses to 2 parts OMH, and it's the perfect OMH to my nose. It soaps great, too. No A, but it does discolor to a light beige color.

Another favorite blend of mine is what I call my Blood Orange blend: 12 parts of any good & strong 'straight-up' orange FO to 2 parts WSP's Midnight Pomegranate FO. I haven't ever soaped with this one yet, but it makes a great perfume spray.

If you like the smell of Ivory soap, mix 1 part True Rose from SweetCakes to 2 part Pureed Grapes (i.e., Pure Grace) from TheScentWorks.

My Tropical Paradise blend: 3 parts SweetCakes Coconut FO /3 parts Peak's Passionfruit Guava /1.5 parts any good & strong 'straight-up' orange FO.

I don't have a name for this blend yet, but it smells wonderful to me, especially in salt bars: 6 parts MMS Jasmine FO/3 parts any good & strong 'straight-up' orange FO/2 parts Daystar's Salty Sailor FO.

I also like to do what Dixiedragon does, i.e., splitting a batch of soap in 2 and scenting each portion with a different FO. Three of my favorite soaps to make this way are these: Peak's BRV/Daystar's Paradise; Daystar's Milk Sugar Kisses/TheScentWorks Tupelo Honey; and MMS's Green Tea/TheScentWorks Black Kemun Iced Tea.

Thanks everyone!
I really appreciate your help!

Hi everyone, this my first post! I did a cp today and been playing around with some mixes and this one smells great and will share. Weird combo I know!
Peppermint 2g , Sandlewood 4g, cederwood 3g, patchouli 2g, lavender 4g, jasmin 4g, mandarin 2g. I made this for my daughter and she loves it. Will cut tomorrow and see how it comes out. It behaved very well although it didnt stay very liquid, but was workable.
I got so much from this forum since started 4 mths ago with soaping and my biggest hurdle was finding blends. Hope you enjoy this one.

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and to all who are sharing tips and ideas! I'm learning a lot.