jodym
Well-Known Member
When figuring how much eo/fo per batch do i include the water/lye? Or do you go by just the base oils? Not sure when using the fragrance calculator on the brambleberry site. Thank you!!
Measuring a batch includes?
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sue1965
Well-Known Member
In general I base it on the weight of the oils. However, on the BB website they list it as the total weight of your recipe (including lye/water). I cut and pasted the section from their FAQ's below for reference:
Our handy fragrance calculator is an awesome tool to determine the proper amount of fragrance oils and/or essential oils to add to your project. Here is a link to our fragrance calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
*
1.) Enter in what you are making (eg. cold process, melt and pour, lotion, candles etc...)
*
2.) Enter in how much (in weight) you are planning on making, in total. The ending weight of your entire project (that means the oil+ water + lye.)
*
3.) Choose the fragrance oil or essential oil you are planning on using.*
Our handy fragrance calculator is an awesome tool to determine the proper amount of fragrance oils and/or essential oils to add to your project. Here is a link to our fragrance calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
*
1.) Enter in what you are making (eg. cold process, melt and pour, lotion, candles etc...)
*
2.) Enter in how much (in weight) you are planning on making, in total. The ending weight of your entire project (that means the oil+ water + lye.)
*
3.) Choose the fragrance oil or essential oil you are planning on using.*
Whoa! I'm guessing that FAQ was written by a copywriter who never made soap. The high end of the suggested usage rate on BB for patchouli EO is .8 oz per pound, about what I would use ppo for a strong, long lasting patchouli soap. If using a newbie recipe with 38% water by oil weight, that would be 1.3 oz patchouli EO ppo. Waaay too strong!
As a general rule of thumb, 1oz EO ppo is the max (look up safety guidelines for each first) although I'm wondering now if other soapers use more? Using EOs is a never ending learning process for me. I haven't found any websites/ blogs that consistantly suggest good usage rates for EOs - I guess it all comes down to trial and error.
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sue1965
Well-Known Member
I agree! Way to strong...especially for patchouli which tends to be overpowering to begin with. I do use their fragrance calculator but mainly for FO's and I usually go with a medium scent. EO's are 1 oz max also. However, I am usually blending them so amounts are lowered. Based on BB videos I do think they go heavy on the FO.
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