Bergamot FO vs. EO - staying power and additive questions

[ahauer88]

Hi all!

I'm new here. I just made my first couple batches of soap and I'm hooked. Next up, I want to try Bergamot in an attempt to make an 'Earl Grey' type tea soap. I absolutely adore the smell of that tea and I'm hoping to capture it in a soap.

I've only ever used EOs up to this point and I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with Bergamot FO or if you have recommendations. Since it is a citrus type scent I'm afraid of the scent fading (I've heard citrusy scents tend to fade faster?) Would you go 100% Bergamot scent in the soap or mix it with something else? I don't know if it's better to do the EO or get the FO as far as scent goes.

Also, I'm thinking of adding something to the soap this time to make it "gray" in color (I feel a bit cheesy saying that for some reason, haha, but I think it would be cool if the color matched the name of the soap). I'd love to do a gray-white swirl. Have you all had luck with Titanium Dioxide to make the soap whiter? What about the gray color? I was thinking Kaolin clay or even a bit of activated charcoal, but I don't want the soap to have a drying effect. My oils are very light in color but I'd like to make it a purer white vs. cream if possible.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Oh, I luv Earl Grey Tea! I luv your idea! Go for it!
Use white kaolin (China) clay at a rate of 1 tablespoon PPO. It will not only whiten the batch but it will also help "stick" the scent.
Remove 1/6 of the batch at light trace, add a titch of AC (activated charcoal) to get a nice grey. Add back to the pot; do a quick swirl; and pour. The color will swirl as you pour.
Bergamot EO has a lovely fragrance, but, as you wrote, it is a citrus which tends to fade over time. To help anchor the scent, I would blend it with a complementary FO for longer staying power -- either an "Earl Grey" FO or Bergamot blend FO. Add to your warmed oils before adding the lye solution.

This is going to be so cool! I look forward to seeing pics!

 

[ahauer88]

Thank you so much! I'll definitely post back with results. Time to go buy some white kaolin and charcoal I've seen an Earl Grey FO blend so I think I might give that a try. I really appreciate the tips!

 

[cmzaha]

I personally have no luck with Bergamot EO nor have found an Bergamot FO that holds well. I am sure there is an FO but it usually takes a lot of trying various one's to find one that holds. I also have zero luck with clay helping hold fragrance. Zero, zilch, nada. Have you tried this Earl Grey FO https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/earl-grey-tea-fragrance-oil and another
https://arizona-mad-oils.com/products/earl-grey-tea-fragrance

 

[KiwiMoose]

^what they said. mix some Bergamot EO with an Earl Grey FO. and use the charcoal as @Zany_in_CO has said - but only about 1/4 teaspoon otherwise it can get too dark. You can always add more if you want it darker, but you can't take it out if you have too much. To get black I usually use a generous teaspoon to 500g of oil (1 pound approx) and mix the powder directly in to the batter.