Dumb FO/EO Blending Question

[Squeakie]

I've been making a few test batches of HP soap (1/2 pound batches) with single FO/EOs, and have discovered that I'd like to try some scent blending.

So, dumb question:

• When I blend, do I blend the original amounts of FOs or EOs together? Or do I cut those amounts into parts - for example, if I'm wanting to blend Cinnamon and Christmas Memories, do I blend the full ratio for each scent that I used in my test batch, or do I use half the amount of Cinnamon and half the amount of Christmas Memories for a blended scent?

Feeling dumber as I type . . . I have sample sizes of several (okay, many, lol) FO scents and want to minimize waste of scents and soaping oils while figuring this out. I also have a few EO blends with oils I have on hand I'd like to try blending, but don't want to waste them on folly .

Also, I've been doing 1/2 pound test batches - is it okay to try to reduce down to 1/4 pound batches? I am using a gram scale that does go down to hundredths and am using a 1.5 quart crockpot for small batches.

Thanks for your input!

 

[IrishLass]

Hi Squeakie! This is what I do when I make blends in order to minimize waste. I take a cotton ball (or a piece of construction paper works well, too) and place a drop of scent A and a drop of scent B onto it, making sure the 2 scents mingle together, then I place it in a snack-size ZipLoc baggie and let the scents meld for a day. The next day, I will open up the baggie and smell it. If I think it could do with more of scent A, I'll place another drop of scent A on it and leave it for another day and check again. Let's say I really like the scent it made with 2 drops of scent A and 1 drop of scent B......what I do next is fill a small 1 oz bottle of the blend adding 2 parts scent A to 1 part scent B using a pippete with millimeter measurements on it.....basically, for every 2 mLs of scent A that I add to the bottle, I add 1 mL of scent B, all the way up until the bottle is full. Then I use it to make a 1 lb test batch of soap.

Regarding small batches....... as long as you have a very sensitive scale that can accurately measure as low as hundredths of a gram, you should should be perfectly fine to make 1/4 a pound batch. I myself have such a scale and my 1/4 lb. batches turn out fine.


IrishLass

 

[Jersey Girl]

Hi Squeakie! This is what I do when I make blends in order to minimize waste. I take a cotton ball (or a piece of construction paper works well, too) and place a drop of scent A and a drop of scent B onto it, making sure the 2 scents mingle together, then I place it in a snack-size ZipLoc baggie and let the scents meld for a day. The next day, I will open up the baggie and smell it. If I think it could do with more of scent A, I'll place another drop of scent A on it and leave it for another day and check again. Let's say I really like the scent it made with 2 drops of scent A and 1 drop of scent B......what I do next is fill a small 1 oz bottle of the blend adding 2 parts scent A to 1 part scent B using a pippete with millimeter measurements on it.....basically, for every 2 mLs of scent A that I add to the bottle, I add 1 mL of scent B, all the way up until the bottle is full. Then I use it to make a 1 lb test batch of soap.

Regarding small batches....... as long as you have a very sensitive scale that can accurately measure as low as hundredths of a gram, you should should be perfectly fine to make 1/4 a pound batch. I myself have such a scale and my 1/4 lb. batches turn out fine.


IrishLass

I think the OP is asking about usage rates. I’ve never blended an EO FO blend but I have done FO blends and if I’m understanding what she is asking if I were to want to blend 2 together I would still only use 5% total between the two. EO is a different story though because of the wide array of usage rates per oil. Too much math for my scrambled brain. Lol.

 

[AliOop]

And be very careful with cinnamon! It often causes soap to seize, and it is very skin-sensitizing.

A good place to find and create EO blends is EOcalc.com. They don’t have every EO, but they do have many of the common ones. And their premade blend suggestions are usually pretty good, too.

 

[Squeakie]

Hi Squeakie! This is what I do when I make blends in order to minimize waste. I take a cotton ball (or a piece of construction paper works well, too) and place a drop of scent A and a drop of scent B onto it, making sure the 2 scents mingle together, then I place it in a snack-size ZipLoc baggie and let the scents meld for a day. The next day, I will open up the baggie and smell it. If I think it could do with more of scent A, I'll place another drop of scent A on it and leave it for another day and check again. Let's say I really like the scent it made with 2 drops of scent A and 1 drop of scent B......what I do next is fill a small 1 oz bottle of the blend adding 2 parts scent A to 1 part scent B using a pippete with millimeter measurements on it.....basically, for every 2 mLs of scent A that I add to the bottle, I add 1 mL of scent B, all the way up until the bottle is full. Then I use it to make a 1 lb test batch of soap.

Regarding small batches....... as long as you have a very sensitive scale that can accurately measure as low as hundredths of a gram, you should should be perfectly fine to make 1/4 a pound batch. I myself have such a scale and my 1/4 lb. batches turn out fine.


IrishLass

I think the OP is asking about usage rates. I’ve never blended an EO FO blend but I have done FO blends and if I’m understanding what she is asking if I were to want to blend 2 together I would still only use 5% total between the two. EO is a different story though because of the wide array of usage rates per oil. Too much math for my scrambled brain. Lol.

And be very careful with cinnamon! It often causes soap to seize, and it is very skin-sensitizing.

A good place to find and create EO blends is EOcalc.com. They don’t have every EO, but they do have many of the common ones. And their premade blend suggestions are usually pretty good, too.

IrishLass ~ Brilliant - so practical - thanks for the tip ! And I will give a 1/4 pound batch a spin and see how it goes. I have 2 basic soaping oils recipes that I really like and am now playing around with scents, and 1/4 pound batches will definitely give me more bang for the buck.

Jersey Girl ~ Yes, total usage using blended oils was a part of the question. I'll keep track of my ratios and aim for the max 5%. It's one of the reasons I asked about doing 1/4 pound batches, too, to minimize the cost of potential fragrance flops, lol.

AliOop ~ So far, no seizing with cinnamon, using actual cinnamon powder at trace and a cinnamon FO. Our family has used cinnamon soap from a soap crafter in the past and not had sensitivities, so we're okay there. Cinnamon soap actually makes a lovely shaving soap in the shower (not too scratchy, but mildly exfoliating) and I love love love the scent! Excited to be able to make my own!

Thanks so much for the tips and info! It's late, but before I go to bed, I just have to blend a few scent combinations .
I gain an hour tonight, right?

~Squeakie

 

[earlene]

You have a cinnamon FO? I have not used one, but the cinnamon EO absolutely caused my soap to seize. I won't be using it again for soap. But not sure what good it is keeping it now because I don't make much other than soap and I certainly wouldn't put it in my deodorant (that's the other thing I make). I guess I could add it to a potpourri around the holidays.

 

[AliOop]

Agreed with @earlene - you mentioned EO so that’s why I brought up the soap seizing. Cinnamon and a few other “hot” EOs contain enough eugenol to speed up trace significantly, often to the point of seizing. They are also known sensitizers that cause skin irritation fir many people.

If you are using an FO, you probably won’t have the seizing problem. The powder is still a skin sensitizer for many people. It may not irritate your family’s skin, but just know that others often have very bad reactions to it. My entire family falls in that category, and I believe @Zing also has issues with it.