Essential Oil Staples

sudsly · Mar 4, 2016

I am new to soap making and I have made a couple cold process loafs that have turned out well (and now im really liking that process). I also have about 50lbs of MP arriving on wed. my question is what EOs and FOs for that matter are your staples and would recommend to any new soap maker to pick up in large quantities.

KristaY · Mar 5, 2016

Honestly, I don't recommend any new soaper pick up any FO/EO in large quantities because you don't know what you will like. My faves might be stuff you hate, lol. I suggest you order sample packs so you can try out a bunch. Peak Candle Supply has a Sampler Pack that includes 10 one oz bottles of your choice. Other companies probably do it too but Peak came to mind first.

http://www.peakcandle.com/products/Fragrance-Sampler-Pack--Choice-of-10__F1133.aspx

cmzaha · Mar 5, 2016

For Essentials I cannot be without Lemongrass, Litsea, Lavender, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Peppermint, Grapefruit, Mexican Lime, Gingergrass, Rosemary and Eucalyptus. These are a few I cannot live without. If you had to whittle down, Lavender, Litsea and Cedarwood are absolutely must haves. All of these EO's are great mixers. As for FO's it is hard to say since it is very subjective. Dragon's Blood is my top favorite

Soapsavvy · Mar 5, 2016

Honestly I think it depends on your own personal scent preference. I can tell you that what I did was compiled a list of 5 of my favorite cologne's and discovered that they all had Ylang Ylang, bergamot, lemon, and orange in them. So it tells me I like citrus a lot, not so much floral's.
I had found a website where I could type in the name of my favorite cologne and it gave me all the notes that the scent contained.

dibbles · Mar 5, 2016

The EOs I use most often, because it's what I like, are Lavender, Patchouli, a folded orange (I use BB 10x), Peppermint, Rosemary, Cedarwood, Litsea and/or Lemongrass. Geranium is also nice if you like a rose/floral note and I love Bergamot, but it can be pricey. If I had to cut the list down to what I would truly not want to be without it would be lavender, folded orange, patchouli, peppermint and cedarwood.

Seawolfe · Mar 5, 2016

Here is another post of peoples top ten EO's: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=58875
But it's really all about what YOU like and what you want to do.

sudsly · Mar 6, 2016

Thank you everyone, I agree im not gonna buy a bunch of bulk up front, but It is nice to see some lists, because there are some common themes to what people like.