Fragrance oil question

[Smellynewbie]

Hi there all
I've been looking for fragrance oils and they seem to be expensive how ever at my local store I did find fragrance oils 3 for £1 they were next to the candles and oil warmers on the shelves would these be OK to use in soaps do u think ? Or are there different kinds of fragrance oils ? Thank you in advance for any help

 

[green soap]

Some candle FOs are tested and approved for use in skin care, others are not. Take a note of who the manufacturer is and ask them.

 

[Relle]

You pay for what you get and unfortunately a lot of the cheap ones are just that - cheap. Buy your FO's from a reputable soap supplier and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Susie]

You pay for what you get and unfortunately a lot of the cheap ones are just that - cheap. Buy your FO's from a reputable soap supplier and you shouldn't have any problems.

^This. I would never trust FOs purchased at my local craft stores.

 

[dibbles]

^^^ Me either. Even if they are skin safe, they likely wouldn't stick in the soap. And for me, there is nothing more disappointing than scent that fades - even a failed design, if it smells good, is nice to use.

 

[dixiedragon]

Hi there all
I've been looking for fragrance oils and they seem to be expensive how ever at my local store I did find fragrance oils 3 for £1 they were next to the candles and oil warmers on the shelves would these be OK to use in soaps do u think ? Or are there different kinds of fragrance oils ? Thank you in advance for any help

I would wager those oils are made to go in warmers and are NOT skin safe. Fragrance oils are expensive however, a little goes a long way. I think 30 ml of fragrance oil will scent 400-500 grams of soap. (Had to use the online calculator to convert from ounces and pounds!) I am assuming that Gracefruit's FOs are a similar strength to the ones we use in the US? Gracefruit.com is a vendor I see repeatedly recommended by UK soapers.

 

[penelopejane]

I used a cheap FO once. The soap almost seized the second I put it in and there was no scent after a few days.

 

[Arimara]

I would wager those oils are made to go in warmers and are NOT skin safe. Fragrance oils are expensive however, a little goes a long way. I think 30 ml of fragrance oil will scent 400-500 grams of soap. (Had to use the online calculator to convert from ounces and pounds!) I am assuming that Gracefruit's FOs are a similar strength to the ones we use in the US? Gracefruit.com is a vendor I see repeatedly recommended by UK soapers.

Agreeing here. A good chunk of the time, you can get a nice lasting scent from .5oz or 30ml of FO. And like others have said, you're better off investing in FOs from a good vendor. I can also attest to having to pay not-so-nice shipping prices but I find that the FOs I get from good, reputable vendors do not trigger my mother's or my child's skin sensitivities. They can get itchy rashes with seconds of being around the FOs whereas I break out usually by topical application of certain products.

 

[dixiedragon]

Do you have any healthfood stores near you? Some essential oils - such as lavender, lemongrass and mint/peppermint - work great in soap and are inexpensive. (At least here in the US.) While these essential oils will be much cheaper from online vendors, they will be affordable at health food stores. Be sure the bottle says 100% essential oil - here, we often see "lavender oil" which is a small amount of lavender essential oil (or fragrance oil) mixed with sweet almond oil or some other carrier oil.

I myself like clove essential oil and cinnamon essential oil - these are also cheap, smell great and are long lasting. However, a) they can be irritating to some people and b) they will cause your soap to thicken and seize up.