lemon: eo vs. fo

[AMyers]

So I have had a friend request a lemon lavender blend. I have read quite a bit about citrus smells from eo not really sticking, and wonder what's the best option for this soap. If I blend the two eos will that help the lemon stick, or would I be better off going with a fo? Any advice, oh wise soapers?

 

[Obsidian]

Your best bet is to use lemongrass EO. It nice a nice sharp lemon scent and sticks really well.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with using lemongrass. It's very lemony.

 

[Susie]

Lemongrass is a dead ringer for lemon. My favorite EO.

 

[AMyers]

Thanks! Now off to research so I can make an order. . . Hmmm, what else do I *need*? Hehehe

 

[MorpheusPA]

Lemongrass is a great scent and I love it...but I wouldn't call it a dead ringer for actual lemon. A quick sniff of my (large and often used) bottle, compared to lemon juice (from the fridge) shows an earthier note and a lot less lemon. Also a grassy tone.

I tend to use a lemon FO, although my FO smells more like Lemon Pledge than actual lemon. I'm still searching for a good one.

A little clay in your bar can help to ground the scent and hold it much better, as can a very small amount of a denser, heavier EO or FO. Musk, oak moss, and your lavender will all help hold a bit more lemon scent than otherwise.

 

[cmzaha]

I find Litsea to give much more kick than lemongrass. I usually mix litsea, lemongrass and lavender. LOL, looks like I am a bit out voted on the lemongrass. Don't get me wrong I love lemongrass but some litsea added gives it a great boost

 

[TRBeck]

I'm with Carolyn. Litsea is the bees knees for boosting lemon. I do like lemongrass but litsea cubeba is, for me, an irreplaceable EO.

That said, I would love to find a good, true lemon FO for a variety of reasons, including consistency, as EO varies so much more batch to batch.

 

[misera]

So I'm not sure if orange/blood orange smell also fades quickly but I just made a batch that's been curing for 3 weeks with Blood Orange EO. I did not use the max amount ppo but I added a tsp of plain old flour and used yogurt in the soap. The smell today is almost as strong as it was when I first poured it. I tried the flour b/c people here mentioned tapioca flour? but without running to the store to get it I decided to try out the all purpose flour. Seems to be holding pretty well!

 

[hmlove1218]

I'm also one that finds lemongrass more earthy and herbal than actual lemon. I might try blending lemon with litsea and lemongrass to give it some depth and ground it

 

[TVivian]

I like litsea better than lemongrass. It's pure lemon without the green grassy undertone.

Lemon is the one scent I'd never buy in an FO. There no need. Too many good EO options that are affordable!

 

[cmzaha]

I like litsea better than lemongrass. It's pure lemon without the green grassy undertone.

Lemon is the one scent I'd never buy in an FO. There no need. Too many good EO options that are affordable!

I agree