I’m not entirely sure what type of fragrance I will use in my soaps. The two options are, of course, essential oils and fragrance oils. For those who don’t know, essential oils are basically just extracts from various herbs and natural sources, such as lavender, eucalyptus, and ylang ylang (to name a couple). Essential oils contain the properties of the herb/whatever they are extracted from, and are used widely in aromatherapy to treat various ailments (as well as for their healing properties, a good example of this would be lavender). Fragrance oils are man-made, and don’t have any of the “properties” that one would find in essential oils. They are simply scents, though some can be surprisingly complex.
With essential oils, one can claim that their soap is “natural”. (Which probably isn’t true, unless they extracted their own lye from ash!) I’d really like to go for a “natural” approach, and I want to see if the properties of these oils really do come through in the soap. So where’s the beef? Well, it’s cost. While some essential oils are priced fairly well and nearly rival their fragrance oil counterpart (like eucalyptus, sweet orange, white pine and tea tree), others can be outrageously expensive (such as lavender, patchouli, ylang ylang, and sandalwood)!! For a potential hobbyist, these prices are downright frightening. $60/lb for a popular (lavender) scent? And for what? Though it is potent, I just don’t know. I may find myself buying some in the future, in small amounts, but I don’t think I could ever buy more than a few ounces without feeling outright guilty.
Fragrance oils come in every kind of pleasant smell your nose can dream of, including some that are less-than-pleasant. They are generally affordable, usually ranging anywhere from $9-$50/lb, and $50 is incredibly high. They’re also easy to get, though not necessarily body-safe ones (always be sure to make sure the FO you are using is skin safe!!). Still, they are considerably cheaper and more widely available.
But personally, I have this…thing…about using fragrance oils. I mean, for fun blends, I’d probably go with it. (Like Honey & Oatmeal in an Oatmeal/Honey bar so that it amplifies the scent a hundred fold. And maybe for stuff like tropical fruits, like mango, because there really isn’t mango essential oil.) But I absolutely couldn’t live with myself if I copped out and bought some Lavender fragrance oil instead of going ahead and getting a wee bit of the essential stuff.
Ah, well. I guess that’s the perfect middle ground: A blend. Fragrance oil for those whimsical bars, and essential oils for when I need something a bit more fresh and light. I have a little bit of lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree to use up at home anyway.
Buying Fragrance Oils
WSP (in my links list) has some well-priced “economy” fragrances from $9-$16/lb. I will probably use them at a 1or 1.2 oz/pound of fats rate, mostly because at such a cheap price, they probably won’t come through all that strong. While costing more money in the long run, this at least gives me an idea of what kind of scents I like and allows me to use up my samples (I will order 5 or 6 2oz bottles to test) without having to spend big bucks and wind up with something I hate. WSP also has some higher-priced fragrances, so I may look into those as well.
Day-Star (also on my links list) has some delightful fragrances that, according to other soapers’ reviews, behave beautifully and are very strong in soap. I will maybe order a sample back from them (5 different scents, $22.50), but only when I get the money.
For essential oils, I will hunt down the very bestest deals possible, cut corners wherever I can!!
Note: It’s a good idea to purchase stuff from people close to you rather than across the country. Shipping is going up and will only get more expensive in the years to come as oil prices rise!
Tags: essential oils, fragrance oils, fragrances, Ingredients, soap, Soap Making
