MarieJeanette

I confess that I'm not very scientific/clinical when it comes to blending my FOs. I pretty much just mix any FOs together that I think might make a great blend, whether they're single-note FOs or more complex. First, I start out with a drop of each FO on a Q-tip, and if I like how the FOs are behaving together, I then graduate to the small bottle method where I drip a certain amount of drops or milliliters of each FO into a small bottle (making sure to keep a record of the amounts of each so I can come up with a ratio), and then I let them stew for a day or two before deciding if any further adjustments are needed. If I like it, I then fill up a 1 oz. or 2 oz. bottle of the blend and test it out.

Thanks! That's good to know!

Mine are all in alphabetical order. I started with a 3-shelved cabinet, which served me just fine for about 2 years before I outgrew it. I can only fit "A" through "L" in there now. The rest are stored in 6 boxes that continue on with the alphabetical theme, although I store my sample sizes separately in 2 small boxes (alphabetically with them as well). I also keep a running inventory list of each FO on paper in a folder. The list also is alphabetical, but it has a column for the supplier of each FO, and it also has a constantly changing 'Amounts' column where I have written down the amounts of my FOs in pencil so that I can easily change them after each soaping session. That way, I always know exactly how much I have on hand with just a simple glance at the list instead of having to jostle around in the cabinet or one of the boxes every time I'm curious.

LOL . I clicked onto this thread thinking was going to be a thread talking about FOs for use in soap (as opposed to candles), instead of an actual company. I've never even heard of soapmakingfragranceoils before, but for what it's worth, Soapalooza (formerly Southern Soapers) sells an awesome Tassie Lavender (it's my go-to lavender). I noticed that they also sell a fragrance called Persian Limewood, as well as Sweet Peas & Rhubarb. I don't know if they are the exact same as what soapmakingfragranceoils sells, but I just thought I'd mention that.

Got it, thank you!

I loooove SweetCakes Mango Tea. It is very strong and lasts forever and a day in my CP. Like TallTayl, I don't smell any tea in it either. I call my soap made with it 'Honeyed Mango', because instead of tea, I smell something deliciously sweet along with the mango. I also love Mango Sorbet from WSP. Those are my 2 favorite mangoes.

The Orange Blossom holds up very well in product (I make CP soap and perfumes with it). I have orange trees in my backyard and the FO smells just like the flowers that bloom on them each spring. I love Woodlands, too. It soaps great, by the way.

I voted for 'other'........rose! I have a scent from Brambleberry called Crisp Apple Rose and it has become my most favorite apple scent of all time.

I love these from SweetCakes (I use them all in my CP, with the exception of Warm Vanilla Sugar which I use mainly in sprays): Mango Tea Cucumber Melon Masculine Musk Northwoods Orange Blossom Pomegranate Santa's Pipe True Rose Warm Vanilla Sugar Woodlands

It really depends on my mood at the time. Right now it's Brambleberry's Yuzu.

The smell of my child when he was a newborn.

I really love these from Oregon Trails: Jasmine Yin Hao Confederate Jasmine Mediterranean Sea Salt Peche de Vigne Caribbean Pineapple German Chamomile Tea Green Irish Tweed Melia Nani Oatmeal Milk & Honey Old Spice Pineapple Blossom Rosemary Mint Spiced Plum

I've only used the following 2 on your list (and only in CP soap): Apple Blossom- I love this scent. I don't know if it smells like a real apple blossom (never smelled one), but it's quite lovely. When I smell my soap, I can detect both apple and floral notes at the same time, as well as a slight, delightful, soapy undertone. It's good and strong, too. Blackberry Sage- I love this scent, too. It smells just like how one would imagine it to smell based on its name. So far, its holding up wonderfully in my soap- good and strong. I have their Cranberry Citrus, but I haven't used it yet. It smells awesome oob, though.

For me and many others, finding a good, strong, true coconut FO has been like trying to find a needle in a haystack. lol I've tried many over the years and I'm still looking for my holy grail. Having said that, though, there is one coconut FO that I really like above all the others that I've tried so far- Daystar's 'Under The Palm Tree'. To my nose it's the truest coconut FO I've ever come across. It gives off a really nice, slightly sweet, true coconut scent in my CP, but unfortunately, it is on the light side and definitely not what I would consider to be strong enough to be the dominant force in a blend. I'll be interested to see the responses you get!

Well, I doubt very much that I'm the soap queen you speak of, lol, but I find that among other things, much depends on the fats being used (in regards to their melting points), and also the FOs (if they are frisky or not). Like yourself, I soap with silk at a 2:1 ratio, and I also sometimes use goat milk, and I've found that with my formulas that contain a fair amount of hydrogenated PKO or other high-stearic fats such as cocoa butter, mango butter, etc.., that if I soap them at too low of a temperature (around 80F or 90F), I'll get what seems to be instant soap the moment I give a blast of my SB right after adding the lye and before I've even added my FO. But if I soap the same formula anywhere between 110F -120F, all goes smoothly and I have plenty of time to play (just as long as my FO is one that behaves nicely, that is). Anyway, what I learned is that the seemingly "instant soap" phenomenon I was experiencing was really not actual soap as much as it was the PKO and other hard fats precipitating out of the solution because of the temps falling too much below their melting points before the chemical heat reaction of the lye could kick in and keep them in liquid/melted suspension to be able to saponify them properly. In the end, I still got soap, but my bars from these batches were peppered with 'stearic spots'. My advice would be take a look at your fats and their melting points, adjust your temps accordingly, then go from there.