Weak Lipbalm Scent - Can I Remelt?

[Tizimarezie]

I'm new to making lipbalms and bought a kit from BCN. Made several from the flavors I ordered (Cherry, Coconut, Honey)...and I'm not at all happy with the strength of the fragrance. Instructions said to add no more than 6%. Can I stick these tubes into the microwave to melt down the lipbalm so I can add more fragrance oil? (Melt down, pour into glass container, add more flavor oil...repour..blah, blah). I don't know if these tubes are microwave safe. Anyone know? Otherwise, I'm afraid the lipbalms I made are a total waste.

TIA

[Kimberly]

I think you need to realize it is FLAVOR oil not fragrance oil.

Some of my Lip Balms you can smell ..like the peppermint EO...but the ones to where I use Flavor oil, not so much. To me, people want taste on their lips not scent.

[heirloomoriginals]

YOu can remelt them down. Just twist the tube up the whole way and slice it off with a sharp knife (make sure you twist the tubes back down for repouring), then just remelt and repour. Make sure you are using flavor oilrs and not fo.

Steph

[Tizimarezie]

Thanks for the info! I am definitely using Flavor Oils :-) I hardly smell a scent when I sniff the tube and I've let them sit now for three days.

Can I use more than the recommended 6%? Is there a risk with using more?

[CareBear]

the risk is irritation and drying. and at 6% I'd think you were way over the top already for any of the suppliers I use for lip balm flavor oils.

The max I've gone is 3% and regretted it. Cherry lip burn... mmmm.

[Tizimarezie]

BCN recommends "no more than 6%". Following their recommendation, I'm not over the limit yet.

Thanks for the info. I don't know which Flavor Oils you use, CareBear. Sounds like they would be pretty luscious. Care to share?

[CareBear]

ooh there are many. sweetcakes comes to mind at the moment: http://www.sweetcakes.com/default.php?cPath=11

ETA: there are many great threads on this - try some of these: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/search.php?searchid=1119440

[MissMary]

I use a couple from BCN at 6%, like Grape and Wild Berry (the others from WSP I use only at 3%). STEP AWAY FROM THE HONEY.... every single report was that it smelled like <insert animal> pee.

It's been ferret, cat, dog, deer, etc.

I'm changing to other suppliers for the flavor oils though. I think BCN cuts theirs somehow because I'm having to use twice as much. But their base is to die for.

[Meridith]

I use a couple from BCN at 6%, like Grape and Wild Berry (the others from WSP I use only at 3%). STEP AWAY FROM THE HONEY.... every single report was that it smelled like <insert animal> pee.

It's been ferret, cat, dog, deer, etc.

I'm changing to other suppliers for the flavor oils though. I think BCN cuts theirs somehow because I'm having to use twice as much. But their base is to die for.

I don't recall whose Honey flavor we used but it was not WSP's, possible BCN's?, but, it smelled like animal urine too. Maybe it is all Honey flavors?

[MissMary]

Sorry, yes I meant BCN.

[Tall Blonde]

Just be careful about adding too much flavor oil. I did that once and then later when I used the lip balm my lips were stinging. Had to melt it all down and dilute it.

[Meridith]

Sorry, yes I meant BCN.

No apologies necessary. I meant that I was not sure if mine was from BCN but I knew it was not from WSP which makes me wonder if other Honey's smell like urine. I have only purchased a few flavors from BCN. The bulk of my flavors were purchased elsewhere. :smiley2:

[MissMary]

I wonder if honey is just too concentrated of a fake scent to be used in that way. When I think about it, I don't see much straight honey scented or "flavored" items that aren't made with real honey. Maybe a tough scent to dupe?

[Guest jurnalynn]

you keep saying scent have you tasted it to tell how the flavor oil turned out?

Laura

[Meridith]

you keep saying scent have you tasted it to tell how the flavor oil turned out?

Laura

Honestly, no. We could not get past the odor. For me, since it smelled like urine, I was not interested in the taste at that point. I can't see where a customer would be able to get past the smell to see what it tasted like either.

[MissMary]

Honestly, no. We could not get past the odor. For me, since it smelled like urine, I was not interested in the taste at that point. I can't see where a customer would be able to get past the smell to see what it tasted like either.

Same here. I've tossed a few in thinking it was just me and my DH or something - sorta like Lavender maybe, where we hate it, but others adore it. In a dozen or so testers - every single one reported urine smell and refused to put it on. Except one, who was desperate at the time and knows what the base feels like.

I've worn it, but only for a few minutes. It's a strong scent to begin with, even cutting to 3% and it just made me want to gag.

I even tried to GIVE away what I had made up with the batch. I just tossed the last 15 I couldn't even give to kids (who seem to love all things nasty).

[Guest jurnalynn]

Honestly, no. We could not get past the odor. For me, since it smelled like urine, I was not interested in the taste at that point. I can't see where a customer would be able to get past the smell to see what it tasted like either.

sorry i didn't mean the urine scented ones i don't think i could have tassted it either.......lol i meant the original poster who says the scent isn't strong enough if she hasn't tasted it she won't know if she wants to up the flavor to 6%

Laura

[scrubzz]

Unless something has changed since I made them, lip balm flavor oils are pretty much just scent aren't they? The only taste I got was from the sweetener

So scent is what you are going for -

some of mine I wanted to be subtle so I didn't want a knock you socks off scent

[Meridith]

Unless something has changed since I made them, lip balm flavor oils are pretty much just scent aren't they? The only taste I got was from the sweetener

So scent is what you are going for -

some of mine I wanted to be subtle so I didn't want a knock you socks off scent

Good point scrubzz. Most oils for lip balms have no flavor, unless otherwise stated. For those that are unsweetened, you have to put sweetner in for any kind of a taste and to trick you into thinking its the taste of the flavor you get. Otherwise, you will only get a scent of the flavor. Once you add the sweetner, you can smell the scent and taste the sweetner therefore your mind thinks it tastes the flavor as well.

[Guest jurnalynn]

i did a lipbalm swap i didn't notice the smells at all they all seemed to taste like what they said not just sweetener some weeker then others

Laura

[CareBear]

there is a reason that most fragrance manufacturers are also flavor manufacturers...

actually there are several reasons:

flavors are often remarkably like fragrances in composition

use the same chemicals thus more buying power

training for both done mostly with the nose

your nose is more involved in tasting than your tongue is

...

(yes, pretty much flavors without sweetener - which is where the tongue gets involved - are fragrances)

[van_yulay]

Ok.. I need to help. Wow.. I had to search for the perfect lip balm for 5 years, till I came accross Ann-maries @ www.brambleberry.com . She has the best lip balm flavors. Instead adding more flavoring to make it stronger, Use a new flavor of good quality ,one like peppermint (strong), add it to the old and call it honey peppermint and then through that other flavor stuff out.( So you can save the batch you made already) Ann Marie has the strongest and best flavors I think on this planet. Also I use stevia (sweatner) and it makes it taste lilke the flavor. Monica