Blending essential oils for soap scenting involves understanding fragrance notes and following recommended ratios to create balanced and lasting aromas.
When adding scent to soap, essential oils are a popular choice. Creating a pleasing and enduring fragrance blend often utilizes a combination of oils with different evaporation rates, known as fragrance notes.
Understanding Fragrance Notes
Fragrance notes describe how quickly an oil's scent evaporates and is perceived over time. Blends typically consist of three types of notes:
- Top Notes: These are the first scents you notice. They are light, fresh, and evaporate quickly, creating the initial impression.
- Middle Notes (Heart Notes): These scents emerge after the top notes fade. They form the core of the blend and are typically richer and more complex.
- Base Notes: These are the longest-lasting scents. They often appear as the middle notes fade and provide depth, richness, and staying power to the blend.
A Guideline for Blending Essential Oils
An excellent guideline for blending essential oils during soapmaking is approximately 30% top notes, 50% middle notes, and 20% base notes. This ratio aims to create a well-rounded fragrance that evolves over time.
Examples of Notes
- Top Notes (Approx. 30% of blend): Lighter, brighter scents that are the first fragrances identified. Examples include lemon and tea tree.
- Middle Notes (Approx. 50% of blend): The "heart" of the fragrance, appearing after top notes fade. Examples include lavender, rosemary, geranium, chamomile.
- Base Notes (Approx. 20% of blend): Heavier scents that linger longest and add depth. Examples include patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood, frankincense.
Blending Notes in Soap
Using this note structure helps ensure the scent isn't just a quick burst (top notes) but has body (middle notes) and longevity (base notes) in the finished soap.
| Note Type | Evaporation Rate | Characteristics | Recommended Percentage | Examples (for soap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Fast | Light, fresh, initial | ~30% | Lemon, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Orange |
| Middle | Medium | Heart, body, complex | ~50% | Lavender, Rosemary, Geranium, Ylang-Ylang |
| Base | Slow | Deep, rich, lingering | ~20% | Patchouli, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Frankincense |
(Note: Specific oils can sometimes be classified in more than one category depending on the blend and context. This table provides general classifications relevant to soapmaking.)
Practical Tips for Blending for Soap
- Consider Soap Chemistry: Some essential oils behave differently in the high pH environment of soap. Citrus oils (top notes) can sometimes fade quickly. Some oils can accelerate trace or discolor the soap.
- Safety First: Always research the safe usage rates for specific essential oils in soap. Avoid oils known to cause sensitization or irritation.
- Flashpoint: Be aware of the flashpoint of oils, especially if using hot process methods.
- Test Blends: Before adding a large amount to a batch of soap, mix a small test blend and let it sit for a day or two to see how the aroma develops.
- Total Fragrance Load: Calculate the total amount of essential oil blend you need based on your soap recipe size and the recommended usage rate for the specific oils used (often a percentage of your base oils).
By combining essential oils based on their fragrance notes and following guidelines like the 30/50/20 ratio, soap makers can create complex, balanced, and enduring scents in their finished products.
