There are many charts that you can use to determine which oils are top, middle,
or base notes; these charts or tables should also tell you how much of each scent to
use. However, your personal scent preference may differ from the recommendations
in the charts. The best way to test a scent that you think you’d like is to gather the
essential oils, and test them in a jar, or other container. Dip one end of a clean cotton
swab in each jar of oil (be sure to use a different swab for each oil, to avoid
contamination), and put the swabs into a glass jar. Cover the jar, and check it after a
few minutes, a few hours, and 24 hours. Be sure to take notes on what you notice –
which scent dissipated first, whether one scent overpowered another, et cetera.
The swab test will give you an idea of whether you like the scents, and how they
blend together. However, to really get a feel for how the scents will interact when the
proper amounts of all three are included, you would have to blend them in the
correct proportions. Mix the three oils in the correct ratio, but use very small
amounts; for example, your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of oil A, 1 ½ tablespoons of
oil B, and 3 tablespoons of oil C. For the test, use 2 drops of oil A, 3 drops of oil B,
and 6 drops of oil C. (As with the swab test, be sure to use a different pipette for each
oil.) This way, you can avoid wasting the oil, if you decide that you don’t like the
proportional blend. Blend the small amounts of oil together in a glass jar, and check
it at the same intervals as the swab test. After 24 hours, the oil blend should smell
about the same as it will in the soap. If you are testing more than one scent
combination, it may help to have some coffee grounds handy – sniffing the coffee
grounds will cleanse your scent receptors in between each test, so you will get a more
accurate idea of each scent.
If you are having trouble getting your soap to retain its scent, there are several
tricks you can try. If you are following the 100-110°F rule for mixing the fat and lye,
try mixing them together at a slightly lower temperature. The temperature of the
mixtures can be as low as 85°F; as long as the mixtures are within 10°F of one
another, they can be mixed, and the soap will still be fine. Also, the soap does not
necessarily have to be insulated during the molding process, and many soaps aren’t.
You can try doing the same with your soap, if you’re having trouble getting your scent
to stick – although, depending on the recipe, it may not produce the desired result.
If you normally make soap using the cold-process method, you can try the hot-
process method. Unlike the cold-process method, the hot-process method saponifies
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