The ABCs of Essential Oils: Eucalyptus

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Eucalyptus

If you're brand new to essential oils, you might be most familiar with eucalyptus through a vapor rub used when you have a cough. Eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol are the active ingredients in VapoRub, giving it that medicinal odor. Eucalyptus is more of an aromatherapy essential oil than a perfumery one- who wants to smell like a medicine cabinet?

That said, there's more to fragrance creation than just making perfumes, and it's useful to know how to use all sorts of materials. If you decide to make something like soap, you'll start to realize you're limited partly on the chemistry of the product. Cold process soaps can alter your scent, and some scents might not be strong enough to be worth putting in them. Hot process involves flash points, since an oil with a low flash point might not survive the heat, meaning you wasted that oil (I actually got into anise when playing around with hot process). Liquid soap (the kind made with oils and potassium hydroxide) can also react in weird ways with different essential oils. Different scents can thicken it or thin it out, some can cloud it, and others might clump up weird. So if you're interested in essential oil blending for products, there's definitely a lot more going on than just figuring out what smells nice together.

I haven't used eucalyptus in soaps, but there are a lot of products you might want to use it, especially if you're feeling kind of sick. You don't want to smell like eucalyptus all day, so you could try it in a salt or sugar scrub, or perhaps put it in a shower fizzy tab so it releases the scent into the steam. Try mixing it with peppermint to make it fresher, or try some lemon for a sunnier scent. Use eucalyptus in your home made cleaning products for an aromatherapy boost.

Since I am mentioning the aromatherapeutic uses, I would like to note that it's advised not to use this oil for children under ten, including sniffing it out of the bottle or from an aromatherapy inhaler. Because there are many different eucalypti, some may be safer for children than others.

And if you really want it in your perfume? Try finding eucalyptus absolute from the stores below for a less medicinal fragrance.

Hermitage Oils
Aftelier

There are a lot of eucalypti out there, and if you can't stand the odor of one, you might want to try another. I've listed some below that I've seen before. There are many more, but this list includes some common ones plus a few that have a bit of a fragrant twist.

Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus smithii
Eucalyptus macarthurii - rosy, Arctander notes that it's a eucalyptus for perfumers
Eucalyptus dives - minty
Eucalyptus citriodora- citronella-like
Eucalptus staigeriana - lemony

Other eucalyptus notes:
Cajeput (Melaleuca cajupti or Melaleuca leucadendron)
Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

Previously:
Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The Lab # 5 Lavender

This started out as an idea for a lip balm flavor- lavender, anise, and vanilla. When I did my flavor tester (I made a zillion of those), I wasn't impressed. I took the scent blend and put it in some soap, which was rather lovely. It did make the soap turn dark due to the vanilla in it, so it wasn't the prettiest soap, but it did smell nice.

This scent is an expansion of that idea- vanilla at the base, lavender at the middle and top (lavender absolute and essential oil), and anise at the top. Vetiver, patchouli, and clary sage bring some earthiness to it, and black pepper spices up the top. I also added some yuzu absolute to brighten it up- that stuff is hard to find and rather pricy for a citrus note, so once this fragrance is sold out, there will be no more of it. Perhaps a slightly different version, but unless I can get my hands on some more yuzu absolute, I won't be able to make any more.

The Lab #5 Lavender is available at Ivre de Fleurs and Etsy for $15.

In the Works and Such

I was really hoping to write more once I no longer had my day job, but I just haven't felt like writing as much as I should. I've had so much other stuff to do, and still more I can do, that I haven't made blogging a priority.

I've been working on some new perfumes, and quite a bit of soap. I'll be coming out with fall/Halloween soaps hopefully in the beginning of October. It can take so long for soap to cure, and since I've gone palm free and soy free, I'm finding it trickier to make a hard bar. I don't think the hydrogenated soy helped much anyway, but even with sodium lactate, I've found some batches hard to remove from the molds. I'll also be working on winter/Christmas soaps soon. As much as I love fall, I truly love winter. The scents, the colors- everything is perfect and beautiful. I really want to capture the freshness of newly fallen snow. It's too bad I'm not likely to see any this year, and haven't seen good snow in a long time. Last year I did see a few patches of old snow in Ohio, but that's not exciting.

I'll be writing more about the perfumes as I post them for sale. I've been having lots of fun with fragrance lately, and I'm even delving into home fragrance! Home fragrance is tricky though- essential oils don't seem to want to blast you in the face the way some people might want them to, so it's taking some time.

Soap making- Pros and Cons of the Different Methods

Note: If you're interested in the soap making methods below, The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA offers classes on most of them.

I've tried a lot of the different kinds of soap making out there, so I figured I'd write about the different types, for those interested. I'm making some at the moment, so it seems like an appropriate time.

A lot of soap you buy in the supermarket isn't really soap, but a detergent bar. Soap involves the reaction of lye and fats to make a solid. Those who buy or make handmade soap are probably most familiar with cold process or melt and pour soaps. I'll start with cold process.

Cold process isn't totally cold- when you add lye to your water, it heats up rather quickly, you also need to melt your oils and butters, and then when the soap is in it's mold, it's probably creating heat as well. I know that's probably obvious to a lot of people out there, but I still feel cold process is a bit of a misnomer. Safety is a bit of a concern, but with proper precautions (goggles, gloves, and covering yourself up, plus keeping your lye away from children & pets), it can be a safe and fun way to make soap. I'm admittedly not too good at it, though that's more to do with my experimental recipes thickening up to quickly. Impatience also doesn't help, since I might combine my lyes and oils too fast.

The advantages to cold process include freedom to choose your own oils & liquids and creating beautiful designs. You're also starting with raw ingredients, so it's totally handmade. I'm honestly in awe of what some people do with cold process soap- amazing swirls, fancy layers, and beautiful colors. There are a few disadvantages, which can be avoided to a degree. Start with good instructions and a good lye calculator, and you've avoided a lot of them. Using tested recipes from a trusted source also helps when you're beginning. One of the biggest issues is a bad batch, at which point you have to either toss a lot of soap or rebatch it. You're also a bit limited in scents you can use. With fragrance oils, buy them from a store that mentions any issues that can come up from using the oils, such as ricing, seizing, or accelerating trace. Some of these problems can arise from using essential oils as well. And while I've seen recipes calling for sandalwood and rose essential oils, this would be impractical for many people. This would cost a lot of money, though it would make for a lovely soap.

While not necessarily a problem, cold process needs several weeks to cure, during which time some water evaporates out (leaving you with a harder bar) and the lye fully saponifies. Which brings us to hot process soap. There are a few ways of doing hot process soap, but I make mine in a crock pot. Your soap essentially cooks, leaving you with fully saponified soap that's ready to use (though it can benefit from curing time as well). There are fewer fragrances you can use, since anything with a low flash point will not survive the high heat. You don't need as much as with cold process though, so it can save you a little money. Colorants are a bigger issue, since some of them don't work well in hot process. It's also much thicker than cold process soap, so when it comes time to pour, it's harder to make nice designs. I still like making it though, since there are generally no surprises once you pour it into the mold.

Melt and pour is a good beginner's soap- you can pick up supplies at a craft store, making it more accessible. If you really like it though, better supplies are available online, and you'll save money that way, too. It is what it says it is- you cut up and melt your soap base, add colorants/scent/additives and then pour it into a mold. While you don't get to choose what your soap is totally made of, since you're starting with a base, you can use all sorts of colorants and scents, and create fancy designs in pretty molds. It's also safe for kids to make, since you're not using caustic ingredients. It's a nice way to get into soap making, if you're not sure if you want to try making cold process soaps. One big disadvantage is that it can sweat if not packaged properly, leaving clear beads all over your soap. This isn't very attractive, though wrapping it in plastic wrap seems to help keep this at bay.

Want a real challenge? It's possible to make your own melt and pour from scratch. I have never done this, though I've learned how to in a class. Too me it seems like a lot of trouble for something that you can more easily buy, I guess that can be said of all soap making. It's more complicated than cold or hot process soap, and involves extra ingredients. The soap I saw made wasn't crystal clear, though the sample I did melt down and I was able to pour it. It could be worth it for someone who wants to make translucent soaps from scratch.

Another challenge is liquid soap- this is a longer, more drawn out process, and requires potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. I make this every few months for personal use, starting on a Saturday night and ending on a Sunday afternoon. You start by making a soap paste, which you then add to distilled water to get your liquid soap. I've had mixed results, though with some experimentation and research, I can sometimes get a nice thick gel. Other times it's a bit runny, and every time it's a dark yellow color. Insoluble ingredients fall out, so if you don't want that to end up in your finished product, you need the soap to sit for several days before pouring into your bottles. I also use a recipe that starts off lye heavy to make sure all the fats are saponified, and then I need to adjust pH once it's dissolved in the water. Some scents don't mix well with the final product, so that requires testing. While I probably won't ever make it to sell, since I find the end results unreliable, it is nice to make a liquid soap for less money than what you buy at the store. And I feel great when I do make a nice batch.

As mentioned in cold process, one more way to make soap is rebatching or hand milling. This involves grating up your soap, melting it down (in a double boiler, in an oven bag in your oven, or in a heat proof bag in a crock pot of water), adding your scent/colors/additives and then pouring into your mold. Often the melted down soap is more of a paste, so it's usually more like glopping it into your mold. You can create your soap specifically with this in mind, or use it as a way to possibly salvage a botched batch of cold process soap. It gives you more freedom in terms of scents and additives. I am making rebatched soap today- one that I using soap specifically for this purpose, the other using a batch of funky soap. Should the first batch come out nicely enough, I will be selling it at some point. It's has chamomile powder and lemon essential oil. The color isn't the nicest, since the chamomile powder turned it a muddy yellow, but I'm hoping the benefits of the soap out way it's appearance. The funky batch is currently melting in a double boiler. Even if the final result is better than the initial soap, it won't be for sale, since I don't want to risk selling a bad bar.

New product ideas and other thoughts

When selling items in person, I notice that what I think is normal in terms of products, other people either haven't heard of them, or think they're strange. Mostly in terms of the oils I sell. Hair oil? Wouldn't that make your hair greasy? Only if you glob it on. With hair oils, you only need a small amount. If you're using it as a hot oil treatment, then you would add a lot more. But as an alternative to a leave-in conditioner, just a small amount works.

Same thing with face oils. A small amount is all that's needed for the face, and if the right oils are used, you shouldn't feel oily. I spend a lot of time researching oils and experimenting with them to make sure they won't feel gross. You do need more for your body, but again, the right oils will absorb quickly and won't leave you greasy.

So now that I'm thinking of new products, and testing them out, I'm wondering what people really want to buy. Current ponderings include things like dry shampoo, facial cleansing grains, scrubs, and bath salts/teas. I am also considering lotion, if I can sell one that I'm comfortable with in terms of naturalness and safety. Also expanding my selection of soaps. But since I can't expand every which way, I need figure which items people really want or need. Any feedback would be welcome.

Also, I have secret products in development. Because even if I want to figure out the products people know about and want, I also want to create things they didn't know they needed until they saw it.

Women and Science

I love science. There is so much out there in science, and I really regret not pursuing it in college. I was rather good at chemistry, did well in biology, and had so much fun in bacteriology. I never did physics, mostly because I wasn't going to be able to get into "honors" class since I didn't take the "honors" Algebra II class. I'm not much of a math person, though I did well in the classes that I did take. My chemistry class in college was simpler than the chemistry class I took in high school, and while it was interesting, it was practically a joke.

I see stuff in the news about getting little girls interested in STEM subjects, with Goldie Blox and what not, but I think there needs to be more focus on keeping teenage girls interested in science, and let them know what studying science can lead to career-wise. I'm more interested in science (in particular the parts that relate to beauty products and scent), but technology, engineering, and math probably have interesting career paths that should be considered and promoted.

Science feels like it's come up a lot for me personally in the last few years. Being married to a software engineer (who reads physics textbooks for fun) certainly helps with that, but in other ways as well. At my most recent show, I was asked by a few people whether I had a science background. While most of the beauty products I make don't involve complex scientific knowledge, there is still science to them. I study the properties of different oils and butters- the types of fats in them can change how they work, so the oil you need depends on the type of product you're making.

Soap making is fun, because it involves a chemical reaction right before your eyes- lye (either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in water) combines with oil to make soap! At least real soap, not the detergents you'll see sold at most stores. You need to use some math (not scary math, and there are calculators available online just for this purpose) to calculate how much lye you need to saponify your oils. Different oils have different requirements for lye, and typically you're using more than one type of oil to make your soap. This goes back to the above, where the composition of the oils bring different properties to your soap. Since you don't want any lye left over in your soap, you superfat your recipe, which means you need to calculate your lye so that not all of the oils are saponified. Superfatting  means you're left with some left over oils in your soap, which makes it good for you skin.

Lotions present a different set of science issues- like soap, you're combining oil and water, but you want different results.An emulsifier is needed to keep the water and oil from separating. You have water phases and oil phases, you keep track of their temperatures, and combine them into a magical creamy lotion. Then you need a preservative- this is where biology and bacteriology come in. Lotions are good breeding grounds for all sorts mold, bacteria, fungus, etc., so a preservative slows that growth down.

I've been getting my science fix that way for awhile, but now I'm spending more time studying chemistry in regards to perfumery. There's the components of the essential oils, plus I'm reading up on some of the aromachemicals out there.

To soap or not to soap

The idea of making cold process soap excited me so much. Chemistry, fragrance, and color combine into one little bar. But unfortunately, it seems to draw out the mad scientist in me, leaving me with the occasional bad batch. In trying to clear out space for all the supplies I need for my business, I've been making soaps with odds and ends. Sometimes the results are good. A recent soap came out quite nicely, with a cheerful yellow color (from turmeric and madder root infused oils) and bright pink jojoba beads dotting the top. The smell is a strong citrus floral, made by combining a fragrance oil with orange essential oil. The oils used were a bit of a hodgepodge, but it had no problems setting up.

But then the most recent batch did not work out as well. The color is OK, though not as vibrant. This one had only madder root for color, and the color is a bit of a muted yellow. The fragrance is fine, but a bit strange, since I threw in various fragrance oil samples with some left over citrus oils. I didn't throw in any strange oils, though it was my first time using hydrogenated soybean oil as a replacement for palm. In the end the soap cracked all across the top after a few hours in the molds. I'll test it in a few days to see if it's lye-heavy, but I'm hoping it just overheated. Either way, I won't be giving any of this batch to friends and family, since I don't want to worry about what I'm giving to them.

On the plus side, the perfumery text book I'm reading has a nice long chapter on organic chemistry. So even if I don't continue with soap, there will be other opportunities for my inner scientist.