Over the past week, I’ve once again been attempting to channel my inner creativity and come up with something fabulous for Amy Warden’s Soap Challenge Club. Well, my soaps have left me feeling less than creative. But in an effort to use up some essential oils (EOs) for which I had no use (or so I thought), I stumbled into an EO blend that I just absolutely love. And it even uses an EO that I really can’t stand – at all – Star Anise.  Go figure!

Did I mention that I’m not a good EO blender?  Well, I’m not.  But it isn’t for lack of trying, that’s for sure. So when I create an EO blend myself and actually like it, I get kind of excited.  Not that this blend is all that complicated, by the way.

Okay, enough with the chit chat.  To me, the great part about this blend is how the Star Anise works with the Sweet Orange to create an almost orange zest scent.  Thankfully, the Star Anise isn’t really noticeable as a standalone scent.  There’s none of that liquorish scent I dislike so much. Even though it’s only a very small part of the blend, a little Star Anise goes a very long way for me.  I was really surprised at how much I liked this blend. So here it is…

New Fabulous Essential Oil Blend

Sweet Orange 5X – 6 parts
Lavender (I use Bulgarian) – 3 parts
Lavandin – 1 part
Peppermint – 1 part (or 2 parts for a more minty scent)
Star Anise – 0.5 parts (or 1 part if you want a more orange zest scent)

You could probably add a bit of Patchouli or Litsea Cubeba if you’re worried about the orange fading over time.  In order to help any scent last in my cold process soaps, I always mix my essential oils with kaolin clay, cover the mixture with plastic wrap, and allow the mixture to sit while I’m preparing the rest of my soap ingredients.

In case you’re interested in the brand/source I used for the EOs in this blend, the Star Anise came from BrambleBerry, while all of the others came from Camden Grey.

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