Your best recipes

dietz_james · Jan 7, 2020

My wife is sensitive to a lot of artificial scents and chemicals, so I am looking for any recipes the group has and recommends. In college I had a Bay Rum soap I lived and am thinking about trying a recipe for it I found on these forums.

Do you recommend any other recipes or know where to get Pimenta racemosa (bay leaf) essential oil? Any tips on adding a slight leather it pipe tobacco smell?

The Knize · Jan 8, 2020

I do not have any suggestions. I do observe however that your wife may be sensitive to natural scent ingredients, too. In my experience, real bay rum makes my face red. Not what you are asking about, but real lime oil as an ingredient is irritating to me. This is just to say that I would not invest in a massive amount of ingredients before testing it out.

dietz_james · Jan 9, 2020

The Knize said:
... may be sensitive to natural scent ingredients, too. In my experience, real bay rum makes my face red... I would not invest in a massive amount of ingredients before testing it out.

Thank you. I used to use a Bay Rum soap in the past, and she tends to only have problems with synthetic ingredients. We have all the ingredients in hand except for the Bay, so that is not a large investment for us.

The Knize · Jan 9, 2020

<where to get Pimenta racemosa (bay leaf) essential oil>

Seems to be lots of different labels on Amazon and lots of different vendors on eBay.

<Any tips on adding a slight leather it pipe tobacco smell?>

I take it that scent has to be all natural, too? Does it have to be an oil, too? If no you can probably find some inexpensive leather and/or pipe tobacco scented aftershave that purports to be natural and use that. I use an after shower spray to which I add whatever smelly thing I have an excess of. Lately it has been a dollar store Brut clone.

Sorry not to be of more help. I saw on line some sites purporting to offer natural leather scent, extracted from really leather. So far as I know, real animal skin takes on a leather scent from being processed with chemicals that are not normally natural. I suppose there is natural birch tar that has leather and tobacco notes.

Black Adder · Jan 10, 2020

I think it's great that you're looking at this from your wife's point of view; her sensitivity. I'm kind of puzzled by your "knowing" that it's a sensitivity to artificial scents and chemicals, and a hunt for natural things will solve the problem. I think you really have to look at this from your wife's sensitivity, and use that as your baseline. Natural oils are no guarantee there will be no reaction on your wife's part; you might be looking at a fragrance-free future....

I consider Emily Witherspoon to be an expert in essential oils and aromas. Her aftershave soother is, without any doubt, the mildest and most calming aftershave balm I've EVER used. Anyway, go here: