DIY Life

Blending can be a tricky endeavor. Just because you love an essential oil scent blend that you have created doesn't mean that it will work as a soap. It may lack staying power, or it may fall flat, losing the complexity it had when it was just a mixture of oils.

How do you know when a blend won't work? Essential oils aren't cheap. You want to get it right, or at least know how to alter your so-so blend to make it great: balanced, long-lasting and not too overwhelming.

Your goal with soap scent blends is to make them hang around as long as possible. What can get in the way of that? The temperature at which you mix your soap, the age of your soap, and the balance of your blend can all play an important role.

After the break, you can read detailed tips on how to make soap scents that stick.

As the cold air nips at our noses and the snow descends on the earth, you may think it is time to get out the winter coats, put the shovels on alert and light a fire.

I suppose you'd be right, but I was thinking that it was time to make some winter soaps. You may remember the summer scent blends that got us all in the spirit for sun and fun, so now let's get creative and winterize our soap scents.

Again, we will focus on natural blends only, using essential oils and infusions, and we will create a balanced blend so that the scents last as long as our bar of soap does.