As the owner of a popular soapmaking blog and resource, some of the most common questions I get is about essential oils:
What essential oils go together?
Where can I find essential oil blends for soapmaking?
How do I know how much of a blend to use in a product?
I've done my best to answer these questions through articles on my blog, like this series on essential oils that explains how to use them, how to blend them, and how to calculate usage rates. I've compiled 50 of my favorite essential oil blends created with my own two hands in an ebook that has sold over a thousand of copies.
And yet, the questions keep coming. What if I could answer them in an interactive way that helped soapmakers learn and find what they're looking for easier?
This project is that answer.
Modern Soapmaking is developing an essential oil calculator that will accomplish all of the above, and I need your help to make it come to life! Soapmakers will be able to:
- Search a database of essential oil blends by choosing up to three essential oils to find in blends in the library (The library will include 250+ blends from my own formulary on launch.)
- Submit their own essential oil blends to be added to the library, with full credit to their creation. (Supporters have the opportunity to submit blends in advance and have them featured in the search results!)
- Calculate the usage rate of any essential oil blend, no matter if it's their own personal blend or one from the library. (Usage rates will be calculated based on scent load per product category with consideration to current IFRA Standards.)
It will finally be easy for soapmakers to safely use essential oils in their products, and create unique products scented with essential oil blends! And it will be available to all users of Modern Soapmaking's website, free of charge!
Essential Oil Blend Calculator Mockups
Want a sneak peek into the development mockups? Here's what we're working on:
The Find a Blend interface, where a soapmaker can choose up to three essential oils they have on hand to check the library of blends. Notice the Featured Blend at the top of the page that will randomly display one featured blend from our Featured Sponsors!
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The usage rate calculator at work, showing the usage rate information for a sample blend. Notice the alert about the restricted essential oils, and the scent load options! This is an example of a blend being used in a soap, but the scent load usage rates are customized for each product type (so a lotion, for instance, would show 0.25% to 1% usage rates).
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About The Perks
Want more information about the perks than the little snippets shown to the right? I got you:
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$5 Perk: Thanks
Every little bit helps! I really appreciate your help in creating this calculator for the soapmaking community! I'll send you a Thank You card via snail mail, to show my gratitude!
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$15 Perk: 50 Essential Oil Blends
If you haven't snagged my 50 Essential Oil Blends ebook yet, you'll snag it as a thank you! This is Modern Soapmaking's bestselling ebook, and has sold over 1,000 copies. It features fifty essential oil blends that I created with my own two hands, and have tested in cold process soapmaking.
Please note that the blends featured in this ebook will be included in the calculator's library.
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$25 Perk: 50 Essential Oil Blends + Credits Page
At the bottom of every page of the calculator, there will be a link to a page listing all the lovelies who helped create this calculator. And your name will be right there alongside all the others!
Plus, you'll also snag my 50 Essential Oil Blends ebook as a thank you! This is Modern Soapmaking's bestselling ebook, and has sold over 1,000 copies. It features fifty essential oil blends that I created with my own two hands, and have tested in cold process soapmaking.
Please note that the blends featured in this ebook will be included in the calculator's library.
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$30 Perk: 100 Essential Oil Blends
Take home double the blends!
You'll get your hands on 50 *unreleased* essential oil blends compiled in an ebook, plus, my 50 Essential Oil Blends ebook as a thank you! That's a grand total of 100 essential oil blends at your fingertips.
Please note that the blends featured in these ebooks will be included in the calculator's library.
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$40 Perk: 100 Essential Oil Blends + Credits Page
At the bottom of every page of the calculator, there will be a link to a page listing all the lovelies who helped create this calculator. And your name will be right there alongside all the others!
Plus, you'll land BOTH the 50 *unreleased* essential oil blends compiled in an ebook and my 50 Essential Oil Blends ebook! That's a total of 100 essential oil blends at your fingertips.
Please note that the blends featured in these ebooks will be included in the calculator's library.
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$75 Perk: Essential Oil Blending Kit
I've taught hundreds of soapmakers how to blend essential oils with hands-on classes. And now, you can learn, too! This blending kit has never been independently sold, and has been used to teach classes by me for over a year. (So I know it works!)
You'll receive a full-fledged beginner's blending kit with study materials, exercises, and resources, eleven ½ ounce samples of essential oils, disposable pipettes, fragrance testing strips, a fragrance wheel, and a notebook to keep track of what you learn & discover!
The blending kit contains enough materials for you and a friend to enjoy learning together! Free shipping in the United States! Unfortunately, due to postal regulations, this kit is not available outside of the country.
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$100 Perk: Featured Sponsor - PERFECT for a soapmaking supplier or teacher!
Contribute an essential oil blend of your own and have it featured at the top of the Find a Blend page of the calculator (as well as at the top of relevant search results) for three months.
A link to your website and any information you'd like to include will be prominently displayed on the blend's View the Blend page. (See the video for mockups of the page designs!)
Featured blends will also be shared on Modern Soapmaking's social media periodically, including Facebook (15k+ fans), Twitter (1.4k), Instagram (1.5k), and newsletter (5k).
This perk is PERFECT for a soapmaking supplier or teacher!
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$1000 Perk: Super Sponsor - PERFECT for a soapmaking supplier or teacher!
Sponsor the whole shebang and snag a 768 x 90 banner ad and link featured on the bottom of every single page of the calculator for a whole year. (See the video for mockups of the page designs!)
A link to your website and any information you'd like to include will be prominently displayed above the banner advertisement, thanking you for your sponsorship.
Where's the Money Going
The development of this calculator is being contracted with an expert developer who is known for both security and proper standards compliant coding. This will ensure the calculator will both be secure and safe for Modern Soapmaking and it's users, as well as reliable!
The current estimated cost for the project is $5,000 to $8,000, as well as hundreds of hours from myself to load content. Modern Soapmaking's hosting and other expenses are currently covered by our Patreon campaign (totalling to $1900/month), and waiting until we save leftover cash each month from Patreon will take several months to reach our needed funds.
Your support of the Essential Oil Blend Calculator here on Indiegogo means that a launch date in October/November 2016 is possible!
If we don't reach the funding goal, Modern Soapmaking will use any funds raised for the development of the calculator and will move forward with an extended timeline for launch. Meaning this will happen, no matter what! ;)
Why This is Important
This essential oil blend calculator will rock the soapmaking community from top to bottom, providing a valuable resource that can help everyone. Soapmakers from all experience levels ask for help in this arena, and I think that this project can make a huge impact.
I have been planning this project for over a year, as I know how valuable it will be for the community. I couldn't be more excited to finally be bringing it to life!
If you have ever wondered what essential oils to use, how to blend them, or how much you can use in a product, this calculator would have saved you hours of research. Think about the number of times you've seen those questions asked in forums, groups, and chats!
Let's gift those essential oil blending/usage answers forward to soapmakers in the future!
Risks & Challenges
This isn't my first crowdfunding rodeo, and it's certainly not my first time working with web developers and major website projects. (Once upon a time, I was on the other side of the table as a freelance designer!)
Technical issues can (and do) crop up on large projects, and this calculator may not be an exception, but I'm doing everything I can to ensure it is. Full mockups have been completed, and a roadmap with detailed planning is in place.
The initial development will take place offline, and will be brought live on Modern Soapmaking as soon as all the kinks are worked out. With full funding, the project timeline should place launch in October/November 2016.
Project updates will be posted here as we move forward, so you can peek behind the scenes.
All perks ($5 to $75) are ready to go and guaranteed, there isn't any possible way (*knock on wood*) for them to go sideways! The top tier perks that reward supporters with exclusive features on the calculator will be implemented for launch - the only issue may be a delay in the development timeline. If that does happen, we'll definitely get in touch!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you want to help but can't contribute, please consider:
- Telling other soapmakers about this campaign using the Indiegogo share tools, especially via social media like Facebook
- Sharing Modern Soapmaking with other soapmakers to help grow the community