Can I remove the essential oil or fragrance from this recipe?

Probably.

The first thing you need to figure out is why the essential oil or fragrance is there. Is is there for a functional reason (a cooling sensation from mint, perhaps)? If so, you should probably leave it it.

Is it there just to make the product smell pretty? You can probably leave it out. However, if the sole purpose of the product is to smell nice (for example, a room diffuser), that might defeat the purpose of the DIY!

To remove a fragrance or essential oil blend from a recipe be sure you’re making up the lost amount of the recipe. If your recipe contains both water and oil you can make up the difference with water or oil. Oil is typically the first choice as essential oils are oil soluble, but depending on the product you may not want to replace volatile, lightweight essential oils with a heavier fixed oil. If your recipe is entirely oils you can replace the missing essential oils with more of a (preferably liquid) oil already present in the formula.

Posted in: Troubleshooting & Adjusting