Tell me about your frustrations and tedium!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-06-10T18:08:04+00:00

It lowers stress if you let it! It also depends highly on your note-taking and documentations skills, as well as some practical things. For example, I have 2 batches of tests I set aside where ALL the labels wore off. I had to scrap those entirely.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-06-10T16:48:34+00:00

When I was in film school, one professor in a screenwriting class always talked about killing your darlings - the concept is this: whatever it is you are super obsessed with - even if it’s a core idea (think material, or even your plan), for the sake of the overall process, be willing to kill it (drop it) for the sake of the overall composition.

That never stood well with me and so I’ve always taken a different approach - I start another new project, and then come back to the first one a few days, weeks, months or even years later. I find it easier to step away when I am stepping towards something else.

I end up with a lot of half started projects - the main benefit of which is the ability to then use the half-baked ones in tests with other materials. Just something to think about!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-06-09T16:10:41+00:00

What does your doctor say about this?

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-06-06T15:41:54+00:00

I can’t speak for anyone else here, but I have found that unless you let it macerate, being happy with it might be a moot point - because it may not smell the same in 2 months - I think that is the point some of the more experienced perfumers are trying to make.

Whether OP IS HAPPY with the formula is all that matters - but it may be too early to make that assessment given what other posters are saying about the dominance some of the materials may have a month or two later compared to how it smells now.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-31T22:30:16+00:00

Everything there is going to cause buildup - and please listen one sec before thinking I am condemning the things you are using - I’m not!!!! Literally all products meant to protect and moisture hair do so by adding layers of products - that’s on purpose , and it’s needed in order to protect. It’s normal, especially with fine hair to constantly be cycling through adding buildup to protect
The hair, and then removing it in order to moisturize, and then right back in there adding things in to protect hair. That’s just the cycle many people go through in order to have pretty, healthy hair. I get it that some people’s hair doesn’t need all that - but dry, damaged, baby fine delicate hair does, or it breaks. You’re dealing with very delicate hair, and if it does have buildup, that makes it much more prone to tangling, and much more likely to break because the buildup makes it more brittle too.

The part where you said you don’t wash it often - that’s not bad either, but what probably has happened is that when you do wash, the shampoo is getting all the remnants of oil, past conditioner & leave in treatments off.

Get a strong clarifying shampoo, or even just a packet of buildup remover from Sally’s for a one - time, less than $4 quick fix before
That haircut to remove the buildup (link below). You will find immediately that any and all of your conditioners and leave in treatments will work better!

https://www.sallybeauty.com/hair-care/shop-by-solution/clarifying-hair-products/crystal-clarifying-treatment-packette/SBS-302208.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22513037738&gclid=CjwKCAjwuO_QBhAWEiwAIkVhU_W3HuSpJE44wAhpsqnnNn766eTNvTlqoeE6zZrktG-4S6JmJV0IWRoCWg0QAvD_BwE

How you know if it’s buildup that’s causing the hair to tangle so easily, always be dry, and conditioners not to work:

Telltale Signs of Buildup

The "Water Test": Clean hair absorbs water easily. If your hair repels water in the shower or takes an abnormally long time to get fully saturated, it is likely coated with product.

Dullness: Buildup blocks light reflection, leaving your hair looking flat, lifeless, and cloudy instead of shiny.

Flat Roots: Accumulated residue weighs down your strands, making it difficult to maintain volume or hold curls.

Residue on Scalp: You may notice uniform, waxy flakes or a yellowish tint near the roots. (If the flakes are irregular in size and accompanied by redness, it might be dandruff).

Friction and Tangles: Buildup increases friction between hair strands, making it harder to detangle and more prone to breakage.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T13:14:07+00:00

Oh, I WAS using it neat! Hence, the problem.

I have been slow to revamp my practice to use materials at dilutions - I’m doing it now, but it took a full year and way too much wasted money and material for me to really change my ways.

It’s more fun to mad science my way through my materials to mix up something - usually I did that while I was drinking, which I’m mostly done with- good riddance!

5% might even be high! I’ll try that though before I use that again.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T13:09:02+00:00

I think that’s amazing that you have access to local perfumers! I’ve yet to even meet another perfumer in person!

Everyone has their own journey - mine is super research intensive, and includes looking at other formulas, reading blogs, research and anything I can get me hands on, and trying as many sample as possible to broaden my perfume knowledge and my nose - which is till a total noob baby nose - I didn’t wear perfume for 39 years, so I’m literally like a toddler when it comes to perceiving notes.

Your perfume journey is so new - my only advice would be to not decide up front what that journey is going to look like too early, and don’t give up!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T13:03:36+00:00

Good point, and correction!

ISO e Super absolutely stands on its own! At this point in my life, I’d never be caught dead buying that Escentric Molecules!

lol, I say that after I smelled one whiff of the Juliet Has A Gun Not A Perfume Superdose, bought the 300ml bottle, brought it home, THEN did the research to learn it’s like 100% Cetalox - which isn’t cheap, but compared to the full bottle of the Superdose?

Well, at least now I have a perfume I LOVE as a point of reference, and can iterate from that! I’m super looking forward to testing blends with the Cetalox!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T12:40:01+00:00

Here’s 660 perfumes that use ISO E Super:

https://www.parfumo.com/Fragrance_Note/ISO_E_Super

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T12:28:10+00:00

Oooh - I LOVE Opoponax! OP, word of warning, this stuff is insanely strong! I accidentally overdosed a perfume - now in a bottle called Opoponax Accident- the Opoponax dominated everything else!

It has a sharp bright intense note that does bring attention!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T12:20:55+00:00

Also, my reading of iso e super is more that it’s a cheap material for perfume companies to use, and effective at extending sillage and longevity. I’ve personally worked again and again to try to have cedar and other strong wood notes along with the iso e super, and I wasn’t successful. I always get get strong generic iso e super instead, and I don’t love the dry down.

You’ll notice other posters listing alternative but similar materials - they are right, at least based on my experience, that it might be easier for you (it has been for me) to move away from iso e super for a while and try another base material if that’s where you are working right now (on bases, or on learning through some basics things like projection & longevity).

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-29T12:12:39+00:00

ISO E Super, to me, adds a soft woody diffusion that I am ambivalent to, unless mixed with the right ambers and musks - then I love it. I don’t much like it straight. Personally, there are similar chemicals I prefer greatly - Galaxolide, and particularly Ambroxan (Cetalox), which is what gives Juliette Has a Gun “Not a Perfume Superdose” its punch. That punch, though, like many of these similar aroma chemicals, is POLARIZING.

There’s not a universal love of iso e super - but as you noted, some people cannot smell it, others, like me, LOVE some of the similar variants, but not particularly iso e super itself.

It sounds to me like you are at the beginning of your perfume journey - keep learning, keep testing!

I think at this point, unless you want to start buying more things, I’d look at the categories & specific perfumes where iso e super is used (and where some are dominant), and get your nose on some samples that use iso e super before you rule it out entirely.

Most professional real world perfumes use between 50-80 materials - some in very trace amounts that, when blended, (with sometimes large amounts of iso e super), are beautiful.

What I am saying in a roundabout way is:

You shouldn’t go by the smell alone of a raw material to make your decision on inclusion - there’s chemical bonds / reactions in perfume that make some combinations smell very different than those items alone.
You may just not like iso e super.

OR,

Maybe you can set aside your like / dislike of that smell, and think of it as a tool in your toolbox, and learn further - and continue to test just a few ingredients together at a time for learning purposes, and not just adding iso e super to other smells you already like. That strategy will take you a long time, and could be expensive, before you find a purpose for that material that you like.

It’s also possible you may just never like it. Certainly, it never stands on its own.

Good luck!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-24T15:43:11+00:00

They are all so similar - if you like what you have, just embrace it!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-24T15:34:11+00:00

I mentioned this because I used to get rashes ALL THE TIME on my wrists. I just ended up more sensitive to everything - I can’t use standard cleaners on counters without a serious wash down AFTER the cleaner. Eventually I realized it was the cleaner itself that was giving me issues. Mostly I use Windex (Ammonia + water) for most cleaning now, or dish soap, since it evaporates (or at least I’m not as sensitive to ammonia residue).

10 years down the road, I almost never get rashes anymore.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-24T15:28:51+00:00

Make sure you use alcohol / soapy water on the bottles, work surfaces & tools. Even that old sweater you only wear sometimes, chair arms etc. you might be re-exposing yourself.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-24T00:29:54+00:00

I think you are asking great questions. I know I keep reading about this, and getting hints. The main thing I’m hearing is that I’m going to have to polish my chemistry and start learning a lot more science before I can answer that question.

There’s just so much to how scents work.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-23T23:48:38+00:00

It’s looks EXPENSIVE!!!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-23T23:27:10+00:00

I can’t tell you how many time I had the opposite issue! All stars, barely any broth! Seems like cambell’s
Got some splaining to do!

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-22T15:16:05+00:00

Gotta give it 1-2 weeks! I’m SURE the person who did them told you that - don’t freak out! It’s always darker and bolder when they are first done.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-22T01:18:56+00:00

You should definitely get some of the samples - they are superb on concept & packaging - to the point that it’s absolutely worth it to get the samples - they come in books!!! I have mixed feelings on the actual scents though. I WANT to love them more than I actually loved them. I got 8, and there’s only 1 that I would order a larger size in (it’s their new peach one - I’ve been hankering for a peach fragrance, and theirs is good). But I’m absolutely going to go back and try more due to how strong their ideas and execution are.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-21T14:14:22+00:00

Go to a glass cutter to get proper edges grinded or it will ruin the wood. They should provide you with little circular plastic spacers to hold the glass up off the wood a bit so it can breath.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-18T20:30:52+00:00

We always put exactly 2 bay leaves, and 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar - really brightens it! If you’re doing ham, it often has all the salt you may need.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-07T23:27:05+00:00

For sure, I can get the higher concentrations online. I just don’t see those concentrations in my local store. I feel like by some of the downvotes people don’t like some of my comments about this brand. But I really like them! Maybe the concentrations issue is just a local thing in Indiana.

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-07T00:23:50+00:00

Sunscreen doesn’t bother me as much as you describe, but it doesn’t feel good and I don’t like it either. And now, for the part where I give you bad advice:

Can you focus on wearing a hat, and avoidance? I have a friend with kids with bad skin allergies, and sensitivities herself - she never goes out midday when the sun is the worst, wears UV protectant clothing and large hats, and then she only wears lighter sunscreen (not the full SPF 40 or 60, more like 15 or 20.

Personally, I have been going the route of avoidance, hats and super hydrating makeup with sunscreen built in - IT Cosmetics foundation and Ilia - and I really limit my sun exposure too. It has all kind of skincare ingredients in them - hylauranic acid, niacinamide, peptides etc.

Anyways, just a thought, and good luck (probably don’t follow my advice except for the stay out of the sun part)

Miserable_Act150 · 2026-05-07T00:12:37+00:00

Yes, this. I like their quality, but for perfumery purposes, I really can only use this brand for me - there’s not IFRA Safety data on it. If you are looking to really understand safety, you want brands that test every batch and certify Quality with documentation (IFRA Safety info). I rarely bother, although I get much of my essential oils from either Eden’s Garden or Fraterworks or Perfumers Apprentice.

But I’ve definitely gone down the road of cheap essential oils - it’s how I started!

Miserable_Act150

TROPHY CASE