I want my hair to smell like almonds

[Phalaenopsis]

I've never seen bitter almond EO? And yes, I would like to use it undiluted
And amaretto flavouring, I don't know if that is good for my hair?

[Gulbahar]

I've never seen bitter almond EO? And yes, I would like to use it undiluted

Undiluted essential oils do nothing for your hair. You wouldn't put straight lavender EO on your ends, would you? You want a vegetable oil for that, like sweet almond oil is one AND you can add a EO to that just for the scent.

[Anje]

I've never seen bitter almond EO? And yes, I would like to use it undiluted

Unless it's specifically for food, I'd advise you to stay far, far away from bitter almond ANYTHING. Cyanide is not something to be messed around with.

ETA, I'll say it again: Cyanide!
[In Dutch and French, just in case you don't know the English word: cyanied (dodelijk vergif) cyanure (poison mortel) ]

"Others have such potentially dangerous effects as to make them too risky to experiment with. The oils on my personal 'to be avoided at all costs' list are: Bitter Almond, Calamus (grown in Europe or Asia, the Canadian/USA grown is safer) Yellow Camphor, Horseradish, Mugwort, Mustard, Rue, Sassafras, Southernwood, Tansy (other than Annual Tansy), and Wormwood. I won't have any of these in my house.
Read more: http://www.naturesgift.com/warnings.htm#ixzz0ru1NAOxf "

Also, here's the MSDS for benzaldehyde, the main component of bitter almond EO.
"Skin Contact:
Immediately flush skin with plenty of soap and water for at least 15 minutes while removing contaminated clothing and shoes. Get medical attention. Wash clothing before reuse. Thoroughly clean shoes before reuse. "

[Nae]

I have a soap bar from Chagrin Valley that smells strongly of almonds. It isn't a shampoo bar and it is very moisturizing, I haven't had any trouble with it but if you don't use poo bars there can be a learning curve. It makes my hair smell of almonds (which is not my favorite,) but if you want it, it may be just the ticket!

It is the Chocolate Almond Soap. It doesn't smell like chocolate at all in my opinion, but the chocolate swirly design is pretty. Here is a link........
http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/soapbars.htm

[Gulbahar]

I have a soap bar from Chagrin Valley that smells strongly of almonds. It isn't a shampoo bar and it is very moisturizing, I haven't had any trouble with it but if you don't use poo bars there can be a learning curve. It makes my hair smell of almonds (which is not my favorite,) but if you want it, it may be just the ticket!

It is the Chocolate Almond Soap. It doesn't smell like chocolate at all in my opinion, but the chocolate swirly design is pretty. Here is a link........
http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/soapbars.htm

Nice. This has Bitter Almond EO as an ingredient.
I second, what Anje pointed out about its toxicity. But I've just remembered that I once bought a nature identical bitter almond EO which should be pretty safe. Only don't use it undiluted! Many, many natural EOs are not safe for that. Cinnamon for example is very nasty undiluted.
As for Amaretto - it doesn't mix with oil unfortunately.

[Nae]

Nice. This has Bitter Almond EO as an ingredient.
I second, what Anje pointed out about its toxicity. But I've just remembered that I once bought a nature identical bitter almond EO which should be pretty safe. Only don't use it undiluted! Many, many natural EOs are not safe for that. Cinnamon for example is very nasty undiluted.
As for Amaretto - it doesn't mix with oil unfortunately.

Any chance the saponification of the oil would have any effect on any toxicity? Chemists? Soapmakers? What do you think?

[Fractalsofhair]

Undiluted EOs tend to be much less "greasy" than diluted mixes, and are mainly used for the scent.(I often use straight BPAL on my hair, or even straight essential oils I can't use on my skin(due to irritation), dropped into a bun or ponytail.) There are lovely safe fragrance oils though, out there! (These are the 20 BPALs with almond in them. http://www.bpal.org/search/index.php...ton=1&search=1 I know many many many other companies make almond scented perfume, however this is a company that I use a bit lol.)

Nae-I think fragrance is generally added after the saponification is completed, and IIRC, soap making only saponifies the oil. However, if there was enough cyanide(Mixed with lye.), you might end up with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_cyanide . Not 100% of the dangers compared to straight cyanide, but it doesn't sound that safe, or if it would even react properly with the oils and all that. However, if there is bitter almond EO without the toxic ingredients, I'd think it wouldn't be a concern. (or again, if it was in a small enough amount. Apple seeds contain cyanide, we don't rush people to the hospital for eating one or two, but if you were to eat a cup or so of apple seeds, you might have some problems.)

[Gulbahar]

Undiluted EOs tend to be much less "greasy" than diluted mixes, and are mainly used for the scent.

There is absolutely no grease in EO to begin with. Vegetable oils and essential oils are totally different.

Nae-I think fragrance is generally added after the saponification is completed, and IIRC, soap making only saponifies the oil.

Actually the fragrance is added right from the beginning. But it's possible to melt a finished soap and add fragrance (and/or more oils) later. I'm not sure about the CV bars, but I think they are the first kind.
As for the toxic stuff in bitter almond EO after saponification - no idea. Can't help you there.

[Fractalsofhair]

Some EO's can make your hair look greasy, such as tea tree, if applied neat and heavily as for lice treatment(Haven't experimented much in this department as they tend to be rather expensive, and I think anything would make your hair greasy in this case!). By mainly used for the scent, I mean that some people do use them for health benefits, such as darkening hair, or getting rid of lice, or in the case of citrus oils "Shine". Good to know about when the fragrance is added though.

[Velouria]

All bitter almond EO available for the general public to purchase has had the cyanide removed from it. There is also almond flavoring/extract sold in groceries (spice section) that's not artificial...it's diluted bitter almond EO.