Since everyone is chiming in with their favorite wood sealers, I'd like to plug Skidmore's Beeswax wood products -- the wood sealers and the conditioning cream are great. I know the maker, Vince Skidmore, who is a woodworker himself, and he hand-produces all of the products from beeswax and natural resins and pine-based turpentine. The sealer is tough enough for exterior treatments, and the conditioning cream doubles as both a wood and leather restorer. (He sells the same product under leather and wood product labels.) Knew him back when he was producing in Wyoming, now he's moved the business to Port Townsend, WA. We'll be refinishing recycled bowling lane into kitchen counters, and I'm looking forward to using his stuff on raw wood from scratch for the first time (previously we've just used Skidmore's when restoring old, finished wood surfaces). FYI, I don't work for Vince, just love his products! Good luck, and have fun! Here is a link that might be useful: Skidmore's Fine Beeswax Products

Thanks for all the input. I wanted to love the leathered granite. I took a sample that was actually pretty dark but it did have lighter areas and tested it. I let some wine sit on it for 2 hours then rinsed and scrubbed it - but you could still see a significant stain from the wine. That just doesn't fit with our lifestyle - a family of four, nightly scratch meals, and two messy kids who are just getting started with cooking in the kitchen. Our children are getting bigger and we're outgrowing this small home. We really have to consider re-sale as likely within the next 3-5 years. I could live with my own countertop patina, but I don't think anyone wants to buy someone else's patina, unless it's an ancient British seaside cottage or something. The condo market here is pretty unfavourable so the granite has to be a selling point, not a minus. Based on my tests and reading, polished granite is the most chip-resistant and stain-resistant natural stone so that is what we have chosen. Dh was not open to considering engineered stone. The granite I've picked (White River) is a true granite, from my understanding. It is not another stone that is being marketed as granite (like dolomite, marble, etc.) - it is not calcareous and should not etch with acids (and didn't in my tests). I've left the sample lying around during renovations, etc. and it is holding up very well. I actually have researched countertop choices to death and I think I'm making an informed decision. Wax was just an idea to make the surface more pleasing to me. Like I said before, I can live with the polished finish even though I adore the leathered/honed finishes. Gr8day, thanks for sharing your experience with actually using wax on granite :) . I have read about people using wax to get their old granite counters more shiny and that's what gave me the idea to use a different kind of wax to make counters less shiny.

Kat, I would recommend that you follow your nose. As long as the purchaser can detect the EO with the theraputic values, you are good to go. If any EO has the properties that you are after, then we are just discussing how much is enough. This is now a discussion of depending on what you are trying to achieve/cure/fix/effect; and this can be different to anyone who may buy your product. If it was CP soap (which I do have some experience) I would add no less then .3 of an ounce to not more then 1 ounce per pound of soap. So, depending on the weight of your lotion bars, you may go from my suggestion. Now, .3 would be for a very strong EO, like Cinnamon/Rosemary/Peppermint, and I would an whole ounce of most citruses like lime/orange/lemon; the citruses tend to be fleeting. Most any other EOs will fall somewhere between these amounts, and rarely outside of these amounts. If you have a specific EO in mind, shoot me an E mail thru this site (hopefully, I will get it), and I will suggest amounts if need be. (There isn't much traffic for me to come here often, although I do visit other forums here). Good luck!

Always used Briwax on ours. This finish is kind of a pain to keep up--it looks trashed unless recently waxed. The waxing requires a LOT of elbow grease to buff out grease, scratches and water marks with fine steel wool before applying the wax. You can A) Use a tablecloth for everyday and save some labor time. B) Wax every few weeks (depends on usage, of course) C) Just let it go and it will eventually get SO bad that all of the marks blend together. My mom did this with hers and it was fine. Kind of like marble etching on the counter.... It is a unique and beautiful finish--just annoying to keep up.