6 min read / 7 February 2023 / Laura Garvin Gomez

Essential Oils for Soap Making

Make your next soap-making project the greatest yet with these top tips on how to incorporate essential oils.

Choose a topic

Share this post

Essential oils have always been a soap-making staple amongst hobbyists.

They're the one and only key to unlocking all-natural soap scents, and can offer a whole host of impactful benefits you may have not otherwise considered - from calming properties to skin-loving antioxidants.

That being said, using essential oils for soap making can prove tricky at best, especially if you're a beginner to crafting aromatherapy products.

Even seasoned hobbyists occasionally ask themselves how to make their scents stronger or which essential oils to choose, and that's okay!

The great thing about soap making is that it's a constant adventure of experimentation, and we're here to help with some of the more complicated questions that may be halting you from getting started.

What are the best essential oils for soap making?

The pleasantness of an essential oil largely draws down to personal opinion, which can make the process of choosing the right one even harder as a new soap maker.

On top of that, not every essential oil scent will stick to your soap as well as others, so it's good to conduct a little research before deciding on your final aromas.

If you're looking for a sure-fire guide on scents that will work (and that are generally well-loved too), we've listed five of our favourites below.

 

1. Lavender Essential Oil

The classic scents of lavender are sure to be well-recognised by soap makers - and for good reason.

Lavender is a strong middle note that blends incredibly well with most other essential oils, combining floral and herbaceous aromas to compliment a calming and grounding atmosphere.

It is also packed full of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that make it an effective cleaning agent as well as a protector against environmental factors.

Learn more about the benefits of lavender essential oil.

2. Rosemary Essential Oil

If you're not a fan of floral aromas, but love a traditional garden herb, then rosemary oil could be just the key for your next soap making project.

Rosemary, like lavender, is an effective middle note that mostly blends well with oils like patchouli, lemongrass, and peppermint.

It is also considered a unisex scent - making it ideal for even the most masculine members of the family.

Learn more about the benefits of rosemary essential oil.

3. Lemon Essential Oil

The zesty aromas of lemon oil allow for a fabulous summer scent that's both refreshing and uplifting.

Unlike other picks on this list, lemon is traditionally a top note fragrance. This means that it is likely to have a weaker scent profile on its own than some other essential oils with heavier notes - but not to worry!

A good way to resolve this is to up your oil percentage slightly (more on this later), and to include middle and base note oils that can add more stick to your final product.

Learn more about the benefits of lemon essential oil.

4. Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint oil is another staple that's loved all season long for its versatility - with cooling vibes in the summer and candy cane-like aromas in the winter.

While it's also traditionally a top note fragrance, it has fantastic staying power as well as a crisp scent that can be easily identified.

If you're still worried about your scent sticking, however, it could be a good idea to blend some peppermint together with scents like lavender, rosemary, or eucalyptus.

Learn more about the benefits of peppermint essential oil.

5. May Chang (Litsea Cubea) Essential Oil

Unless you're a passionate aromatherapist, there's a good chance you may not have heard of sweet and citrusy may chang oil before.

While it may not be the best known essential oil, it works brilliantly in soaps as an effective top/middle note, and can blend well with other citrusy aromas to create a powerful yet refreshing scent profile.

May chang is also known for soothing stress and promoting sleep, so could be a worthy ingredient if you suffer from heightened emotions around bedtime.

Learn more about the benefits of may chang essential oil.

White soap bar on paper surrounded by rose buds.

Why are essential oil 'notes' so important?

Essential oils, like perfumes, are split into three general note categories: base, middle, and top.

Top note essential oils tend to be light and fade fast, but they'll also be the first thing you smell when opening your new homemade soap.

Middle notes are slightly heavier and can hang around in your soap for a while longer than top notes. These will usually be floral, woody, or spicy scents.

Base notes are naturally much heavier, with long-lasting aromas that will stick around on the skin long after your soap is used.

So, you might be asking yourself, why not use base note essential oils for everything? While you can certainly do this if you choose, most base notes tend to be very robust and may not necessarily give off the right vibes for your soap.

To counter this, many soap makers enjoy blending top, middle, and base notes together, so all three scent components can be enjoyed throughout your creation.

If you've never blended essential oils before, or you want more tips on how to do this effectively, you can check out our essential oil blending guide to learn more.

How do you know how much essential oil to add to soap?

Figuring out the optimal fragrance level to add to your soaps can be extremely tricky and may involve a little bit of trial and error before you can get it exactly right.

In general, though, a good starting point would be to refer to the IFRA Certificates of your chosen essential oils.

Those who are looking to sell soap in the UK or EU must review this document alongside legislation, although the percentages in the IFRA are not the same as the law itself.

For hobbyists, the IFRA simply provides a recommended percentage to add to your soap creations. Though they vary from oil to oil, they help give you a rough idea of the potency of a particular scent.

Oils like cinnamon, for example, will have a lower recommended percentage as they are more likely to irritate the skin.

Cream coloured soap surrounded by lather and flowers.

Can I anchor my soap scents to stop them from fading?

The main thing to remember when you experience an issue with a soap batch is this: always go back to basics.

Spending time with complicated formulas and adjustments will only lengthen the process further, so try and focus on your base components before moving forward. These include your lye solution strength, base carrier oils, and added fragrances.

Occasionally, the amount of shea butter or cocoa butter used in cold-processed soap can negatively impact the final fragrance, so try to work with adjusting these or using a different, less heavily scented base.

It is also a good idea to anchor your scents with middle and base notes that will prevent weaker aromas from fading. May chang and lemongrass are particularly solid choices if you're working with an all-citrus soap blend.

Some other good choices for anchoring your soap scents include:

You can also choose to use fixatives like arrowroot powder or cornstarch (both of which are commonly used in body butters) to help anchor your scents better.

Will using essential oils discolour my soap?

Essential oils generally don't discolour soap in the same way other fragrances might.

Unless you're working with a very brightly-coloured oil like turmeric, the chances of staining in your final product are rare. Most essential oils tend to be a nice pale yellow to transparent colour that you would normally expect with most soaps.

If you're still worried about the effects of discolouration, however, it might be a good idea to add a coloured pigment to your soap while mixing your base oils together.

Do I have to use essential oils for my soap?

Essential oils are a great choice if you're wanting an all-natural soap scent, however they're certainly not the only option available to you.

Fragrance oils offer up a similar scent experience, and are generally considered a little easier to work with due to their pre-blended aromas. That being said, choosing to make soap with a fragrance oil won't necessarily cut out all the trial and error in between.

If you're interested in experimenting with fragrances, check out our best fragrance oils for soap making for more information.

Black and white illustration of a leaf

Essential oil soaps can be tough to perfect no matter how long you've been making them.

From scent anchoring to blending, bases to pigments, there can be a lot of different elements to remember, and it's not uncommon for first-time soap makers to feel a little overwhelmed about it all.

To help find your feet, try following our beginner's guide to soap making for a better idea on the step-by-step process, as well as how to deal with common issues like overheating, ricing, and separation.

You might also like to read

Guide to Summer 2024 Fragrance Oil Trends

4 min read / 6 August 2024 / yasmin sharp

Guide to Summer 2024 Fragrance Oil Trends

Discover the top fragrance oil trends for summer 2024 to refresh your candles, soaps, and diffusers with the season's best scents.

Gardening Naturally: How Essential Oils Can Help Your Garden

5 min read / 18 June 2024 / yasmin sharp

Gardening Naturally: How Essential Oils Can Help Your Garden

Discover eco-friendly gardening tips with essential oils to naturally repel pests, control weeds, and boost plant growth.

How to Choose the Right Waxes for Your Candles and Wax Melts

4 min read / 11 April 2024 / yasmin sharp

How to Choose the Right Waxes for Your Candles and Wax Melts

Learn how to select the ideal wax for your candle and wax melt projects, considering factors like type, eco-friendliness, and fragrance retention.

Is Paraffin Wax Vegan?

3 min read / 2 April 2024 / yasmin sharp

Is Paraffin Wax Vegan?

Discover whether paraffin wax and its candle derivatives align with vegan principles, alongside exploring alternative vegan-friendly candles.

How To Carry Out A Burn Test

4 min read / 29 March 2024 / yasmin sharp

How To Carry Out A Burn Test

Learn how to conduct a burn test on your homemade candles to ensure quality, safety, and optimal performance.

What Are Candle Wicks Made of?

3 min read / 22 March 2024 / yasmin sharp

What Are Candle Wicks Made of?

Discover the materials and science behind candle wicks, from wooden to speciality types, and their crucial role in candle burning.

Parents playing with their child.

5 min read / 20 March 2024 / yasmin sharp

Are Essential Oils Safe to Use Around Children?

Explore the safety of using essential oils around children, covering everything from dilution guidelines to the benefits and risks involved.

Pregnant woman holding her belly with both hands.

5 min read / 20 March 2024 / yasmin sharp

How to safely use essential oils whilst pregnant

Discover the safe way to use essential oils during pregnancy, alleviating common symptoms while ensuring your well-being.

Medical Disclaimer

The content in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Please consult your personal physician for any advice or treatment regarding specific health questions. Neither the article editor, writer, nor the organisation of Nikura takes any responsibility for possible health consequences following the information given in any article. All readers should consult their physician before taking any advice given within these articles.

We use strictly necessary cookies to personalise your site experience. You can learn more here.