Soap Making Essentials

Essential Oils


I truly enjoy great smells! Isn't it wonderful that there are so many essential oils to choose from? Their varied scents represent all corners of the planet and are widely used today in aromatheropy to help heal the body and mind.

Essential oils make soap more luxurious.


Oils are extracted from a plants various parts and many different scents can come from one plant alone. The extraction process is usually done by distillation (the use of steam) or expression (cold-pressed).

If you enjoy using scent as much as I do, they are a great, natural way to add fragrance to your homemade soaps. Use the table below to become familiar with the different oils and their characteristics, then visit the Blending Scents page for ideas on how to create your own calming, soothing, or invigorating scent blends.

Curious as to how much scent to add to cold process soaps? Opinions on this matter vary just as much as each individuals sense of smell. My general rule is to add between 3 tsp - 4 tsp (15 ml - 20 ml or .5 oz - .7 oz) per pound of base oils.



Anise Basil Bergamot Black Pepper
Catnip Chamomile Cedarwood Cinnamon Leaf
Citronella Clary Sage Clove Bud Eucalyptus
Fennel Frankincense Geranium Ginger
Grapefruit Jasmine Juniper Berry Lavender
Lemon Lemongrass Lime Mandarin
Marjoram, Sw Myrrh Neroli Orange, Sw
Oregano Oakmoss Palmarosa Patchouli
Peppermint Peru Balsam Petitgrain Pine
Rose Rosemary Rosewood Sandalwood
Spearmint Sweet Birch Tea Tree Tangerine
Thyme Vanilla Vetivert Ylang Ylang

Cold process soap making can be a harsh environment for essential oils and the curing period can sometimes leave the scent wanting. The use of a fixative can help to cure this problem.

Fixatives are ingredients that are used in soap making to hold or "fix" a scent to the soap. They are quite useful when you want to make oils like sweet orange or other fleeting top notes last longer.

Benzoin powder or e/o, orris root powder, frankincense e/o, patchouli e/o, oakmoss e/o, cedarwood e/o, myrrh e/o, ylang ylang e/o, vetiver e/o, copaiba balsam e/o and kaolin clay are all examples of fixatives that can be used in soapmaking.

Use caution when handling any of the oils. They are very concentrated and some can be irritating to the skin when not diluted.



Soap Making Essentials Home Page

Top of Essential Oils Page

Site Search powered by FreeFind

Rate this site:





widget



XML RSS
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Google
| Home | The Soap Blog | My Story | About Soap | Supplies | Fats and Oils |
| Essential Oils | Additives | Lye and Water | The Process | Soap Recipes | Decorative Ideas |
| Rebatching Soap | Suppliers | Forums | Cleaning Recipes | Contact Info | Resources | Site Map |

Copyright© 2008 Soap Making Essentials
All content on this website is for informational purposes only.


Return to top

Template Design