20 BEST Essential Oils and Blends to Scent Handmade Soap Naturally
Here are the best essential oils for great combinations in your natural handmade soaps. If you’re trying to make natural and as organic as possible soap at home, you’ll want to know which essential oils are best as far as holding fragrance, being cost effective for soaps, and create lovely scents.
When I first began my soap making adventures and experiments, my goal was to create truly “natural” soap without dangerous chemicals. One thing I discovered fairly early on, before I spent too much money on "fragrance" oils, is that when you are scenting soap, the ONLY natural way to do it is by using essential oils.
Essential oils are REAL plant oils, the volatile oils from the plant. Unlike fragrance oils, which usually contain artificial scents, dangerous chemicals, and many unknowns, essential oils are simply natural plant constituents.
There’s no doubt in my mind that fragrance oils contain varying levels of dangerous toxins. The FDA doesn't require all ingredients in fragrance oils to be listed, so many dangerous toxins can fall under an unknown umbrella ingredient. At this time, there are over 10,000 potential additives to fragrances, and many of these are toxic.
You need to understand that the government has not changed cosmetics laws in our country (U.S.) since the 1930’s! That’s nearly 100 years! And more and more chemical and synthetically created ingredients are being used every year.
As of right now, only around 40 or so are banned in the U.S., while Europe has already banned over 1,400 chemicals used in cosmetics (including soap, lotions, toothpaste, and deodorants, as well as make up).
These proven carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and other dangerous chemicals are very commonly found in the broad term, “fragrance.”
The bottom line is: if you want truly natural soap, to make or purchase, you'll have to be sure it's scented only with essential oils or not at all!
I wasn't very familiar with essential oils when I began making homemade soap years ago. I knew they worked for medicinal purposes, and I had been using them this way for quite a while. However, I didn't know about how to blend them, or which ones to use for making soap.
I also discovered that essential oils are rather expensive for making soap because you have to use relatively large amounts. A few drops will just not work to scent a good-sized batch of soap. After years of experimentation, I’ve got my favorite essential oils for making handmade soap.
Here’s my list of the best essential oils to use to make delicious smelling and truly natural soap. These essential oils all blend well and are more common (therefore the least expensive) essential oils, making them perfect for making soap!
**When I say “more common,” what I mean is that the plants are easily and sustainably grown for the most part, and therefore they are priced relatively lower than other essential oils that require extremely large amounts of plant matter (like roses).
I've chosen my favorite oils by how well they blend with other oils, how well they smell on their own, and except for a couple in the list, most are (for essential oils) on the reasonably-priced end too.
Want to watch a video instead? You can see it here, or just scroll down a bit more in this article. 😊 P.S. Please subscribe to my channel! I don’t go into as depth in the video, but I also talk about essential oils for men, cautions with children, and more.
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My Favorite Essential Oils for Scenting Soap Naturally
This is a great list of essential oils to choose to scent your natural soap. If you want to find out how to blend them, along with a great instruction book for how to make hot process soap, you'll want to take a look at my Natural Soap Making Course.
Anise (Pimpinella anisum):
Anise essential oil is quite strongly scented and will give you a licorice scent. So if you are a person who enjoys the scent of black licorice or star anise—this is for you!
Benzoin (Styrax tonkinesis):
Mmmmm….Sweet and vanilla scented, Benzoin is so good for your skin. However, it can be difficult to use because it is highly viscous. You’ll have to warm the bottle in hot water to get it to flow reasonably enough to use. Regardless, it’s one of my favorites to sweeten and balance a “green” scented soap. It goes great with the woodsy aromas like frankincense too.
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia):
Bergamot is a citrus oil and has a relaxing scent. There’s a tinge of floral in bergamot. I don’t use this much because I find it to be on the expensive side. However, it’s a very popular scent and blends well with other citrus oils, herbaceous oils, and evergreen scents, too.
Cinnamon Leaf (Cinnamomum zeylonicum):
Pretty much everyone knows what cinnamon smells like! :-) As stated earlier, just be aware that some people are sensitive to cinnamon. Go easy on this oil. Choose cinnamon leaf over cinnamon bark, as it’s less “hot.”
Here's a recipe for my Peaceful Warrior soap---It's a great favorite of many of my friends and family. Men and women both love this soap!
Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata):
Clove is an oriental scent, quite strong, and should be combined with other oils. It’s another oil that may cause skin sensitivity, although medicinally, it is used as a numbing oil for tooth and mouth pain. Take a look at my Safety Note below. With all this said, I love using clove essential oil in my spice blends for soap making.
Mmmm....Orange, Clove, Anise and Cinnamon make for a great Citrus-Spice combination in your homemade soaps!
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus and E. spp.):
A clean, uplifting, and refreshing scent! Eucalyptus also has some terrific medicinal qualities, and if you experience allergies or sinus issues, using Eucalyptus soap in your shower can really help with the associated congestion!
I have heard some folks say you should be careful about using this essential oil on children under the age of 10. Soap is a rinse off product, and if used in small amounts will not likely cause problems. But be sure to do your own research so you make good decisions for your needs.
NOTE: There are some species of eucalyptus that are safe for children, such as Eucalytpus dives. However, these different species smell quite differently from each other. The most common type of eycalyptus is E. globulus, and is what you’re likely to find unless you’re on the search for a specific species.
Oh, my gosh: You've got to check out this recipe for Spearmint-Eucalyptus-Frankincense soap. It's amazing!
Frankincense resin…This dries into hardened “tears,” then is steam distilled for the essential oil. **Frankincense has become endangered since I first wrote this article, so do make sure any you purchase is sustainably sourced and grown.
Frankincense (Boswellia spp.):
Frankincense is an expensive oil, but I’m including it here because it is just so wonderful! It has a piney/turpentine-ish scent, and has long been used as a healing oil and for meditation. It’s also an oil that benefits your skin, especially mature skin.
Here's a great soap recipe for Christmas: It's my Frankincense & Myrrh hot process soap---I love this one so much!
Frankincense is such a wonderful resin and essential oil. You might enjoy reading my Ultimate Guide to Frankincense.
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisii):
Grapefruit is a super uplifting and happy essential oil! It’s also thought to help with fat deposits and cellulite. Used with Rosemary, it is a great combination for acne or especially oily skin.
Here's my recipe for Cellulite Soap that uses Grapefruit & Rosemary essential oils.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia):
Lavender is arguably one of the most used essential oil scents in soap making! It’s inexpensive (relatively), and it smells wonderful. It is highly relaxing and soothing to the skin.
You might like this recipe for Lavender-Rosemary-Vanilla hot process soap! It comes with a nice picture tutorial too.
Create your own handmade soap with my step-by-step video course on soap making—-with print materials too! You’ll also learn to make soap with different textures, colorants, and natural scents!
Lemon (Citrus limon):
Lemon is another common scent that most people really love. Lemon, like many of the citrus oils, will not last long in soap. Using a touch of Patchouli in the blend helps ground the scent, keeping it in the soap longer.
My Citrus Bliss Soap is incredible---and this blend is a favorite with most women because it really enhances your mood.
Lemongrass (Cympogon flexuosus):
Lemongrass has a lemony scent, and is very helpful for emotional balance. I like to use lemongrass along with lemon essential oil because the scents are similar, and I’ve found it helps the lemon fragrance go a lot further in the soap. Lemongrass has a pretty strong scent, too--much stronger than regular Lemon. Keep this in mind when blending because there is a difference between the two scents.
I use Lemongrass essential oil in my Sexy Wild Man hot process recipe, along with Cinnamon and Cedarwood. Mmmm...
Mandarin or Tangerine (Citrus reticulata):
Mandarin and tangerine are arguably the same exact thing. This is an ongoing debate, but most herbalists use them interchangeable, and the species name is exactly the same.
What can I say? Tangerine essential oil just flat out makes a person happy. It really does. Like the other citrus, you’ll need to ground it using a stronger oil, like patchouli or lemongrass.
You can find Tangerine/Mandarin essential oil used in my Tangerine-Cocoa & Oatmeal Hot Process Soap!
This oil is calming for people, especially children. If you’ve smelled a mandarin orange or tangerine, then you know what this scent is like. It’s not quite orange, and it is lighter and sweeter. I love using Mandarin Orange with a grounding spicy essential oil, like Cinnamon.
You'll find Mandarin/Tangerine used in my Fall Spice hot process soap recipe.
Mandarin and Orange essential oils are very different! They also have different properties that support your emotions and body in different ways too. It's good to do a little research when you decide what essential oils to use in your soap making.
Homemade soaps are so fun to make and customize the way you want them to be. Best of all, you know exactly what is in your soaps. And that's a great feeling! Click here for a handmade soap picture tutorial for the hot process method.
Orange (Citrus x sinensis):
I’ve used Blood Orange and Sweet Orange. Both are good! Orange essential oil has a joyful citrus scent! As in other citrus oils, it will not last as long in soaps, so using another oil to help “ground” it, like Patchouli or Lemongrass will help. Orange calms anxious feelings while at the same time uplifts your mood.
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin):
This is one of those love it or hate it oils. Personally, I love Patchouli. It starts out strong, then fades into a lovely exotic scent. It helps weaker, more volatile essential oils (like citrus and evergreen oils) to last longer in the soap. So, even if you use a bit in your Pine or Citrus soaps, it will smell just fine! It blends well with these scents.
Like orange essential oil, you'll find Patchouli in a lot of my soap recipes because it is a great essential oil to ground other scents, while not overpowering the overall smell of the soap. The soap ends up smelling lovely, and the patchouli is undetectable.
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita):
Oh, my goodness—this is one of my favorites. Peppermint is cooling (literally) on your skin, so it’s a great summertime scent. If you are creating soap for a menopausal lady (like me), then this is a wonderful essential oil to use! It’s a refreshing essential oil to use in your handmade soap on a hot summer day!
NOTE: Children under ten shouldn’t use peppermint due to the high menthol content.
You may like to try my Hard Hunk o'Man hot process soap recipe that uses Peppermint and Pine. It's great for Saint Patrick's Day, too, as it's a lovely green colored naturally with herbs.
Pine (Pinus spp.):
The most common pine essential oil to use for soap making is the Scotch pine, however, there are hundreds of pine species of essential oils. They all smell different too, although they all have that well-known “pine” scent. You can substitute pine successfully with the other evergreens such the firs and spruces too.
Pine gives your soap a manly, clean, refreshing scent. Because of the high levels of monoterpenes in the essential oil, it tends to disappear scent-wise in your soap fairly quickly, like the citrus oils do. Because of this, blending with a hint of a grounding scent such as patchouli, myrrh, lemongrass, or sandalwood helps hold it in place longer.
Here’s a recipe for Pine and Peppermint Scented Soap that’s a winner with men (and women).
Pine is lovely in soap, with a fresh, outdoor scent. It’s also excellent for the skin and has antimicrobial properties.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinale):
Rosemary has a woody-green scent, and it is also stimulating. Rosemary essential oil is great for those with acne or very oily skin because it is highly astringent and antimicrobial.
Rosemary should be avoided by children under six years of age due to the camphor and 1,8-cineole content. Some herbalists state that it shouldn’t be used by people with hypertension, but the esteemed and reputable Dr. Tisserand and Young in their book, Essential Oil Safety, state there is no evidence rosemary is dangerous for those with hypertension.
Rosemary happens to be wonderful for cognition and mental focus! This is a wonderful scent to use in your morning wake-up shower, along with peppermint!
Herbal essential oils like Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme, etc. give your soaps a wonderful floral or "green" scent.
Spearmint (Mentha spicata):
Spearmint is sweeter than Peppermint, and much more mild. I love using spearmint in my soap making. If you’ve ever tasted a spearmint leaf, then you know what I’m talking about! Spearmint is safe for children and is a good substitute for peppermint, even though the scent structure is different.
One of my favorite soap recipes uses spearmint, and you can find that link above, under Eucalyptus.
Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia):
One of my favorites, I used to think Tea Tree was stinky! But blended the right way with other oils (like Eucalyptus, the mints, and patchouli), it is lovely. Tea Tree essential oil is an antiseptic, antifungal, and all-around anti-microbial. In fact, it can be used to treat stubborn toenail fungus! In soap, it’s beautiful.
I don't have a recipe for this blend that one of my friends created (yet---I'm dabbling), but she combines Tea Tree, Patchouli, and Lemongrass essential oils. Honestly, it smells divine. But again, keep in mind....tea tree is another love or hate it essential oil.
**Find out about the benefits and uses of tea tree essential oil.
Wintergreen (Gaultheria fragrantissima):
Wintergreen has analgesic properties, and may help with joint pain relief, especially when used in salves. In soap, like most essential oils, it is mainly for the scent because it’s not left on the skin to absorb. It as a strong and powerful kind of “icy-hot” scent. If you’ve tasted wintergreen gum, it’s the same scent! **Wintergreen often has contraindications for those on blood thinners and others, however, in a soap, it once again washes right off. Be sure to check with your medical doctor if you are pregnant or on medications before using wintergreen or other herbs and oils with salicylic chemicals (salicin, methyl salicylate, etc.).
NOTE: Do you ever wonder about the Latin names of the plants? If so, you might enjoy reading about what they mean, why they’re important, and how to understand them here.
Step by step videos walk you through the entire hot process soap making experience PLUS over 20 recipes so you can learn to use different textures and natural colorants for your all natural handmade soap! Click here for more information.
How Much Essential Oil Do I Need to Use in My Handmade Soaps? Plus, Some Safety Considerations
This was a question I had when I first started making soap that was SO HARD to find an answer to! Different oils have different strengths so you'll need to take that into account when making your blends. If you use any of my recipes, you can be sure I’ve tested the blends for a lovely aroma.
Cinnamon essential oil, for example, is STRONG, while Lemon essential oil is not so much. If you are blending oils, go light at first, then make adjustments. You'll soon find the right combinations for you. I am really big on experimenting, I'm sure you can tell.
Based on my own experiments, I'm going to give you some very general guidelines here, because scent is such a personal thing. I tend to go heavy on my scents because I just like it that way. Also, in terms of using oils like Eucalyptus in my soaps, I'll get the benefits on my sinuses in the shower with a more heavily scented bar.
The best thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, is how a strong scent can potentially overpower a lighter scent. And go from there. Experiment with different scents and blends that appeal to you. I’ve included a few of my favorite blends for you below.
Also, I use essential oils in my soaps to help support body functions, like my cellulite soap or using eucalyptus to help clear my sinuses in the shower.
My basic guideline for my own soaps is to use 1/4 to about 3/4 ounce by weight of essential oil per pound of oils in the soap.
So, if you want a lightly scented bar of soap, I'd cut that amount in half or even fourths to start, then play around with amounts from there. Remember, I like a strongly scented soap bar, but not everyone does. And, the more essential oil you use, the more your soap will cost you, and in turn, your customers, if you’re selling your products.
If you are blending, pay close attention to how strong the essential oil smells. Go light on strong scents like Cinnamon, Clove, Patchouli, Peppermint, etc. You can go a little heavier on lighter scents like Lavender, Lemon, Orange, and Tangerine.
SAFETY NOTE: My ideas here are just my own opinions based on years of experience making handmade soaps and skincare products as well as therapeutic use of essential oils. Essential oils are powerful and can actually burn through plastics….therefore you need to carefully consider dilution amounts.
This is an article on soap making, which is a rinse off product. This means the essential oils aren’t sitting on your skin and aren’t being absorbed as they would with a lotion, for example. This significantly reduces any chance of sensitization or irritation, but doesn’t alleviate the possibility entirely, especially for those with sensitive skin.
Even though soap is a wash off product, you still need to be aware of the power of the specific essential oils you choose and their safety indications. Some essential oils are very benign and safe (like lavender, chamomile, and tangerine), while others can be phototoxic (many of the citrus oils are, but not all, for example) or have contraindications for certain individuals (like pregnant women or those on medications).
It’s up to you to do your research on the essential oils you choose. This also goes for fragrance oils too. I refer to Dr. Tisserand and Rodney Young’s book, Essential Oil Safety for making my decisions for products used topically. You can also find out information about cosmetic formulations if you really want to dig deeply into different kinds of fragrances and the maximum loads per product through the IFRA (International Fragrance Association).
Now….Let’s quickly talk about how to purchase essential oils that are high quality, yet can be purchased in great enough amounts for making soap…..
I love Pine because it is clean, fresh, and men just love it. The only thing is it is a lighter scent, and you'll need to ground it with something stronger that also won't overpower it. I like using Patchouli.
Where Should You Buy Essential Oils for Making Soap?
I'll tell you what. Essential oils cost a lot. Especially GOOD ones.
So, even though I use high quality therapeutic grade essential oils for healing, medicinal use, and massage (directly on skin with a carrier oil), I just couldn't afford to use these kinds of essential oils in my soap.
This is because when you make soap, you need to use a relatively large amount of essential oils in order to have enough scent come through. (I'll discuss amounts for making soap below.)
So....I searched the world over for essential oils that were still of good quality, but that were more affordable than buying little 10 mL bottles of oils for $20! I started out buying my oils in 2 ounce bottles--again, because of the cost.
Then, when I started making larger quantities of soaps, I purchased my most common essential oils in 16 ounce amounts, and this saved me even more money in the long run.
After searching and experimenting with many companies for soap making essential oils, Starwest Botanicals has become my hands-down favorite company to buy my soaping essential oils from! I hope you'll check them out. If you are going to get into making handmade soap, it's worth taking a look.
Starwest Botanicals also has a great selection of herbs and herbal products--I think they are pretty amazing! They are also my favorite place to purchase any kind of carrier oils or herbs for cooking or making medicines.
The links in the descriptions of the essential oils are for Amazon, in case you want to take a look there! I can't speak to the quality of the essential oils, but I tried to find brands that at least give you a decent quantity, which you need for making soap.
With that said, in my experience, essential oils sold in larger amounts in the stores (including Amazon) are not of the best quality. Just be careful when purchasing your essential oils.
You may like this article for more information: How to Choose an Essential Oil Brand That is Quality and Won't Break the Bank.
Here’s my popular Pumpkin Spice Soap….look at how that color shines, and it smells like pumpkin pie.
Some Favorite Essential Oil Blends That Work GREAT in Handmade Soaps
Here are some tried and true essential oil recipes to scent your soaps with beautiful fragrance…that is natural. I’ve personally used these for soaps I’ve sold in the past, and they were customer favorites….so enjoy! And remember, please do check the safety indicators for each oil, and just remember that the soap does wash off.
You’ll notice these blends are given to you in terms of ratios or parts. This makes it very easy for you to change the total amount of the blend for your needs (pounds of soap, strength of scent, etc.). A part can be any measurement you wish. You’ll just use these guidelines to create your blend for however much you want to make.
1) Mental Clarity Blend
This blend is GREAT for a wake up shower or bath. Get ready to be refreshed and energized!
1 part Pine Scotch
1 part Peppermint
1 part Eucalyptus
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2) Sexy Wild Man (or Woman)
This has been an extremely popular soap in my soap-selling days long ago. Once people got a whiff of this scent, they were hooked! It’s a spicy-caramel scent with lightly sweet overtones. The cedarwood balances the spice and sweetness perfectly to make a soap most people fall in love with!
1 part Lemongrass
2 parts Cinnamon Leaf (NOT Bark, which is “hotter”)
3 parts Cedarwood Texas or Virginia (NOT Atlas)
********
3) Mystic Blend
This scent is exactly what it sounds like….exotic and mysterious. You can see the recipe for Mystic Soap here, and the herbs I used to color this soap are dark, matching the exotic scent.
1 part Frankincense
1 part Cedarwood (Atlas)
1.5 parts Patchouli
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4) Summer Day
This is an uplifting, cheerful scent that combines the cooling, sweet power of spearmint with the uplifting and summery scents of the citrus oils. I added a touch of patchouli to ground the volatility of the citrus and mint oils.
1 part Spearmint
1 part Patchouli (don’t worry—-it’s not strong in this blend, and it grounds the citrus essential oils)
2 parts Lemon essential oil
2 parts Grapefruit essential oil
********
5) Citrus Dream
This blend has been a long-time hit! When I sold my handmade soaps years ago, this blend was one of the most popular. Enjoy!
2 parts Tangerine/Mandarin essential oil
1 part Lemon essential oil
1/2 part Lemongrass essential oil
1/2 part Patchouli essential oil
Final Thoughts on Using Essential Oils to Scent Soap Naturally
There is an incredible difference between soaps scented with artificial fragrance oils and soaps scented with essential oils. Your brain can pick up the benefits from the plant compositions in the natural essential oils, without any doubt. If you want to make truly natural soap, you'll have to opt for essential oils!
I hope this list is helpful to you! Please let me know if you want more information! Leave comments in the comments section---and I'd love for you to share your own favorite combinations with us!
Here are some related articles about making soap you might also be interested in:
And here are a few videos from my YouTube channel (and please subscribe!)
Calm, Baby, Calm…A Roller Bottle Blend for Helping Kids Focus and Relax
Thieves Room Spray Recipe for Boosting Your Immune System and Cleaning the Air in Your Home
Enjoy! If you have any questions or comments, I love to hear from you. Please leave them in the comments section below!
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Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance!
Heidi
P.S. Don’t forget to get your FREE Herbal Remedy Guide and Cheat Sheet! It’s perfect for your home apothecary or kitchen. If you prefer (or want it in addition to the Herbal Remedy Guide, you might also like my Guide to Herbal Steams for Better Breathing and Lovely Skin!
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. In no manner, stated or implied, is any statement in this article, elsewhere on the blog, or in any product meant to cure, treat, diagnose, or prevent any illness. Please seek medical advice from your doctor. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. All statements herein are simply my personal opinion based on study and experience in my own life.
Do you want to create truly natural homemade and beautifully scented soap? If you do, you'll need to use essential oils to scent them. After experimenting with hundreds of essential oils, here are my favorite essential oils to use specifically in making handmade soaps based on long lasting scent, saving money, and smelling great! #soap #howtomake #soapmaking #naturalsoap #essentialoilsoap #essentialoil #handmadesoap #hotprocess #soap #healingharvesthomestead