30 Essential Oils for Soapmaking + Printable Chart

Are you confused about which essential oils can be used when making soap?

Wondering how much of an essential oil should you put in a batch of soap?

If so, this article and printable chart should help!

It can be downloaded and printed out, so you’ll always have it for easy reference when making soap.

The printable chart includes:

• Essential oil name
• Brief description of the essential oil
• A benefit or characteristic of the oil
• A few blend suggestions
• My preferred usage rate, per pound of oil (based on recommendations found in Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand & Rodney Young, plus double checking with EO Calc, plus my personal experiences with the listed oils)
• Along with a rough volume/weight conversion if your scale doesn’t measure tiny amounts well

PPO = Per Pound of Oils in a recipe (1 pound = 16 oz = 454 g)

Essential Oils for Soapmaking Printable Chart

(See directions to download and print below.)

Essential Oil	Scent	Benefits	Blends With	Rate (PPO)	Vol/Wt
Basil, Sweet (linalool CT) (Ocimum basilicum)	spicy, strong	stimulates, skin tonic	peppermint, spearmint, lavender	7 g (1.5% max)	1 tsp = 3.5 g
Bay Rum (West Indian) (Pimenta racemosa)	balsmanic	popular in men’s care	vetiver, clove, cinnamon	4 g (0.9% max)	1 tsp = 2.8 g
Bergamot (FCF) (Citrus bergamia)	citrus, floral	uplifts, relaxing	rosemary, lavender, litsea	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g
Cedarwood (Cedrus deodara)	woodsy, masculine	toning, antiseptic	lavender, clove, vetiver	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.5 g
Cinnamon Leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)	spicy, strong	warm, speeds trace	clove, citrus, patchouli	2.7 g (0.6% max)	1 tsp = 3.5 g
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)	earthy, floral	calming, balances skin	litsea, lavender, cedarwood	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.4 g
Clove Leaf (Syzygium aromaticum)	spicy, strong	warm, speeds trace	cinnamon, vetiver, citrus	2.7 g (0.6% max)	1 tsp = 3.6 g
Coffee (Coffee arabica)	fresh coffee	aromatic, energizing	peppermint, clove, cinnamon	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)	warm, woodsy	gentle, toning	fir needle, cedarwood, lavender	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)	clean, camphor	cooling, antiseptic	peppermint, lavender, rosemary	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.1 g
Fir Needle (Abies sibirica)	woodsy, fresh	uplifts, antiseptic	cedarwood, peppermint, clove	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g
Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)	rosy, floral	uplifts, balances skin	lavender, clary sage, litsea	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.6 g
Grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi)	citrus, fresh	refreshing, uplifts mood	litsea, lemongrass, orange	23 g (5%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g
Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis)	warm, woodsy	for oily skin	orange, cedarwood, fir needle	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.5 g
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)	floral, herbal	calming, antiseptic	litsea, cedarwood, geranium	23 g (5%)	1 tsp = 3.5 g
Lemon, Folded (5x, 10x) (Citrus limon)	citrus, fresh	cleansing, scent tends to fade	orange, rosemary, lime	23 g (5%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)	lemony	anchors citrus	grapefruit, orange, lime	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.1 g
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)	citrus, fruity	astringent, cleansing	lemon, litsea, lemongrass	23 g (5%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Litsea (May Chang) (Litsea cubeba)	lemony	anchors citrus	lavender, orange, grapefruit	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Orange, Folded (5x or 10x) (Citrus × sinensis)	citrus, fruity	toning, joyful	grapefruit, litsea, lemon	23 g (5%)	1 tsp = 3.6 g
Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)	earthy, rosy	skin benefits	lavender, litsea, bergamot	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.3 g
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)	earthy, exotic	regenerate, anchors blends	cedarwood, lavender, orange	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)	minty, herbal	cooling, refreshing	lavender, rosemary, tea tree	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.3 g
Peru Balsam (Myroxylon balsamum)	balsamic, vanilla	use small amounts	patchouli, lavender, orange	4 g (0.9%)	1 tsp = 2.9 g
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)	herbal, camphor	toning, hair growth	peppermint, lavender, bergamot	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.4 g
Spearmint (Mentha spicata)	minty, sweet	gently cooling	peppermint, rosemary, lavender	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3.3 g
Spruce, Black (Picea mariana)	warm, woodsy	refreshing, uplifting	cedarwood, fir, peppermint	18 g (4%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)	resinous, antiseptic	antifungal	lavender, peppermint, clary sage	13 g (3%)	1 tsp = 3 g
Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)	earthy, rich	restful, calming	lavender, cedarwood, clove	7 g (1.5%)	1 tsp = 2.9 g
Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)	floral, sensual	tranquil, skin tonic	geranium, lavender, citrus	9 g (2%)	1 tsp = 3.2 g

FAQS about adding essential oil to soap:

Do I need to change the amount of oils or lye if I add an essential oil to a soap recipe?

No, you sure don’t! Essential oils are extras, just like oatmeal, honey, and natural colorants. They won’t change the amount of oils or lye used in your recipe.

When do I add essential oils to soap?

Add them just at emulsion, or when the soap reaches a very light trace.

How do I calculate more than one essential oil in a blend?

Figure the full amount of each essential oil, then multiply to get the percentage of each.

Example blend for a batch of soap with 32 oz (2 lbs) oil:
40% lavender
40% cedarwood
20% fir needle

First, figure out the lavender for the entire batch. (23 g x 2 lb = 46 g)
Next, figure out 40% of that number: (46 x 0.4 = 18.4 g)

For the cedarwood used at 18 grams per pound of oil, you will take 18 x 2 = 36 grams.
Next, figure out 40% of that number: (36 x 0.4 = 14.4 g)

Finally, the fir needle is used at 13 g PPO; take 13 x 2 = 26 grams.
Next, figure out 20% of that number: (26 x 0.2 = 5.2 g)

Your final blend for a batch of soap with 2 pounds of oil is:
18.4 grams lavender (40%)
14.4 grams cedarwood (40%)
5.2 grams fir needle (20%)

Do I calculate essential oils using the total weight of the soap batch, or just the oil amount?

Only calculate essential oil amounts based on the weight of the oils in your recipe. We don’t include water because it can vary widely in a recipe and much of it will eventually evaporate out during cure time.

How can I measure such small amounts of essential oils accurately?

I highly recommend a jeweler’s scale. I have a little Jennings Scale that works perfectly for weighing essential oils.

Math makes my brain hurt, is there an easier way to do this?

Yes! You can also run your blend through EO Calculator.

Some essential oils I don’t use in soap:

• Sandalwood – this is a threatened, endangered species and should be saved for special leave-on products such as salves and lotions
• Lemon Verbena – high rate of skin sensitization, so most soapermakers use a fragrance oil instead
• Sage – lots of warnings and contraindications, handle with care
• Wintergreen – many health contraindications, handle with care

To Grab Your Own Copy of the Printable Chart:

Click HERE or on the button below.

It will take you directly to a PDF file.

You can save this file to your computer and/or print it out for personal use.

If your browser won’t open PDF files, please send a message through my contact form and we’ll be happy to help! 😊

This chart comes straight out of my Handmade Natural Soaps Ebook Collection which also includes:

• Handmade Natural Soaps Ebook
• Natural Facial Soaps Ebook
• All-Natural Milk Soaps Ebook
• DIY Specialty Soaps Ebook
• Guide to Using Essential Oils in Soap Ebook
• Troubleshooting Soap Guide
• Soapmaking Checklist to Keep You Organized
• and more!