Collection: Essential Oils

Although essential oils don’t necessarily spoil, they can change over time once exposed to oxygen. The chemical transformations brought about by oxidation can make your product react unpredictably to use, or less effective - hence why our team always recommend sticking to your best before date. 

Keep an eye out for any changes in colour, consistency, and smell - all telltale signs of ageing.

Most bottles have a lifespan of approximately 1.5-2 years depending on their exact contents and the way they’re stored! 

In order to keep your oil in the best possible condition, our experts recommend reducing its exposure to oxygen (e.g. keeping your bottle capped where possible), keeping it in a dark, cool environment, and making use of small containers - preferably dark glass ones designed to prevent oxidation. 

Essential oils make a wonderful natural fragrance for all types of handmade soap - from hot to cold process. But how much should you be using? 

Well, although just one drop of this potent liquid can be enough to scent an entire room, the exact amount of essential oil you should use in your soap depends entirely on your chosen type, overall recipe, and ratios. Some other ingredients and process types used in soap making can be enough to drown out or destabilise your scent, whilst others require only the tiniest amount. 

Before you make anything, you should always check the IFRA document for your essential oil. This will help determine the maximum safe amount to use in your recipe. All types of soap are in IFRA category 9. Please double-check what your guide calls for before getting started!

Whether you’re brand new to the world of crafting or have already indulged in the world of essential oils, discerning your products’ quality is hugely important! After all, your end result is only as good as your ingredients. So, how do you know if your essential oils are high quality? 

Well, with no essential oil certification or purity rating out there, you’ll have to do a bit of your own investigative work. Our experts recommend looking out for:

Packaging: Your essential oils should come packaged in airtight glass bottles of a dark colour. This packaging tradition protects oils from excessive oxidation, increasing their lifespan. Plastic bottles and the volatile natural chemicals within essential oils don’t mix - so be sure to avoid sellers offering them! 

Labelling: Your chosen essential oil’s labelling should clearly and obviously state the name of your oil and the type of plant or plant material used to make it - preferably in Latin and common terms. In addition, your packaging should note how the oil was extracted, and ideally, its source - for example, country of origin. 

There are now over 100 different types of all-natural essential oils, each with their own scents and properties. Some of the most common include bergamot, cardamom, cedarwood, clove, eucalyptus, ginger, lavender, lemongrass, neroli, orange, patchouli, peppermint, sandalwood, tea tree, and ylang ylang - though this list is by no means exhaustive! 

Want to browse some of the most popular essential oils for aromatherapy, cosmetics, and soap making? Check out The Soapery’s exclusive collection above.

In most contexts, you can mix essential oils together - but be sure to check your recipe for ratios and oil types first! When trying out combinations, you’ll want to select oils with notes that blend together well to avoid clashes and unpleasant results - but don’t be afraid, the right selection can really add a brilliant sense of depth to your fragrance (see top, middle, and bottom notes)! 

To further this, there’s no exact upper limit when it comes to blending - after all, some of the world’s very best recipes combine multiple for a unique effect! 

Want to experiment with essential oil mixing but don’t know where to start? Why not browse our blogs for some tried and tested recipes or tips and tricks?

Essential oils are all-natural fragrance compounds extracted from raw plant matter. They can start life as anything - from seeds, petals, and leaves to tree bark and roots - but all end up as a similar final product; a potent oil stored in a bottle. 

So, how exactly are these oils made? In most cases, either distillation (either through steam or water) or mechanical extraction (e.g. cold pressing) processes are used to pull the most aromatic chemicals - or ‘essence’ - from the plant matter before bottling and labelling. In some cases, a carrier oil is mixed in. It really is that simple and natural!

Essential oils don’t necessarily go rancid, but they will change with time as they oxidise, meaning it’s advisable to stick to the approximate ‘use by’ date on their packaging! Be sure to keep an eye out for any changes to colour (especially clouding), differences in scent, and changes in consistency, such as thinning. 

In order to keep your essential oils in good condition and usable for the longest possible time, our experts recommend doing everything you can to avoid oxidation. This means keeping your cap on wherever possible and screwing it on tightly when finished, ensuring your product is kept in a dark glass bottle (preferably small in size), and storing your collection in a dark, cool area. 

Your essential oil source is more important than you might initially think! Quality can mean everything to your final product’s performance and longevity - especially when factors like sensitive skin are involved - meaning your supplier should be a trustworthy one. 

When browsing products, look out for high-quality packaging (dark glass bottles with clear labelling indicating the essential oil type, Latin name, and source are key, whilst plastic bottles are a red flag)! 

In addition to this, keep in mind that a lower price doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the same product for better value. Factors including harvesting costs, the exact species of plant and part of plant used, plant rarity, oil purity, and more should all be taken into account. 

The Soapery are proud to offer high-quality essential oils at fair, transparent prices. Why not take a look at our collection above? 

Essential oils in their pure, concentrated form can be considered an irritant, or even a danger, to pets. As a result of their strong formulation, some can even prove toxic to cats, dogs, and other pets, who are more sensitive to scents than humans. 

Be sure to keep your collection out of the reach of any four-legged friends, wiping up any spills immediately. Should your pet happen to have ingested an essential oil or be displaying symptoms of irritation or intoxication, be sure to consult your vet immediately.