Choosing Fragrance Oils for Natural Soap and Candle Making

Why should you make your own candles and soaps?

Lately, I have been on one of my many creative tangents. If you know me, you are quite familiar with those by now. I’ve officially jumped down the rabbit hole of switching to more natural products like food,cleaners, candles, and soaps in my home since becoming a mom. For some reason it never bothered me to use certain things on myself, but when it came to what I was willing to use around my baby, a flip just switched. So the current creative hobby in my household is making nontoxic candles and soaps. You can read all about these projects HERE.

You’re probably wondering what are the benefits of candle making and soap making . Aside from the purely fun, creative side of things, there are many perks of crafting these items yourself. You definitely save money in the long run by making soaps and candles at home. You can batch make large quantities and will end up with more soap for less money. You also get create freedom when it comes to scenting your cold process soap or handmade candles. You can create your own scent blends as well as determine how strong smelling they are.

While saving money and designing your own fragrances are wonderful things, the main thing that really inspired me to create my own soaps and candles was learning how toxic many commercial products are to our health. The major fragrance industry doesn’t hesitate to use paraffin wax, soot causing candle wicks, or hormone disrupting and even paraben-filled fragrance oils. Maybe not everyone is overly concerned with this, but I didn’t feel good washing my baby with chemical laden soaps or filling the air in my home with toxins. Some of the most used candles may be best sellers, but they are not looking out for the customer’s well being. I know if you’re reading this, you probably want to fill your home with healthy alternatives. One of the biggest things we can do right in our nontoxic candle and soap making ventures is to choose natural fragrance oils, pure essential oils, or toxin free fragrances.

Fragrance oils

When it comes to choosing safe fragrance oils, we want to look at a few different things. Make sure the manufacturers have safety data sheets for all of their fragrances. Most every company that sells premium fragrance oils have a data sheet for every scent. On these data sheets, you will be able to see any potential toxins, hormone disrupters, or parabens listed. A few wonderful nontoxic fragrance oil brands are CandleScience Brambleberry.

You may be wondering if candle fragrance oils and soap fragrance oils are interchangeable and usable for either project. That is a great question and the correct answer would be that it depends. Some premium fragrance oils can be used for both soap making and candle making, while others may only work for one or the other. To figure out how to properly use your fragrance oils, consult those handy safety data sheets again. Usually product listings on a supplier’s website will tell you their intended purpose, but you can also find them on the data sheets. You will also be able to see how much fragrance you should use in your projects, otherwise known as the fragrance load. Even if oils are nontoxic, too much fragrance oil or an unbalanced recipe is never a good thing.

Essential oils

When it boils down to it, choosing essential oils is always the healthiest choice for soap or candle fragrances. Pure essential oils are fragrances that have been derived and distilled from natural plants. Essential oils are the best fragrance choice when it comes to scenting body products or personal care products. I’m very much of the mindset (within reason) that if it isn’t natural, it doesn’t belong on our bodies. Using essential oils is a great way to add scent the healthiest way possible.

Creating fragrance blends

Of course, one of the most fun and satisfying parts of soap making or candle making is that we have the chance to design our own custom blends! You could choose your favorite scent or experiment with new fragrances you are less familiar with! I love a variety of scents and it honestly my scent choice depends on the product type. I love floral or citrus scents for body products, but a good food scented oil for a candle is my go to for home fragrance. The possibilities are endless and you can really have fun with it!

Choosing fragrance oils for your soap or candle masking projects doesn’t have to be difficult! Look for fragrance companies that have toxic lab free fragrance blends. Opt for natural essential oils if you would like to stay away from synthetic ingredients all together. You can even go fragrance free if you’d like. There are so many ways to turn soap and candle making into an art in your home. You have the chance to create healthier, wonderful smelling products that your family members will love and enjoy using. You can create cold process soaps that you feel safe using on your little ones. You can burn candles that you feel good about because you know what they are made of. It may seem like a simple concept, but it is those handmade touches that make a house a well-loved home!