Our natural soap bars are some of the best smelling soaps around, and the secret lies in the essential oils we use. Find out what the best essential oils are, what some essential oil benefits are, and more about other types of botanical oil we use to craft our sustainable soap bars.
First Let’s Define Essential Oils and Carrier Oils
Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between essential oils and carrier oils? When it comes to soap, there are two main differences .
The first is the function of the oil in the soap. Essential oils in cold process soap are used primarily for the wonderful fragrances they add. Carrier oils are used to provide structure and saponification in the soap-making process. In short, essential oils give scent; carrier oils make the soap.
The second difference is that essential oils are natural oils extracted from plants that are very concentrated and can’t be applied directly to the skin (more on this later). Carrier oils, on the other hand, can be applied directly to the skin and are used as a base in soap making.
Let’s look at some examples of each type of oil that is used in CleanO2’s natural oil soap bars.
CleanO2 and the Essential Oils We Use in Soap making
Essential oils are very potent, so you only need a small amount added to soap to produce the desired fragrance. In fact, essential oils are the very last ingredient added during the cold process soap making process. CleanO2 uses four categories of essential oils, based on the type of plant they are extracted from.
Essential Oils from Trees
Some of the best essential oils for evoking a feeling of nature in the shower are those that come from wood. Our favourite essential oils in this category are those extracted from pine and cedar. Pine essential oil is a featured scent in our Montane Meadow Body Bar.
Essential Oils from Fruits
CleanO2 uses orange essential oil to add a citrus scent to some of our pleasant blends. It’s the dominant scent note in our Restoration Scrub Hand Bar.
Essential Oils from Flowers
The soothing scent of lavender is a wonderful addition to any soap, while geranium essential oil offers a pleasant floral smell. You’ll find both of these scents in our Montane Meadow Body Bar . You’ll delight in our Renewable Rose Body Bar if you like the smell of sweet geraniums.
Essential Oils from Herbs
Rosemary and spearmint essential oils are the two stars of our herbal essential oil collection. Our popular Enviro Mint Body Bar, for example, provides an invigorating shower experience thanks to the spearmint essential oil.
CleanO2 and the Carrier or Botanical Oils we Use in Soap Making
We use six carrier oils (also known as base oils) in our soap making process, and each one is naturally derived from plants. These six crucial natural oil soap ingredients take part in the saponification reaction to produce the soap in our bars:
- Olive oil (sodium olivate)
- Shea butter (sodium shea butterate)
- Castor oil (sodium castorate)
- Avocado oil (sodium avocadate)
- Coconut oil (sodium cocoate)
- Rice bran oil (sodium ricate)
We’ve created a perfect blend of these carrier oils to create palm-free cold-process bars that perform amazingly well in the shower or bath and provide a great lather experience.
Essential Oil Benefits in Soap
Essential oils in cold process soap are there for one reason: to make your bathing experience more enjoyable. Whether you’re waking up during your morning shower with spearmint-scented soap or calming yourself during a pre-bedtime bath with lavender-scented soap, there’s no denying the psychological benefits of essential oils in soap.
You’ve probably heard that essential oils are used in aromatherapy to ease stress and anxiety and produce an overall calming effect. While the amount of essential oil in soap is very small, when you lather up in a steamy shower, the wonderful scent given by the essential oil can offer a powerful psychological boost, or at the very least a pleasant experience.
CleanO2 Essential Oils are IFRA Compliant
As we mentioned earlier, essential oils are extremely potent and cannot be applied directly to the skin because they could cause irritation or other adverse reactions. The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is a global regulating body that conducts regular testing to determine the amount of essential oil that can be safely used in cosmetics.
We care about safety as much as we care about sustainability and make sure all our soap scents are compliant with IFRA guidelines. That means when you use a CleanO2 soap bar, you get to enjoy the essential oil benefits worry free!