It’s quite common for people to start a batch only to realize they don’t have enough essential oils for their project. This can be frustrating, and most people will often choose just not to use them all together.
However, there are a few ways to figure out how much you need ahead of time hence the formula for how to calculate essential oils for soap.
Determining how much essential oil to use in a soap recipe can be tricky. There are a lot of variables to consider, but if you take your time and do some simple math, you can easily find the perfect amount for your needs.
Back then, the process was about experimenting until you came up with something good. This was, however, not very efficient as, most of the time, you would end up with uneven soap products.
Fortunately, there is an easier way of how to calculate the essential oils for soap. You can now use a specific formula that will help you determine the perfect ratio to add to your soap mixture.
Why It’s Important Calculate Essential Oils For Soap?
Essential oils are a great way to add fragrance, color, and beneficial properties to your soap-making intrigues. But one challenge most soap makers face is knowing how much to add!
Not only is this important for the aesthetics of your final product, but it’s also important for the safety of your family and friends who will be using the soap.
Imagine adding too much of a very expensive and hard-to-find oil only to find out it ruined the batch. Or adding too little essential oil and end up with a boring soap bar.
Nobody wants that! Knowing how to calculate essential oils for soap can save you both money and time in the long run.
Here’s a quick rundown on the importance of calculating essential oils for soap:
- Essential oils are very concentrated and should be used with care. If you add too much, it can irritate or even burn skin.
- The wrong amount of essential oil will throw off the whole batch. But if you calculate, you can avoid wasting money on ingredients and time.
- Calculating will help you achieve consistent results and be able to replicate your favorite soap recipe again and again.
- You will also have better control over the final product by avoiding too much or too little of the oil.
How To Calculate Essential Oils For Soap
There are a number of ways to calculate essential oils for soap. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular methods.
1: The Percentages Method
This method is probably the most common way of how to calculate essential oils for soap. You will need to find out the percentage of each oil in your soap recipe and then multiply it by the total weight of the oils.
Let’s say you have a recipe that calls for these oils:
- Coconut oil – 45%
- Lavender oil – 30%
These percentages add up to 100%. Now, let’s say our soap recipe uses 1000g of oils. To calculate how much essential oil to add, we need to multiply the percentage of each oil by the total weight of the oils.
So this is the amount you will need for this recipe
- Coconut oil – 45% x 1000g = 450g of Coconut oil
- Lavender oil – 30% x 1000g = 300g of Lavender oil
Read: How do you make lemon essential oil at home?
2: The Weight Method
This is another popular method of calculating essential oils for soap. First, you will need to find out the specific gravity of each oil in your recipe,
and then you will need to multiply it by the total weight of the oils in your recipe. You can do this by searching online or using an essential oil calculator.
Assuming the specific gravity of lavender oil is 45.88g, and the total weight of all the oils is 2000g, then all you do is multiply (Specific Gravity) x (Total Weight Of All Oils)
So it will be : 45.88g x 2000g = 917.6g of Lavender oil.
Read: Can you burn essential oils in an oil burner?
3: The Drops Method
Though less popular, the drops method is a quick way of calculating essential oils for soap, especially if you are using a small batch size.
To do this, you will need to find out how many drops of essential oil are in 1g and then multiply it by the total weight of the oils.
Again you can find out how many drops are in 1g by using an essential oil calculator or by searching online.
So if the number of drops in 1g of lavender is 30 and the weight of all the oils in the recipe is 1000g, you will use roughly 30000 drops of lavender oil for this recipe.
But it’s important to note that this method is not always accurate as the size of drops can vary from oil to oil.
Read: List of allergens in essential oils
Frequently Asked Questions on Essential Oils For Soap
How Much Essential Oil Is Safe In Soap?
How much essential oil is safe in soap will depend on the specific oil you are using. You need to make sure that you adhere to the maximum concentration levels set by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association).
How Do You Use A Soap Calculator?
A soap calculator is a tool that will help you determine how much essential oil to add to your soap recipe. You simply input the information about your recipe and the desired strength of the scent, and it will do the calculations for you.
How Do I Know How Strong My Scent Will Be?
The strength of your scent will depend on the percentage of essential oil you use in your soap recipe. The higher the percentage, the stronger the scent will be.
As you can see, there are a number of ways of how to calculate essential oils for soap. For most people, the percentages method will be the easiest to use.
However, depending on the recipe you are using, you may find that another way is more suitable.
Experiment and see which one works best for you. Just be sure to adhere to the maximum concentration levels set by the IFRA to ensure your soap is safe to use.