My Soaps at TheSoapMagician.com

I am a trained and certified aromatherapist. I was first trained in 1998 by Jade Shutes who headed the Institute of Dynamic Aromatherapy and again in 2011 as a refresher course through The East-West School for Herbal and Aromatic Studies. Again, headed by Jade Shutes.

Before we get into the use of essential oils in our soaps, let's have a little chit-chat about some of their uses and cautions.

There is a difference between essential oils and fragrance oils.

Essential oils are generally made from the distillation of the actual plant itself and are highly concentrated. Some of these essential oils can be quite pricey due to the quantity of the plant and/or its parts needed to make the essential oil. As an example, it takes approximately 60,000 rose petals to produce 1 ounce of pure rose essential oil.

The molecules of essential oils are so tiny that they have the ability to penetrate the surface of the skin and enter the bloodstream.

If you have allergies to certain plants, using the essential oil of the plant will produce the same allergic affects.

Fragrance oils on the other hand are copied and synthetically produced. Some fragrance oils may or may not have any of the plant material as part of the process. Fragrance oils are a good substitute for obtaining the aromatic results you may be looking to achieve without the high cost of the actual essential oil. And, if you suffer from certain plant allergies, such as ragweed or grass, fragrance oils are a great alternative. However, there are a number of people who suffer from alergic reactions to fragrance oils due to the ingredients to create/re-create a particular frangrace.

The molecules of fragrance oils are not small enough to penetrate the surface of the skin and therefore they are unable to enter the bloodstream, with the exception of cuts or abrasions.

In regards to essential oils, there are certain precautions I do like to take. And here is one of them.

PREGNANCY: Although some aroma-therapists argue that a more diluted mixture of EO (essential oil) and carrier oil is safe; I tend to error on the side of caution, and advise against a few EOs if you are pregnant. Especially in the first and second trimester.

The following list, includes, but is not limited to all of the herbs and essential oils that are classified as "EMMENAGOGUES" which are herbs that promote menstruation, usually causing it to occur either earlier or with increased menstrual flow when it is scanty. This means it can cause the fetus to abort in the early stages of pregnancy. You should also avoid the following herbs if you are considering pregnancy. This caution should also apply to large quantities of the herbs itself. When in doubt, consult your physician.

I have listed both the common name as well as the Latin name, as all herbs are not created equal. When working with these herbs and essential oils, look for the Latin name.

Please don't panic when you read some of these herbs. The caution is intended for large quantities. The amounts used in cooking is small in comparison. But again, consult your physician with any questions or concerns.

Common Name	Latin Name
Angelica	Angelica archangelica, A. officinalis
Basil*	Ocimum basilicum
Bay (Sweet)	Laurus nobilis
Calamint (Catnip)	Calamintha clinopodium, C. grandiflora, C. officinalis, Nepeta cataria, Satureja calamintha
Caraway*	Apium carvi, Carum carvi
Cassia	Cinnamomum aromaticum, C. cassia, Laurus cassia
Cedarwood	Juniperus virginiana
Celery*	Apium graveolens
Chamomile (German & Roman)	Matricaria chamomilla, M. recutica (German chamomile); Anthemis nobilis, Chamaemelum nobile (Roman chamomile)
Chamomile (Moroccan)	Anthemis mixta, Ormenis mixta, O. multicaulis
Cinnamon Bark & Leaf	Cinnamomum verum, C. zeylanicum, Laurus cinnamomum
Citronella	Andropogon nardus, Cymbopogon nardus
Clary Sage	Salvia sclarea
Cumin	Cuminum cyminum, C. odorum
Dill Seed & Weed	Anethum graveolens, Fructus anethi, Peucedanum graveolens
Elecampane	Aster officinalis, Helenium grandiflorum, Inula helenium
Fennel	Anethum foeniculum, Foeniculum officinale, F. vulgare
Frankincense	Boswellia carteri, B. thurifera
Galangal	Alpinia officinarum, Languas officinarum
Galbanum	Ferula galbaniflua, F. gummosa, F. rubicaulis
Ginger	Zingiber officinale
Hops	Humulus lupulus
Hyssop	Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop); Hyssop officinalis var. decumbens (Hyssops decumbens)
Juniper Berries	Juniperus communis
Labdanum (Cistus or Rock Rose)	Citus ladanifer
Lantana	Lantana camara
Lavandin	Lavandula fragrans, L. hortensis, L. hybrida
Lavender	Lavandula augustifolia, L. officinalis, L. vera
Lovage	Angelica levisticum, Levisticum officinale, Ligusticum levisticum
Marjoram (Spanish & Sweet)	Thymus mastichina (Spanish); Majorana hortensis, Origanum majorana (Sweet)
Melissa (Lemon Balm)	Melissa officinalis
Mugwort*	Artemisia vulgaris
Myrrh	Balsamodendrom myrrha, Commiphora myrrha
Nutmeg	Myristica aromata, M. fragrans, M. officinalis
Oregano	Origanum vulgare
Parsley*	Apium petroselinum, Carum petroselinum, Petroselinum hortense, P. sativum
Pennyroyal*	Mentha pulegium
Peppermint	Mentha piperita
Ravensara Anisata	Cinnamonum camphora, Ravensara anisata
Rose	Rosa
Rosemary	Rosmarinum coronarium, R. officinalis
Rue	Ruta graveolens
Sage & Sage (Spanish)	Salvia lavanduifolia (Spanish Sage); Salvia officinalis (Sage)
Santolina (Lavender Cotton)	Lavandula taemina, Santolina chamaecyparissus
Sassafras	Sassafras albidum
Savory	Calamintha montana, Satureja montana, S. obovata (Winter savory); Calamintha hortensis, Satureja hortensis (Summer savory)
Spearmint	Mentha spicata, M. viridis
Spikenard	Nardostachys jatamansi
St. John's Wort	Hypericum perforatum
Tagetes	Tagetes erecta, T. minuta, T. patula
Tarragon	Artemisia dracunculus
Thuja (Cedar Leaf)	Thuja occidentalis
Thyme	Thymus aestivus, T. citriodora, T. ilerdensis, T. satureiodes, T. valentianus, T. vulgaris, T. vulgaris var. linalol, T. webbianus
Vanilla	Vanilla fragrans, V. planifolia
Vetiver	Andropogon muricatus, Vetiveria zizanoides
Wintergreen	Gaultheria procumbens
Wormwood"	Artemisia absinthium
Yarrow*	Achillea millefolium

Vegetable Oils and Butters

Carrot

Daucus carota

Cotton Seed*

The oil should be considered unsafe for consumption or skin use. The seed, stem, and root of the plant produces a substance called Gossypol, which suppresses sperm production in men. It has been used as an anti-fertility agent in China. Twelve months after discontinuing the intake of Gossypol, more than 50% of the males still showed a sperm count of zero. Female animals are also affected by having aborted pregnancies. (Huang, Kee Chang. The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs. CRC Press, 1993. p. 255)

Infused Oils

Aloe Vera	Aloe barbadensis, A. vera
Calendula Marigold)	Calendula officinalis

*These herbs are also classified as abortifacients: They may cause a pregnancy to end prematurely or causes a non-surgical abortion. During the first five weeks of pregnancy they act to block the action of progesterone so that the uterus sloughs off the embryo.

Abortifacients are strong, powerful herbs and should only be used for short periods of time. They are hard on certain body organs such as the liver and kidneys if used for prolonged periods of time.

Essential oils should never been taken internally. You know the drill! Consult your physician for advise.

Please feel free to copy this information. However, I ask that you give credit to this website! Although it took quite some time to accumulate it, I wish to educate people, especially women, on the uses of essential oils and herbs.