Welcome, Bennett.
There are several things to consider here. One is your recipe which is heating up, so we might be able to help you keep the soap cooler based on recipe. Another is your expectations related to the Essential Oils. Also another is the actual EO's you are using. Some actually accelerate and heat up soap. So the soaping oils you have chosen, the wooden mold you are using and the EO's themselves could be contributing to the overheating. Also, what method you are using to discourage gel is another issue. There are some things that help and I will list some below.
But first what are your expectations of the Essential Oils? Do you anticipate any long lasting benefit from the EO while in use in the soap? Or is it that you desire a longer-lasting fragrance if the soap doesn't gel? Either way, I'll still address how to prevent gel below.
Next what is the recipe you are using? Be as specific as possible, including the amounts of each oil and water and lye and all other additives. Include how hot or cool you tend to soap (if you take temps, or describe how hot or cool it may be based on hand feel when you touch the containers.) They all play a part in increasing heat. Some oils heat up in soap quite a lot and the more you use, the hotter the soap will get. For example, Coconut Oil will heat up the soap batter pretty quickly when used in higher percentages.
Which leads to which EO's are you using? Some surely increase the heat of the soap as it interacts with the lye and oils. Incidentally, as the lye interacts with the EO, there is a chemical restructuring, so there may be less therapeutic effect of the EO if that is one of your desires. Some EOs that cause increased acceleration are the spicy ones, but there are others.
Next, your mold. Wooden molds insulate and hold the heat longer, thus encouraging gel. So to discourage gel in a wooden mold is more of a challenge with a recipe that heats up to start with.
Some steps to discourage gel: Soap cool (only warm enough to ensure the oils are clear and not solidifying.) Allow your lye solution to come to room temperature before mixing it with the cooled oils. Use less water (more water encourages the soap to gel.) Make smaller batches (larger batches heat up more than smaller batches.) Use a mold that doesn't insulate as much, like a plastic mold or a cardboard box lined with freezer paper. Or use smaller molds; individual soap-bar sized molds don't cool very fast. If you have no other mold option at this point, make every attempt to keep the soap from heating up in addition to the aforementioned.
However, even with your current recipe and your current, you can do the following:
Put the molded soap on a cooling rack (to increase air flow to all surfaces) while it sits on the counter
Put it in a cool or cold location - refrigerator, cold concrete room, near the AC vent, some even direct a fan toward their molds. Some put their soap in the freezer. But even then, some soaps that heat up a lot still volcano even in the freezer, so your recipe is key.
