Making an essential oil blend requires a little bit of practice and a lot of experimentation. The only equipment you’ll need is a selection of essential oils, glass bottles with tight lids, a notebook and plenty of cotton balls or droppers. Before you begin making an essential oil blend, you’ll need to learn how scents work. After that, you can begin testing different combinations until you find the one — or several — you love.
Scents are broken down into three categories: top notes, middle notes and base notes. The top note is the first aroma your nose registers when you smell something, while the middle note is the main body of the scent. The base note is the aroma that lingers the longest. Examples of top notes are lemon, eucalyptus, orange and peppermint, because these smells evaporate most quickly, usually within two hours. Examples of middle notes are lavender, rosemary, juniper and nutmeg, while examples of base notes are rose, clove, sandalwood and jasmine.
When mixing an essential oil blend, beginners usually make sure they have all three notes in their blend. The typical ratio is three drops of a top note, two drops of a middle note and one drop of a base note. After a period of experimentation, you’ll be able to determine whether you prefer this ratio or if another is better suited to your tastes, but three-two-one is a good place to start.
When you start testing essential oil blends, it may help to organize your oils into their respective categories, though organizational methods can vary by person. The most important part of mixing is to use a fresh cotton ball or dropper for each oil so you don’t contaminate them. You can begin mixing your essential oil blend by taking three oils and either dropping them into a clean glass container or dipping a cotton ball into each oil and placing the ball into a glass container. When experimenting, stick to whichever ratio you choose and only make enough so you can smell the mixture. This will save you from making a huge batch of a scent that doesn’t appeal to you.
After you’ve placed your blend in a glass bottle, wait five minutes and then smell the air above the bottle. Take notes on how you like the scent, what you smell first and what kind of impression it leaves. After this, tightly seal the bottle and place it in a cool, dry place. A few hours later, smell the blend again and take more notes, then place the sealed bottle in a cool, dry place again. Two days later, take your final sniff and decide if the combination works for you.
The first smelling will give you an idea of the first impression of the scent, while the subsequent smell tests will let you know what the essential oil blend will smell like once it’s matured. From this point on, you can begin playing with the blend until you find your favorite. Once you’ve determined the best ratio, you can mix a larger batch of the essential oil blend and add it to any soap, candle or lotion. If you’re using the blend for a perfume, it’s important to use a carrier oil such as sunflower oil, grape seed oil or olive oil. This prevents the essential oils from harming your skin.
While making an essential oil blend is all about experimenting and finding what works best for you, there are some tried-and-true combinations. Floral oils work best with other floral scents, while oils such as peppermint and mint go well with more earthy oils. These are, however, only general guidelines. The only strict rules for making an essential oil blend are to use quality oils and to ensure that cross-contamination does not take place. As long you as stick to those, everything else can be left up to your imagination.