Have you ever felt that your current pure essential oil's scent is just missing something or are you trying to search for that perfect blend? Fear not, today we shall be going through a rough guide on how to blend essential oil. But firstly, the blending of essential oils is a great way to create that perfect scent for you.  

 

A step by step guide to blending essential oils

 

Choosing a scent for your essential oil blend

The first step in determining the scent for your blend would be to ask yourself 3 important questions:

1. Am I just creating this blend just for the smell?
2. Is there any effect needed?
3. Who is using this blend?

If you answered yes to the first question, the general guideline is that essential oils with the similar or same scent type usually blend well together, creating a deeper and more intense scent for that scent type. With that being said you are still free to experiment with essential oils from different scent groups. One thing to note is that some essential oils have multiple scents types like Myrrh and Frankincense.

 

Below is a table with a rough guide to the scents:

Scent Type	Essential Oils
Flowery	Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Palmarosa, Rose, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang
Spicy	Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, Myrrh
Citrus	Bergamot, Citronella, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Neroli, Orange, Petitgrain, Mandarin
Herbal	Basil, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Marjoram, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Thyme, Myrrh
Earthy	Patchouli, Pine, Cedarwood
Minty	Peppermint, Spearmint
Woody	Cedarwood, Fir, Frankincense, Myrrh, Patchouli, Sandalwood
Balsamic	Elemi, Fir Balsam

 

If you answered yes to the second question, you have to first determine what essential oils can provide the required effect, this would require you do conduct your own research beforehand. The same general guideline applies here too, mixing essential oils with the same effect is usually easier and they will create a stronger effect.  But feel free to mix essential oils with different effects to try to create a blend that has multiple effects. 

Like the scent types, some essential oils have multiple effects. A couple of quick ways to roughly determine the effect of an essential oil is to use its scent type as a guide:

1. Minty and citrus scent types tend to have an energising effect
2. Herbal and woody scent types tend to have anti-bacterial and detoxifying effects
3. Floral scent types tend to be calming, antidepressants and mood-enhancing properties

 

Below is a table with a rough guide to the essentials oils and their effects:

Effect	Essential Oils
Detoxifying	Peppermint, Grapefruit, Rosemary, Mandarin, Lemon, Patchouli, Hyssop, Helichrysum
Calming	Lavender, Geranium, Mandarin, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Jasmine, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Petitgrain, Sandalwood
Anti-anxiety	Lavender, Geranium, Roman Chamomile, Marjoram, Sandalwood, Valerian, Bergamot, Jasmine, Black Pepper, Orange
Energizing	Rosemary, Clary sage, Bergamot, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tea tree, Pine, Lemon, Basil, Grapefruit, Ginger

 

If you are just considering the third question now, you probably should considered it first as now you have to ask/find out the answers to the first two questions for that person.

The next step would be to conder your base notes, wait when did we go to a music class? Base notes for essential oils instead refer to the length of time it takes for the oil and scent to evaporate. Top note oils usually evaporate within 2 hours, middle note oils within 3 to 4, and base note oils taking up to a few days. There are many guides for such information on the web. The idea with base notes in blending is to allow the scent to linger for a longer period by mixing in the base note oils with the top or middle note oils (you can ignore this part if just need your blend to give you that instant effect).

There are 2 standard ratios that people follow when it comes to base notes for blending:

1. The 1-2-3 Rule: 1 part base note, 2 parts medium note, 3 parts top note
2.  The 30-50-20 Rule: 3 part top note, 5 part middle note and 2 part base note.

With this information, you can begin blending and testing basic essential oils blends. Choose the best blend based on the criteria that you have set for your desired blend.

 

Diluting and variation methods

Now that you have blended your first batch of essential oils blends (hopefully you like their scent). The second step begins with you asking yourself another question: How is this blend going to be used?

If your answer is just as it is, hold on we will get back to you in a while.

If you are using it as a perfume, mix 15ml alcohol (some suggest high prof vodka if you can't get the industrial-grade kind) or Jojoba oil (preferably alcohol) to every 10 to 15 drops of your essential oil blend.

If you are massaging/applying it to your skin, dilute it with a carrier oil before application as in its current state, the essential oil blend is too concentrated for your skin and may cause a rash or skin damage if used directly. The ratio is 15 to 20 drops of your essential oil blend for every 15ml of carrier oil.

If you are using it to scent candles, soaps or shampoos, they can be added into your wax/soap or shampoo mix in this state. For the soap or shampoo, the ratio is 3 to 15 drops of oil for every 15ml of soap or shampoo. For the candles, there is no fixed ratio as it depends on how strong you want the scent to be.

If you are using them in a bath, add a dispersing agent such as lighter more viscous oil (e.g. Jojoba Oil). Some other examples of dispersing agent include Rice Barn oil, milk, honey, sweet almond oil. The ratio is 2 to 12 drops for every 15ml of the dispersing agent.

 

Storing and completing your blend

The last step is to store your new blend, keep your mixtures in small amber coloured glass bottles (in case there are issues with some oil or carrier, it will not affect the rest of the batch). These bottles should be kept in a cool, dark place as the essential oils are volatile and will react to heat and strong lights. You may also store your blend in the fridge (unless the carrier oil is avocado, which in that case you should not store it in the fridge as it will coagulate).

Leave the blend for at least 3 to 4 days to let the scents properly integrate before using your blend. Do occasional smell it to get an idea of how your blend's scent will develop over time. If the blend smells rotten or rancid, this current back has failed and please do not use this batch for your own good. The most likely reason for the blend spoiling so fast is probably the carrier oil spoiling, do make sure your carrier oil is properly stored and fresh before use.

 

Things to note

The first important thing to note is that the same type of essential oil's scent may vary from batch to batch, this is due to different crop conditions. So it is a good practice to smell your starting essential oils to ensure they are close to the scent that you use before you mix them into a blend.

The second and more important thing is to have found with your mates when you blend oils together, you can learn the tips and tricks from each other.