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Blending Essential Oil

An essential oil blend is created for aesthetic and/or therapeutic benefits. No special, mysterious knowledge is required to produce a successful blend but a spirit of creativity and knowledge of oils will help, along with a clear sense of the intended purpose of the blend. There are no real rules as to which oils blend well together, so feel free to experiment! But remember, your blend will be greatly enhanced by using the highest quality pure plant essential oils you can find.

Before beginning your blending work, it's important to understand essential oils in general, as well as the specific characteristics and aroma profiles of the oils you want to work with.

Essential oils have different rates of volatility and evaporation and perfumiers have placed essential oils into these categories:

Top notes (5% to 20% of the blend) have the fastest evaporation rates. These are sharp, penetrating scents that you notice first when you smell a blend, and include citrus, needle oils, eucalyptus and mints. In general, top notes are considered stimulating and refreshing.

Middle notes (50% to 80%) are soft and balanced and usually make up the majority of a blend. They include oils like roman chamomile, lavender, geranium, and petitgrain. Middle notes are considered harmonizing.

Base notes (5% to 20%) Having the lowest evaporation rates, base notes are deep and heavy and are used in blends as fixatives (see glossary). Many are resins, gums or woods and may be quite viscous (thick). Base notes, which are considered relaxing, include angelica, benzoin, balsams, myrrh, spikenard, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine and ylang.

Blending requires practice and experimentation but here are some suggestions:

Ylang Ylang (base) + Orange (top)

Geranium (middle) + Mandarin (top)

Lavender (middle), Geranium (middle) + Bergamot (top-middle)

Cedarwood (base) + Rosemary (middle) + Lemon (top)

Sandalwood (base) + Jasmine (base-middle)

Rose (base) + Frankincense (middle-base) + Bergamot (top)

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