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Blending Essential Oils For Beginners

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Have you ever wanted to make your own essential oil blend but feel totally lost on where to begin? Maybe you want to make a solid perfume with an appealing scent. Perhaps you want to make a nourishing beard oil for your husband. Or, maybe you’re looking to make a relaxing linen spray to spritz on your toddler’s sheets before bed.

You’re not new to using essential oils. In fact, you’ve used them for a while now, but you’ve been following other people’s recommendations and copying their blends. Now, you’re ready for something different… something a bit more challenging.

You’re ready to craft your very own customized essential oil blends.

Today, I’m going to show you how to get started creating your own essential oil blends even if you’re a complete beginner.

I’m going to walk you through creating simple aromatic and therapeutic essential oil blends, step-by-step, so you can confidently blend essential oils that smell great, give you the results you’re looking for, and save you money!

And yes, this post is a BEAST so be sure to pin it or bookmark it in some way so you can come back to it again and again. 

I’ve also created a free PDF download of 24 essential oils and their properties to help simplify this step for you! I also have a surprise for you from Plant Therapy to go along with it!

Creating Signature Scents

Back in the early days of Growing Up Herbal, I made herbal skincare products for children and sold them on Etsy. Those days were full of hurdles… learning about setting up shop, getting comfortable marketing my business, and refining my product line. Business was slow, and I felt like I’d never get ahead and have a successful shop. Sales trickled in sporadically. Customers would make small purchases, but they rarely came back to buy again. My products were never featured anywhere, and traffic to my shop was pitiful.

I knew if I was going to make money and have a successful shop, I needed to make some changes. I needed to find a way to set my products apart from all the other natural skincare products for children on Etsy. I needed a way to stand out in the crowd.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

So, I decided to create signature scents for my products using essential oils. I would create a blend that was energizing, a blend that was relaxing, a blend that was grounding, and a blend with a minty, medicinal smell. The problem was that I knew very little about essential oils and had no clue how to start creating my own essential oil blends.

I was going to have to start from scratch and learn how to blend essential oils from start to finish. At that point, I spent a considerable amount of time researching essential oils, learning from aromatherapists, and of course, practicing this new craft.

Now, before I tell you whether this helped my shop or not, let me get right to the point of this post and share what I’ve learned about blending essential oils with you so you can start making your own essential oil blends as soon as possible.

9 Steps To Blending Essential Oils For Beginners

1. It Starts With What You Want

The first thing you need to do when you start the process of creating an essential oil blend is to ask yourself a few questions.

  • Who is this essential oil blend for?
  • What effect do I want it to have?
  • When will it be used?
  • Where will it be used?
  • Why is this blend needed?
  • How will it be applied?

These are all questions to ask yourself before you buy a single essential oil or start blending anything.

Now, I want to make this process easier for you to understand and follow so let’s have an example, shall we? I’ll be referring back to this example each step of the way so you can see exactly how it’s done. It’s like we’re hiking buddies, and I’ve got the compass. Let’s go!

Meet Leslie. Leslie is a busy mom. She works outside the home and mornings are almost always rushed! She has to get up, get ready for work, get breakfast for the kids, get them dressed, and then get everyone out the door by 7 AM so everyone can make it to school and work on time. Whew!

Okay, so mornings are tough. That’s pretty clear. What Leslie needs is some help getting going in the mornings. She needs to wake up, have some energy, and feel uplifted and ready for the day. Now, in order to do that, she wants to create an energizing essential oil blend that she can use in a diffuser when she’s taking her morning shower.

Okay, friend, do you see how I painted a picture there for you, and in that picture, I answered all of the above questions.

Leslie wants to create an energizing essential oil blend for herself. She plans on diffusing it during her morning shower, and her goal is to feel more awake, energized, and uplifted. She wants her essential oil blend to be a combination of aromatic blending (blended primarily for fragrance) and therapeutic blending (blended primarily for an emotional or physical effect).

2. What Do Your Essential Oils Have To Offer: Essential Oil Properties

Once you’ve answered the above questions, it’s time to hit the books or the World Wide Web and do some essential oil research. What you want to do here is to come up with a list of essential oils that have the properties you’re looking for in your blend.

This is a crude list… a rough draft of sorts. You will not be using all of the essential oils you put on this list, and you are not concerning yourself with essential oil brands at this point. You’re basically gathering a lot of ideas and information here. The idea is to come up with a list of 10-20 essential oils to get you started, and as you progress through the steps for blending essential oils, you’ll begin to simplify this big list.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Let me quickly say, you’ll want to be careful about where you get your information online. Everyone seems to be an essential oil expert these days so it can be a good idea to ask yourself the following questions for any piece of content you come across.

  • Who is the author of this information?
  • What is their experience with essential oils and aromatherapy? Do they have any education on the subject?
  • Do they reference their sources in the information they provide?
  • Am I finding this same information across multiple sites?

Asking these questions can help you to know whether you’re finding accurate information that you can trust or not. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to teaching others about essential oils and aromatherapy whether it’s a school for essential oil studies, a company that sells essential oils, or a blogger who loves to share what she’s learning about them (and references her sources!).

Back to our example.

Seeing how Leslie is a complete beginner to essential oils, she doesn’t have any books and she’s never taken any classes on essential oils so she heads to Google to do some research there.

She types “energizing essential oils” into the search bar and hits enter. She browses through the search results looking for sites that list specific essential oils known to help with energy, wakefulness, or give you an uplifting feeling.

As she looks through some sites, she takes note of the author’s experience with aromatherapy and pays attention to which oils are repeated across various sites as she wants to make sure the info she’s gathering is trustworthy.

She pulls out a piece of paper and starts creating a list of 10-20 energizing essential oils (botanical names included!) to get her started.

  • Lemon (Citrus limon)
  • Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
  • Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
  • Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
  • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
  • Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
  • Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
  • Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
  • Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
  • Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
  • Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
  • Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis)
  • Black pepper (Piper nigrum)
  • Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
  • Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
  • Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) (Boswellia frereana)
  • Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus)
  • Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
  • Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
  • Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
  • Neroli (Citrus aurantium)
  • Rose (Rosa damascena)
  • Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata)

Now look at the oils on Leslie’s list. Do you recognize any similarities among these oils?

To me, they all seem very distinct with stimulating and clarifying properties. You have strong, medicinal or minty type oils like rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus, you have some woodsy oils such as pine and cypress, and then you have some citrus oils such as grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, neroli. You even have some floral oils like rose, geranium, and ylang ylang and some spicier oils such as black pepper, nutmeg, and ginger.

There’s a lot to work with in this one little list.

3. Under The Microscope: Evaluating Essential Oils

At this point, you’ve curated your list of essential oils based off of a couple of things.

  1. You’ve either chosen essential oils based on their therapeutic actions. In Leslie’s case, her list of oils center around energy.
  2. Or, you’ve chosen oils based on their scent. In Leslie’s case, this would be bright, crisp, fresh scented oils.

And, you may have chosen your essential oils with both of the above in mind.

No matter, you now have a list of essential oils to work with. However, before you move ahead in your blending process, it’s important to do some digging into the essential oils on your list to make sure they’re the right fit for your budget, the environment, and your safety.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Essential Oil Cost

Here you’ll want to go back through your list of essential oils and look up the price for each oil. Essential oil prices will vary depending on who you purchase your oils from, but it’s a good idea to keep this in mind when creating your blend, especially if you’re on a budget or you’re not ready to invest in expensive essential oils just yet.

In Leslie’s list, angelica, neroli, and rose are the most expensive essential oils. The angelica and neroli are not out of Leslie’s price range so she leaves them on her list. Rose, on the other hand, is simply too expensive for her right now so she switches from rose essential oil to rose absolute.

Essential Oil Sustainability

Another thing you’ll want to check for is any sustainability issues with the essential oils on your list.

Essential oils are very popular these days and that means there’s money to be made from them. This sometimes leads to sustainability issues surrounding the harvesting practices of certain plants. If one variety of oil is in danger, you can often substitute a different variety instead.

In Leslie’s list, frankincense (Boswellia carterii) is endangered so she switched to a different variety of frankincense that wasn’t endangered—Boswellia frereana. You can see how she updated her list above.

For more information on essential oil sustainability, check out this post from the Herbal Academy as well as this 2009 list of threatened plants by Cropwatch.

Essential Oil Safety

You’ll also want to go back through your list and evaluate your essential oils for safety. The safety of an essential oil will largely be determined based on how it is used (inhalation, topical, internal), and this can be a complex topic that will require more research on your part. Most essential oil suppliers will have safety information in their product descriptions so this can be a good place to look as can other websites and books dedicated to essential oil safety.

Using Leslie’s list as an example, several of the oils on her list are known to be phototoxic, but since she’s not applying her blend to her skin in any way, she doesn’t have to worry about that so much. Instead, she’s more concerned with some of the oils being irritating the the mucous membranes as she will be diffusing this recipe so she decides to diffuse her blend for short periods of time only to minimize this possibility.

Once you’ve reviewed your list of essential oils a bit more thoroughly, it’s time to move on to see which oils will blend well with the others to create a pleasing scent.

4. The Law Of Attraction: Essential Oil Categories

When it comes to blending essential oils for aromatic purposes (that means you’re blending based on scent rather than a therapeutic action), it’s important to make sure you find essential oil combinations that go together or attract so they smell nice once they’re blended together. I personally find this to be important when blending essential oils for therapeutic purposes as well, but that’s just a personal preference.  

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

The next step in blending essential oils is to figure out what categories your essential oils fall into. Essential oils are often grouped together based on their aromas, and these groups are called “categories.” You can see an example of specific essential oils and the categories they fall into below.

Essential Oil Categories

  • Citrus – Orange, Lemon, Lime
  • Earthy – Oakmoss, Vetiver, Patchouli
  • Floral – Lavender, Neroli, Jasmine
  • Herby – Marjoram, Clary Sage, Basil
  • Medicinal – Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Tea Tree
  • Minty – Peppermint, Spearmint, Catnip (mildly)
  • Spicy – Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon
  • Woodsy – Pine, Cedar, Wintergreen

(Aromatic Blending of Essential Oils, n.d.)

At this point, you’ll want to list out the categories that each of the oils on your list fall into. Some essential oils fall into one category while others may fall into two or even three so you may need an extra sheet of paper!

There are a couple different ways to figure out which categories your essential oils fall into. You can purchase a book that contains essential oil profiles like The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood or you can search websites that sell essential oils such as Edens Garden, Mountain Rose Herbs, and Plant Therapy.

Keep in mind that there are not absolute rights and wrongs when it comes to essential oil categories. Information can sometimes vary from site to site and book to book, and you may need to check in more than one place. The more you use essential oils and become familiar with them, the easier it will be for you to categorize them based off how they smell to you.

Let’s look at our example.

Leslie goes to the Edens Garden website to find information on essential oil categories. She looks up each essential oil and lists its category next to the oil on her list.

  • Lemon – citrus
  • Ginger – spicy
  • Eucalyptus – medicinal
  • Peppermint – minty
  • Rosemary – herbaceous, medicinal
  • Pine – earthy, woodsy
  • Geranium – floral, herbaceous
  • Basil – herbaceous
  • Angelica – herbaceous, woodsy
  • Lavender – floral
  • Grapefruit – citrus
  • Orange – citrus
  • Black pepper – spicy
  • Bergamot – citrus
  • Cypress – herbaceous, woodsy
  • Frankincense – earthy, herbaceous
  • Lemongrass – citrus
  • Cinnamon bark – spicy
  • Nutmeg – spicy
  • Thyme – herbaceous
  • Neroli – citrus, floral
  • Rose – floral
  • Ylang ylang – floral

Once you have your essential oils categorized, it’s time to see which oils will possibly combine well with each other. And, just as categorizing essential oils is subjective, so is combining categories. Ultimately, there are no absolutes when it comes to blending essential oils. That’s the art of essential oil blending! It’s totally based on your preferences and how the oil smells to you. Now with that being said, there are a couple of guidelines that are good for beginners to follow.

  1. Essential oils from the same category tend to combine well together.
  2. Essential oils in one category can be mixed and matched with other complementary categories.

Below is a list of potential category combinations for you to look at. (Thanks go out to Stan, who took my original chart and simplified it for me into what you see below.)

Possible Category Combinations

  • Floral blends with floral, woodsy, spicy, and citrus
  • Woodsy blends with woodsy, floral, earthy, herby, minty, medicinal, spicy, and citrus
  • Earthy blends with earthy, woodsy, and minty
  • Herbaceous blends with herby, woodsy, and minty
  • Minty blends with minty, woodsy, earthy, herby, and citrus
  • Medicinal blends with medicinal and woodsy
  • Spicy blends with spicy, floral, woodsy, and citrus
  • Citrus blends with citrus, floral, woodsy, minty, and spicy

At this point, you’ll want to return to your list and chart out which oils will go together. Again, this process can take some time. I bet now you’re seeing why I recommend starting with no more than 10-20 essential oils, right?!

Take a look at Leslie’s example below to see this in action.

Leslie has come up with several different essential oil combinations to possibly choose from.

She started with the first essential oil on her list and listed out all the other oils on her list that could combine with it.

To keep things neat and organized, she’s listed all the oils in the same category next to each other. If an essential oil is listed in two categories (eg., neroli fits in the citrus and floral categories) and both categories are potential combinations, the oil is listed twice.

  • Lemon (citrus): blends with citrus, floral, woodsy, minty, and spicy Possible combinations: – (citrus) bergamot + lemongrass + grapefruit + orange + neroli – (floral) geranium + lavender + neroli + rose + ylang ylang – (woodsy) pine + angelica + cypress – (minty) peppermint – (spicy) ginger + black pepper + cinnamon bark + nutmeg 
  • Ginger (spicy): blends with spicy, floral, woodsy, and citrus Possible combinations: – (spicy) black pepper + cinnamon bark + nutmeg – (floral) lavender + geranium + neroli + rose + ylang ylang – (woodsy) pine + angelica + cypress – (citrus) grapefruit + orange + bergamot + lemongrass + neroli

She continues this process for each oil on her list.

As you can see, for each essential oil on Leslie’s list, she lists out all the different categories that can blend with it, and then she lists out all the oils on her original list that fall into each category. Now, she will have an easier time choosing oils to combine when creating her blends.

Now it’s your turn! Once you’ve gone through all possible category combinations and you have these written out, it’s time to move on to the next step where we’ll add some balance to the essential oils on your list.

5. Bringing Your Blend Into Balance: Essential Oil Notes

When creating essential oil blends you want your final blend to feel very balanced and harmonized. Once you know which oils can be combined together based on their categories, you can then create balance by paying attention to the notes each of the essential oils on your list have.

Essential oil notes are based on the musical scale and are referred to as top notes, middle notes, and base notes. The “note” of an essential oil is determined by how quickly the scent of the essential oil fades after being exposed to oxygen.

Have you ever applied a blend of oils to your skin and noticed how it smells right away only to find that 3 hours later it smells a bit different than when you first put it on? This is because one or more of the notes in your blend have evaporated.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Essential Oil Notes

  • Top notes are the lightest of the all the notes. They’re the first ones you smell, and they’re the first ones to evaporate. This is because they have the smallest molecules. You can often distinguish top note essential oils because they’re often thin in consistency and are usually derived from flowers, leaves, and flowering herbs.
  • Base notes are are deep, heavy, and often earthy in scent. These are the oils that ground your blend and help its aroma last the longest due to the large molecule size. Base notes are often derived from trees, roots, and barks, and their oils tend to be thick and viscous.
  • Middle notes are like the “ties that bind” only they are binding your other essential oils together into a harmonized blend. These are the oils that complete your blend by balancing the light top notes with the deep base notes. The aroma of middle notes lasts longer than those of top notes, but not as long as base notes. These oils can vary in consistency and are often derived from whole herbs and spices.

(Natural Perfumery Basics, n.d.; Bovenizer, n.d.)

Like essential oil categories, identifying essential oil notes is completely subjective, and like I said earlier, the more you use essential oils and become familiar with them, the easier it will be for you to identify their notes based on smell and appearance.

For now, you can look to books with essential oil profiles or online websites of essential oil suppliers for information on notes. And just like essential oil categories, the information you find on essential oils notes will vary. Some essential oils have one note while others are thought to have a combination of two with one of the two being more dominant than the other.

Let’s take a look at Leslie’s example.

Leslie has done some research on essential oil notes and marked each essential oils note next each oil on her new list.

  • Lemon (citrus): blends with floral, woodsy, minty, and spicy Possible combinations: – (citrus) bergamot (T) + lemongrass (T) + grapefruit (T) + orange (T) + neroli (M) – (floral) geranium (T) + lavender (M,T) + neroli (M) + rose (M,B) + ylang ylang (M,B) – (woodsy) pine (M) + angelica (M,B) + cypress (M) – (minty) peppermint (T) – (spicy) ginger (B) + black pepper (M) + cinnamon bark (M) + nutmeg (M)

She has continued this for all the oils on her list.

Now that Leslie has identified the notes for each oil in her potential blends, it’s time to create some combinations.

When it comes to blending essential oils, it’s recommended to start with three essential oils in a blend until you’re familiar and comfortable with the blending process. From there you can go up to five essential oils in a blend and then up to nine. Rarely will you find more than nine aromas in one blend as that is typically reserved for perfumists!

Let’s take a look at some combinations Leslie has created from what she knows about lemon essential oil.

Blend #1 (citrus, floral, spicy): lemon (T) + neroli (M) + ginger (B)
Blend #2 (floral): geranium (T) + lavender (M,T) + ylang ylang (M,B)
Blend #3 (minty, woodsy): peppermint (T) + pine (M) + angelica (M,B)

As you can see from the three blends above, Leslie has tried a pure combination which contains all essential oils from the same category as well as mixed combinations, pulling essential oils from various categories that she thinks would go well together.

Looking at her potential blends, what do you notice about each blend?

To me, blend #1 sounds amazing! I imagine it to be fresh and sweet smelling with a touch of spice to ground it. Blend #2 feels like spring to me because it’s a pure floral blend. I can’t imagine preferring this blend over blend #1 because I tend to not like heavy floral scents, but you never know. Blend #3 sounds interesting, but I can’t say for sure what I think about it because I’m not familiar with angelica essential oil. The peppermint and pine sound like a great combination, but I’d have to test this to see what I thought of them alongside the angelica.

At this point, you’ll want to identify the notes for each of the oils on your list. Now, go ahead and—on paper only—write down 3 essential oils from categories that combine well together (each combination should contain a top, middle, and base note oil). Do this a few times to create some different potential bends to test.

6. Ready, Set, Go: Gathering Your Blending Supplies

Hallelujah! We are nearing the end of the steps for blending essential oils! All the hard work is over and now comes the fun part!

Blending!

At this point, you’ll want to gather your blending supplies together so you can get to work.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Here’s a list of things you’ll need:

Purchasing Essential Oils

This is the point where the actual essential oils are needed, and as I’m sure you’re well aware, essential oils vary in price depending on the company you purchase your oils from. Some people prefer big MLM companies with higher priced oils, others prefer family-owned suppliers with mid-range prices, and some prefer well-known small businesses with lower priced essential oils. I say, to each his own. Just do your research and know how to choose high-quality essential oils before you purchase any.

Because purchasing essential oils can be a financial investment, when it comes to testing the blends you’ve created in the above four steps, I recommended that you start by making small blends for testing. These blends should consist of only 10-15 drops of essential oil total.

Starting out with a small blend is a good idea because it allows you to test your blend before committing yourself to a large batch. That way, if you hate the blend, you can use it in some other way (like a scent for a homemade cleaner) without it being too much of a financial loss.

And, let me also point out that at this point in the blending process, you’re only working with essential oils. You are not diluting them with carrier oils yet.

Okay, so let’s begin.

7. A Little Of This, A Little Of That: Essential Oil Blending Ratios

Now that you have your blends written out on paper, you know which essential oils you need to use, but you may be wondering how much of each oil to use. This is where essential oil blending ratios come into play.

I know I’ve said it quite a few times already, but when it comes to blending essential oils there is no “one right way” to do it. The same is true when it comes to essential oil blending ratios. Like most essential oil blending concepts, it comes down to what you like. With that said, I’m going to share a few of the simplest blending ratios I’ve personally used to help give you a place to start.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Essential Oil Blending Ratios

  • The 30-50-20 Rule
  • The Perfect Balance
  • Bottoms Up

The 30-50-20 Rule

When creating essential oil blends, the ratio I almost always follow is what I call the “30-50-20 Rule.” This is an essential oil blending ratio where you use 30% of your top note oil, 50% of your middle note oil, and 20% of your base note oil in your blend. This blending ratio consists of 10 total drops of essential oils, totaling 100% once combined.

I like this blending ratio because it provides an even distribution of essential oil notes, and I’ve personally had the most luck with it, especially when creating blends that are a mix of essential oil categories.

Let’s use one of Leslie’s blends as an example for this blending ratio.

Blend #1 (citrus, floral, spicy): lemon (T) + neroli (M) + ginger (B)
30, 50, 20 Rule: 30% lemon (3 drops) + 50% neroli (5 drops) + 20% ginger (2 drops)

Since Leslie is starting out making small test blends that total 10 drops, it’s easy to figure out how many drops she needs of each oil.

The Perfect Balance

Another simple essential oil blending ratio to follow is what I call “The Perfect Balance,” and I like to use this one when combining essential oils from the same category. Of course, it can definitely be used for oils from mixed categories as well, but it works really well with similar oils.

In this blending ratio, you will use equal percentages for each of your essential oils. This blending ratio consists of 15 total drops of essential oils, totaling 100% once combined.

Let’s take a look at it in one of Leslie’s blends.

Blend #2 (floral): geranium (T) + lavender (M,T) + ylang ylang (M,B)
The Perfect Balance: 33.333% geranium (5 drops) + 33.333% lavender (5 drops) + 33.333% ylang ylang (5 drops)

Bottoms Up

This last blending ratio is a fun one, and it’s the closest you’ll get to intermediate or advanced blending so I’ve saved it for last. I call it “Bottoms Up” because it’s exactly as it sounds. You’re going to turn your blend over and build it from the bottom up, starting with the base note, then the middle note, then the top note.

This blending ratio doesn’t have a drop limit, but keep in mind that you want your blend to stay small so you don’t waste your oils (in case you don’t like it). You’ll be keeping track of your essential oils and drops on paper. This blending ratio works well with pure combinations (essential oils from one category) and mixed combinations (essential oils from complementary categories).

Here’s how it works.

You’re going to start off by combining one drop of each base and middle note oils, swirl and smell your blend, then add another drop or two of whichever oil (base or middle note) you like best. Don’t forget to keep track of everything on paper, including your thoughts on the aroma of your blend (see the “on taking notes” section below).

Once you’ve got your base and middle note oils smelling the way you want them, you’ll add in one drop of your top note oil, swirl and smell your blend again, and see what you think. From there, you keep adding oils one drop at a time until you get the a scent you like. Like I said, this blending ratio is a mix between beginner and intermediate blending because you’re only working with three essential oils, but you’re relying on your senses and intuition to guide you.

Again, let’s take a look at Leslie’s last blend as an example.

Blend #3 (minty, woodsy): peppermint (T) + pine (M) + angelica (M,B)
Bottoms Up: 28.5% peppermint (2 drops) + 57.1% pine (4 drops) + 14.2% angelica (1 drops)

As you can see, this blend only required 7 drops of oil to get it to where she wanted it!

Now it’s your turn. Take a look at your essential oil blends you came up with in step 5 and decide which essential oil blending ratio you’d like to try. Maybe you’d like to try each blending ratio on each potential blend! Just be sure you label well to keep track of what’s what!

I recommend keeping your information written down in a notebook and labeling your blends by number. Using Leslie’s blends as an example, her first blend would be written down in a notebook and her physical blend would be labeled with a #1.

8. Time For A Break: Letting Your Essential Oil Blends Rest

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Once you’ve blended all your blends together to test them, it’s time to take a break and let your blends rest for a minimum of 24 hours… 48 hours is better. This is so each blend’s aroma can develop. Believe it or not, when you open your blends back up the next day, they’re going to smell a bit different than you remember. This is why keeping good notes is important. You want to describe what you smell so you can remember where your blend has been and where it is now. This will help you to see if you like what you’ve created.

9. Testing Your Blend

And here we are… the last step on blending essential oils. Whew!

At this point, your blend has just finished its resting period. Now it’s time to test it and see what you think. To test the blend, we’re going to use time and carrier oils to see how they affect the scent of the blend, and we’re going to keep track of all this testing in a blending notebook.

On Taking Notes

Let me quickly speak to taking notes and keeping track of your blends.

I recommend you get a small notebook that’s specific to your essential oil blends to write all of your notes in. This way, everything is in one place and you can easily find your thoughts, information, and blend recipes whenever you need them.

Blending Essential Oils for Beginners | Growing Up Herbal | Learn how to create your own essential oil blends from scratch by following these simple steps. Perfect for essential oil beginners!

Now, when it comes to keeping track of your thoughts on scent, here’s a list of questions to ask yourself.

  1. What do I enjoy about this scent?
  2. What do I not like about this scent?
  3. What does it remind me of?
  4. Do I smell anything in particular first? Second?
  5. How does it make me feel?
  6. How does it smell after 2 hours? 4 hours?

Now that you know a bit more about taking notes, let’s get to the actual testing part.

To start off, open your bottle and place a drop or two of your blend on a testing strip or a cotton ball. Smell it. Do you like the overall scent? Do you smell one oil over the others? Smell it again. What else do you notice? How does it make you feel? Write your thoughts in your blending notebook.

Next, try diluting your blend in a carrier oil. You can take 4 drops of any carrier oil such as jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed, avocado, or any oil you’d like (preferably one without a strong scent) and add 1 drop of your essential oil blend to it. You now have a 20% dilution. Now smell it? What do you think? Does that change the scent? What do you notice first? How does it make you feel now? Describe your thoughts in your notebook.

You can dilute the blend even further by adding 5 more drops of carrier oil to get a 10% dilution. Smell this and write your thoughts down in your notebook. Every time you dilute the blend, it will change the scent slightly.

Wait a couple hours and repeat the whole process again by smelling the undiluted blend and the diluted one, being sure to write down how the blend smells to you now and how it makes you feel. The scent of the blend will change over time as the top notes begin to evaporate off.

After testing your blend, if you like the scent and how it makes you feel, go with it. You can now make more of your blend, using larger amounts of oils, before bottling it up and labeling it. If you don’t like the scent or it doesn’t affect you the way you hoped it would, you can start the process over varying the amount of essential oils used or you can chose different oils all together.

The possibilities are endless!

Back To My Signature Scents

Okay, so let me finish my story where I left off earlier.

I’m happy to say that the decision to create signature scents for my products (along with updating my branding and taking new photos) completely changed my business. I was invited to some pretty prestigious Etsy teams, my products were featured on Etsy’s front page over and over again, sales were coming in daily, I had repeat customers who were not only buying my products for themselves but as gifts too, and I had wholesale accounts and blog features… all because I made some simple, small changes to my products.

Now, you don’t have to make physical products to create your own essential oil blends or signature scents. You can use essential oil blends to make your own perfumes or to scent your own homemade skin care products. You can also use them to support your health and emotions in a variety of ways.

You also don’t have to have a ton of essential oil education to get started. You can learn as you go and find valuable resources to help you along the way. Like I always say… progress over perfection.

Are you ready to create some of your very own essential oil blends? If so, let me help you get started by giving you my free PDF on 24 commonly used essential oils and their properties (plus a special gift from Plant Therapy).

Sign up below to download a PDF with 24 essential oils and the various ways they can be used… including oils in all eight blending categories! Once you sign up, you’ll get the download link in your inbox shortly as well as your special gift from Plant Therapy (one of my favorite essential oil companies)! Be sure to save the file to your computer for safekeeping, and print a copy out for quick access too!

Post originally published: July 2013 – Updated: March 2017

REFERENCES

  • Aromatic Blending of Essential Oils. (n.d.). Retrieved July 05, 2013, from http://aromaweb.com/articles/aromaticblending.asp
  • Bovenizer, S. (n.d.). Top Middle and Base Notes in Aromatherapy. Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://www.suzannebovenizer.com/aromatherapy-essential-oils/top-middle-and-base-notes-in-aromatherapy
  • Natural Perfumery Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://www.edenbotanicals.com/natural-perfumery-basics.html
  1. Christa says:

    I really loved this article, Meagan! It’s very helpful and I’ll be recommending it to my friends!

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks Christa! Can’t wait to try your new perfume! I just know it’s going to be lovely… like all the beautiful things in your shop!

      • Tuwana says:

        Megan, I just read your article and it was very informative. Unfortunately, I can not download the PDF’s. Can you send them to me?

      • BR says:

        I found a lotion that is a mix of essential oils that is used for antiviral skin issues, warts, rashes, etc. even genital warts. I am trying to figure out how to get the essential oils in a mix to make a lotion. Is there a benign lotion to mix or create your own lotion – also what would be the mix ratio to lotion to make this effective?

        • Meagan Visser says:

          You can definitely add essential oils to lotion bases. The ratio will depend on the essential oils in the mix and how much area of the body they will cover. This will definitely require more research and perhaps consulting from an aromatherapist. There are also a lot of great books out there that teach you how to use essential oils in skin care products that could offer more information as well. Hope this answers your question!

          • Valerie says:

            I’m new to this and I just purchased my first essential oil from the “now” brand. I wanted to make my own body butter so I also purchased coconut oil, almond oil, and Shea butter…. I wanted orange scent but when it arrived it said “do not use on skin”. I thought essential oils were used to make lotions and body butters? I’m confused. Can you help please? Thank you, ?

          • Meagan Visser says:

            Humm, I can’t tell you much without seeing the version of the EO you purchased, Valerie, but one reason why they could have said that is that the EO you bought is a cold-pressed orange EO which can cause photosensitivity after sun exposure. Cold-pressed citrus oils are known to do that, as well as a few others. Here’s a great post on this topic. What you can do is use it for flavoring things, cleaning, diffusing, or in your skin care products during the winter months when you won’t get as much sun exposure and purchase a steam-distilled orange EO to use during the summer months. Hope this helps!

  2. Danika says:

    There is no such thing as therapeutic grade essential oils. Not at all. There is pure (unadulterated), organic & wildcrafted. That’s it.

    “Therapeutic grade” is a marketing term invented by Young Living and then adopted when several reps left to start doTerra. It has zero meaning in the industry. It is just a way for companies to try to stand out from other pure essential oils-and charge more money. The use of that term indicates 1 of 2 things…ignorance or manipulation.

    Just because these two brands frequently recommend taking essential oils internally doesn’t mean their brands can be and others can’t. It just means they give unsafe advice that is contrary to what any real aromatherapist would advise. People have gotten seriously hurt by following this advice. The International Association of Holistic Aromatherapist says that essential oils should never be taken internally unless you are advised to do so by a clinical aromatherapist who has appropriate training in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, etc. This has nothing to do with oil purity and everything to do with the fact that essential oils are very powerful.

    • Meagan says:

      It’s funny that you brought this up Danika because I JUST read an article in my research about this the other day after writing this post that explained this very thing really well (and very nicely for that matter). It was talking about the differences in qualities of essential oils, the term “therapeutic”, and the whole internal/external factor.

      It said that the reason companies like Young Living and doTERRA are so expensive is because they claim their oils can be used internally, and that means they must carry insurance in case they’re sued based on those claims… which makes their oils more expensive. Smaller companies usually can’t afford that type of insurance so they can’t make those claims about internal use, but it does mean that their oils can be priced cheaper even though the quality is the same as the bigger companies.

      Another thing I learned was about the whole “therapeutic” thing. I always thought that when an oil company claimed that their oil was “therapeutic grade” it meant that it could be used medicinal purposes, not just for aromatherapy purposes. I’m sure that’s true, but from what you, the article I just read, and other EO experts are saying, that isn’t true. Pure essential oils can be used for their “therapeutic” or medicinal qualities just like they can be used in aromatherapy. The term “therapeutic grade” means nothing. Eden’s Organic oils say 100% Pure Essential Oils on their bottles, but I think somewhere on their site it says therapeutic grade. I’m assuming many small companies like theirs are having to claim this in order to keep up with the bigger companies, whether it’s true or not. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me, but I did take that wording out of this post so that it’s more accurate!

      Anyway, I’m not an expert on essential oils, but I find them fascinating especially since I love all things herbal. I definitely am not one to promote big brands over little brands. I love many of the cheaper EO companies and have had good results with them.

      As for internal/external debate… I don’t advise internal use (and don’t use oils internally either), but it’s not my place to say it’s no good. Like you said, it’s not recommended by the IAHA, but if someone’s going to do it, I definitely think they need to be under the supervision of someone who knows A LOT about that sort of thing.

      Thanks for your comment… and for keeping me on my toes!

      • Erin says:

        Someone may have mentioned this already, but if a company makes certain claims about how their product should be used (i.e. reduces inflammation, relieves stress, heals wounds, etc.), they are required to label their product as a drug under FDA laws. Any product that is declared as a drug must include additional information on their labeling and are subject to other regulations regarding drugs. Companies that declare their EOs are therapeutic are also responsible for supporting the therapeutic or medicine claims made on their labels. Most companies, however, do not claim their EOs are therapeutic or medicinal is because they do not want to have the extra oversight and responsibility that comes with such a claim. There are other specific things they avoid putting on their labels and additional cautions made to ensure their EOs are not considered medicinal, even if their oils are the same content and grades as other “therapeutic” oils on the market.

    • Angie says:

      I could be wrong, but I think Danika is confusing the term therapeutic grade with the “100% Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” that doTERRA coined and uses. Some oils are labeled for aromatherapy only, and others state they are therapeutic grade which I imagine is to indicate they are also for medicinal purposes. Not referring to ingestion, but topical applications.

      I have a variety of oils, including Eden’s Garden, NOW, EXO, Rocky Mountain Oils, and doTERRA. Eden’s Garden and doTERRA are labeled therapeutic grade and seem far more potent and pure than the others. NOW is labeled 100% Pure Essential oil, and I would rank their oil next.

      The other brands, while cheap, seem really watered down and have very “off” aromas. It worries me to use them because I suspect there are some solvents or chemicals used. They do not claim therapeutic grade. One bottle of Rocky Mountain’s immune boosting blend only lasted me a week when diffusing it, but a bottle of doTERRA’s comparable blend, OnGuard, lasted me several months. The difference in price can seem dramatic, but when you have to use 10 drops of one oil to get the same effects of 1 drop of another… they even out.

      Anyway… thank you for this post! I have been interested in making custom blends but I know enough about oils to understand mixing them changes the compounds and effects of the constituents, and the order in which they are mixed will influence the properties, too. But I don’t know anything beyond that such as what to combine and how to go about blending. This is a great and easy to understand introduction. Thank you! And if you have a link to the article you mention having read on the topic of quality and labels, Meagan, I’d love to read it, too!

      • Meagan says:

        Great points Angie. I really love the work Lea Harris is doing at LearningAboutEOs.com when she tests all the different oils and shows the results. Even the big companies are noticing and thanking her for doing that… including doTERRA and Young Living… which says a lot about the companies not minding other people testing their products because they have confidence in what they’re selling.

        One thing you said that I didn’t know was that if you mix oils the compounds and effects can change based on the orders of mixing. I haven’t seen that anywhere so if you have a link to that info, I’d love to see it. And as far as the article I mention… I’m not sure which one you’re referring to. Just let me know though, and I’ll try to direct you to it.

        And yes… 10 drops to 1 drop does make up for price, but of course you won’t know that until you try them both out to see which is the better investment.

        Thanks for sharing your input with us!

        • Cathrin says:

          I’m not sure what the name of the blending process would be, but look up “personifier enhancer equalizer modifier” for an idea of what order essential oils should be blended and in what amounts. I don’t totally understand it, but I’ve read enough places that substantiate this.

        • Jamie Larrison says:

          I really enjoy Lea’s website too! One thing I recently learned about the 3rd party testing she had done though, was it may not be very reliable. She chose a chemist in France who used outdated testing equipment simply because it was the cheapest. And although I greatly appreciate her knowledge, she gets very defensive and on the verge of rude at times in the comments. I also know she doesn’t appreciate learning that isn’t taught by a certified aroma therapist.

          • Meagan says:

            I hear what you’re saying about her sometimes being defensive. I suppose we all are defensive in our stances on things… or at least the majority of people are.

            As far as the testing goes… I don’t know much about it other than I think she did opt for more expensive and more accurate testing the 2nd and 3rd time she had oils tested. I’m not sure on that though. All I know is that her tests got a lot of attention… much of which brought about changes from some of the bigger EO companies so she must have done something right.

            On your comment about learning from other certified aromatherapists… I’d agree with you there, but most of us are that way too. If we’re gonna trust people, we wanna see that people have credentials or at least a lot of experience. We go to doctors because they have the title MD… we don’t go to our friend down the road that got her medical knowledge by reading medical textbooks only. Same reason applies to why we hire lawyers, licensed plumbers and electricians, or pay alternative therapists with certificates showing they complete some sort of schooling. It’s a way to see that there’s knowledge and practice there. I think her big beef is with big EO company distributors that are giving unsafe advice as if they have tons of experience. I do know that she’s supportive of bloggers sharing safe EO information because she’s been kind about what I’ve shared here on this blog as well as some other blogs.

            Anyway, like you said, she has a great website and there’s a lot to learn from there… even if we don’t all agree 100% on everything.

          • Jamie says:

            I can understand being wary of mlm’s that are really pushing eo’s more for a sale than regard to safety. But I do think that there’s positive (and safe) knowledge to be learned in other groups. For example you’re passing on your eo knowledge, but I don’t believe you’re a certified aromatherapist. I do however trust your judgement 🙂
            And I don’t know if Lea had a different person with better equipment do the final rounds of testing or not.
            All this being said, she does seem very helpful and knowledgeable on eo’s.

          • Meagan says:

            You’re totally right… I’m not a certified aromatherapist therefore I don’t treat or consult with people on EO use. However, I do share good info I’ve learned and a few recipes here and there. But, like you said, there’s good info out there to be learned, and I think it’s important for people to take the info (mine included) and go check it out with research of their own. There are people who are smart and self-taught in certain areas, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect… we all need to double check things, you know.

      • Madeleine says:

        I agree that there are different qualities of oils, I also have used many brands but prefer the more “expensive” brands to other cheaper versions for similar reasons, such as longevity of scent and quality of smell, love to hear everyones perspective though.

    • C. Johnson says:

      Actually there are only two types of oils in the world. 100% Pure essential oil (which is non-alcohol extracted) and the other kind, which is not Pure and is not Ayurvedic, which is to say it is not pure enough to be used for Homeo-therapeutic (natural healing) methods.
      I used to work for a company which was the only USA distributor of Oshadhi, which was the leader in Pure essential oils over 20 years ago.
      I was trained by Ayurvedic methods and taught the correct way to blend for essential well being. With correct dosing you can cure many ailments which modern day medicine is still stumped with.
      What most don’t know is that even the labeled 100% pure are not always what they seem and it’s not the companies fault it’s just not available for the regular oil trader. For example, a Sandalwood tree can only produce the oil after the tree has reached it’s 30 year maturity, and since this is such a necessity to India it is only “doled” out to the consumer as a partially pure oil. India has no regulations about the purity they are distributing, so unless you are paying almost $30 an oz. it’s most likely not truly pure, this is the same for absolutes. Absolutes are 100% pure, and they are most expensive and usually very thick.

      • Meagan says:

        Thanks for the comment. So are you saying that unless the oil is expensive, it’s probably not pure? I understand what you’re saying about the sandalwood oil. I’m sure that’s the case for a lot of oils. I know it’s that way with herbs. Some herbs you harvest the first year, some the second, and it even makes a difference when it comes to the part of the plant you use. I’m just wondering if there’s a way to really tell if one is pure… for the lay person of course. Also, where were you trained at? I’m not aware of many aromatherapy schools so it’s always nice to hear of more.

        • Scott says:

          I make my own essential oils and I know of several ways to extract oils from plants of various types. but my favorite for making essential oils is a steam extraction method. I don’t lose as much of the essential oils and its 100% pure when I’m finished with the process that is until I add it to carrier oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil and organic grape seed oil. I sell both my essential oils as well as the deluded oils and I don’t charge no $30.00 per oz but I don’t make sandalwood oils I only make oils from the flowers herbs fruits and veggies I can grow in my own backyard but I still don’t charge as much as those bigger companies that doesn’t mean my oils are any less pure than theirs.

          • Meagan says:

            I hear what you’re saying Scott, and I’m not disagreeing with you. I don’t know a whole lot about the process, but I do know that bigger companies follow harvesting, storage, and extracting guidelines that not all home distillers follow. I also know that bigger companies have their oils routinely tested by 3rd party labs to check them for certain things. Again, not all home distillers do that. I’m sure that’s why people trust bigger EO companies, but if I were making and selling my own oils from home, I’d be sure I did those things and shouted it from the rooftops so people would know my oils were top notch. Thanks for sharing your process!

      • Madeleine says:

        Noted, thank you for that information, I am learning the oils world and love reading these posts.

      • Meagan says:

        Thanks for sharing these resources, Susan. I’ve read through them, and although there’s some really valuable and helpful info here, I don’t believe this settles the issue that a lot of people have with these big MLM companies. I mean, these sources are from YL distributors so they’re biased. Sure the information is good and possibly true, but it just seems like it’s better to get info from unbiased sources. Right?

      • Laurie says:

        The FDA is a joke. They get worse every year. Do not trust them!

    • Spirit says:

      thank you for your facts. I have a friend who only uses doterra..and she takes some internally. She is in school for herbology and thinks she knows everything about EO’s, and tells me how Doterra is the only one that sells “theropudic grade” EO and they sell all thats is out there. But i already researched that web site and saw that they did not sell ALL. Because I have done my research(google)lol, and now I have books by several reputable practitioners/authors[Lawless,Worwood,Grady]. I have told her that she is being mis informed about her EO usage and needs to be more cautious. But her response is always; oh dont worry..we are of mother earth..my family has been doing this for decades.(her family are descendents of an Indian culture, as is most of us..lol) so i will be fine, she says. well this is the generation of the hard headed(she is only 22, I be 47 so imma leave her to od on EO i guess..lol)

    • Linda Nocera says:

      Thank you SO MUCH for your information in regards to the so called “therapeutic Essential Oils” I long suspected there was no such thing and it is a Marketing ploy for these two companies in question as well, I have been personally challenged by doTERRA consultants because my Essential oils are much cheaper than theirs, but I purchase Pure essential oils, bottle and resell, I have had no complaints in 17 years, your information has helped me feel much more secure in what I am doing?Kind regards Linda

  3. Tonya says:

    Lovely and well written! I published a similar blog last week http://www.created2fly.net/2013/07/the-art-and-science-of-blending.html .

    I love the way you thoroughly explained this topic and look forward to sharing with my readers we are always learning and sharing!

    God bless!
    Tonya

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks Tonya! I just pinned the image from your post… I’ve never looked at blending from that direction before with the modifier, equalizer, enhancer, and personalizer. I’m gonna have to try that out next time! Thanks for sharing your post with me!

  4. Magic and Mayhem says:

    Great info, and I love the page you linked at aromaweb. Just wondering if you have any plans at any point to redo the graphic of EOs for kids, as the typo in #7 has bugged me since I pinned it a year ago (I assume it’s citrus?). I love it, though! 🙂

    • Meagan says:

      What!!! Just great… I don’t think I can make one single thing without a typo! Makes me grateful for people like you who are willing to point it out… even though it’s a year later. Yes! I’ll be redoing it. Thanks!

  5. Lisa says:

    Thank you! I am a beginner, I’m trying to mix a set of oils for healthy nails. I have ideas of EOs (Frank, Myrrh, Lavender, and Lemon, Lemongrass) to use. Now I just have to figure out if they are top, middle or bottoms and go from there. Thank you again

  6. leanne says:

    This article is super helpful! Thank you so much!!! I am making bath scrubs/salts as gifts for people for the holidays and this is just the information I needed 😀

  7. Lisa says:

    Great post, Meagan! I just made up some body balm with lavender and rosemary. It smells great, but the scent doesn’t last. Now I know I need to put in something with a base note. Hmmm – have to give that some thought.

    • Meagan says:

      Oh good for you! It’s tough picking your oils, but base notes do help your smells to last longer. Patchouli, sandalwood, and vanilla are some of my favorite base notes. I’m not sure how great each of those would smell with the oils you used, but you’d have to test it out and see. Another thing I’ve learned is that when you’re making something, it will always smell stronger when you’re making it than when you put it on so sometimes you need to add a good bit more of the oils for good measure. Hope that helps!

  8. Sapna Anant Vetal says:

    I like the detail pls i require u help i done course. From where we have to purchase oil

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks for your comment Sapna. I’ve left links within the post that will direct you to reputable essential oil brands online. Thanks!

  9. Tania Kothera says:

    I am using Native American Nutritional copals. I love the blend Breathe Ease as my son has frequent respiratory infections. I am going through a lot of it and wondered if it would be more cost effective to blend my own, but unsure of the ratios. Here are the ingredients.. any way to figure this out?
    Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus citriodora, Myrtle, Eucalyptus radiata, Peppermint, Spruce, Ravintsara, Pine and Marjoram.

    • Meagan says:

      I don’t know if there would be an exact way to figure it out without having it tested… if that’s even possible and it’s very expensive. You could blend your own together though… it may not be exactly the same, but would be close. I see they’re using 3 different types of eucalyptus as well as peppermint, myrtle, and marjoram. All these oils contain types of camphor with help with respiratory issues. Pine is a great oil for kids and works well for respiratory conditions. I couldn’t find much info on the Ravintsara except that it was like eucalyptus.

      As far as the spruce goes though, I’d personally leave it out. I don’t know a lot about it except that it contains thujone which can be toxic to the body in large doses and cause nervous system issues. Since you’re using a lot of this oil over a long period of time… I’d just leave it out. The only respiratory benefit I found on it was to reduce coughing and you already have plenty of other oils in your blend that will also do that. So to me, it’s better to leave it out… especially for a young child.

      So again, I don’t know how to figure out the ratios except that the first ingredient is supposed to be the largest and they work their way down to less and less. You definitely could follow this as a guide and try blending small amounts of oil until you find a combination you like and seems to be effective on him. If it were me, I’d try to work through the process to come up with a good blend. I also have a post coming out in February that walks you through exactly how I blend oils. Maybe that will help you out some. Stay tuned, and thanks for your comment Tania!

  10. Jill says:

    I made a sugar scrub for the first time this holiday and the scents are “off”. Could it be because I used too much oil? It is not pleasant at all. I know the oils are good quality. The peppermint does not smell refreshing at all nor does the lavender. I am guessing I used too many drops. Can I dilute by doubling the sugar and coconut oil? Any recommendations so I can save the 5 cups I have so far?

    • Meagan says:

      I hear you Jill… I did the same thing except I used other oils that were more fragrant so I had to use WAY more essential oils than I originally thought I would. Now, this was my first sugar scrub too so I’m not an expert. In fact, I’d rather direct you to my friend Stacy over at A Delightful Home as she’s written an ebook all about making scrubs as gifts so she knows way more about that than I do. As far as the smell being off… I let my scrubs set a bit and then they smelled better and everyone who received them loved them. Also, you could try adding in more sugar to see if it cuts the smell a little. I’d wait on adding more coconut oil because that can get your scrub to oily. Anyway, sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Definitely check out Stacy’s blog.

  11. Rachael says:

    Hi Meagan,

    I just have a quick question … I noticed above YL is listed as “internal” and Mountain Rose is listed as “external”. If both are the same product what makes one internal and the other external?

    • Meagan says:

      Well, they may be the same type of essential oil, but quality can be different among companies. Now I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon of one brand over another, but the reason I listed the YL and doTERRA as internal and the others as external is because that’s how they market their products… not because I say it’s okay or even use them that way. As I said in the post, I don’t use EOs internally… I’ve never needed to, but if I were going to, I’d probably go with one of these two brands over some of the other ones. If you wanna see comparisons of EO brands, check out Lea Harris’ site – Learning About EOs – she has testing done of many of the major brands and compares them to each other. It’s very interested when you are concerned about quality. Hope that answers your question… thank you!

  12. Alexandra says:

    Hi Meagan,

    I’m planning to make my first blend and this article was very helpful. Among some of the other readings that I’ve been doing, some articles refer to base notes and carrier oils with both of those names, as if they’re interchangeable so I’m a little confused. Do you need to have a carrier oil if you’ve mixed with a base note oil?
    I’m keeping it very simple – a top, middle, and base note for the first time.

    Also, if I’m planning to use the scent as an air freshener, should I still keep the drops I use low?

    Thanks!
    Alexandra

    • Meagan says:

      Great question Alexandra, and the answer is, no… the terms “base note” and “carrier oil” are not interchangeable.

      A “base note” is an essential oil that is usually thicker in viscosity and it smells strong. When in a blend, it’s not the first thing you smell, but after the blend wears away, it’s what’s left. It’s the base of the blend… scent-wise.

      A “carrier oil” is usually a veggie or nut oil that you use to dilute your essential oil in like olive oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, etc.

      The only reason I say to use limited drops in this article is so you don’t waste your oils as you’re experimenting on what blends you like. Once you have a good sample blend for your air freshener and you like it, you can make more of the blend in a larger amount. So your 3 drops becomes 30 drops, your 5 drops becomes 50 drops and your 2 drops becomes 20 drops and so on. Once you have your blend… you are still going to need to dilute it in your carrier oil of choice.

      Essential oil blends are diluted differently depending upon a persons age and the use you have for it. For example, an infant would need a 1% dilution where an older child would do fine with a 2.5% dilution. Adults are usually around a 5% dilution. These dilutions would be for massage oils or therapeutic uses. For cleaning or air fresheners, you may use the 5% dilution or stronger… it just depends on where it’s being used and how.

      Does that answer your questions?

  13. April says:

    Hi there! I’m new (well several months in, but “new” in the grand scheme of things) to the world of EO’S but have learned a lot along the way. Thank you for writing about making blends; I hope to whip some up once I add a couple more EO’s to my stash. I did feel compelled to write & express my concern towards your “10 Must Have..” chart. I don’t know about all of the oils, but I do know that peppermint and eucalyptus especially are no-no’s for young children (eucalyptus can cause respiratory issues). And since there are several varieties of eucalyptus out there varying in strength, a parent could mistakenly purchase & use the strongest one on a too-young child! I do hope that this is taken in the manner it is written, with caring & concern!!

    • Meagan says:

      Thank you April… I’ve added an update to my EO posts noting the variety of eucalyptus that is the safest for children. I appreciate you helping me to keep the info on Growing Up Herbal safe and accurate!!

  14. Jenifer says:

    Also, a reputable company will list the Latin name for the oil. I have found a lot of success and reasonable pricing with Plant Therapy.

    • Meagan says:

      Yes, I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about that company! Thanks for share… and latin names are really important to know as different species even among the same plant family can have different effects.

  15. John says:

    “The energizing oils that are middle notes are woodsy, herbaceous, and medicinal. Those categories don’t work will with citrus and oriental categories, but floral does.”

    “Woodsy blends well with all categories”

    Am I misunderstanding or are you contradicting yourself?

    • Meagan says:

      LOL John! You’re right! This post was written so long ago, I don’t know what I was thinking there or where I was going with that. Maybe I was thinking Neroli would be a better choice, but no matter, I’ll work on the wording there to make it less confusing. You are the first person that’s caught that… at least that’s let me know! Thank you!

  16. Shelli says:

    One of the things I did for my kids when they were younger and had a hard time going to sleep was put one to two drops of either chamomile or lavender eo in the palm of my hands, rub them together, then rub them all over the kids pillowcase and sheets. It worked like magic! The oils would wear off through the night and by morning the kids were refreshed and in a great mood.

    • Meagan says:

      I love lavender and chamomile for their calming and relaxing properties. We too use them a lot. I love making fabric sprays with some vodka, water, and eos and spritzing the sheets and pillows. It doesn’t smell of alcohol and my kids can do it before bed which is fun for them. Plus it dilutes the oils so I don’t have to worry about them being too strong for them. I love that lavender and chamomile are even safe for young babies! Thanks for the tip!

  17. Jorge valenciano says:

    Hello
    Thank you for all the info I loved it.
    Can you help me please? I need some combinations for beard oil, I have patchouli, bergamot, ylang ylang, orchid, coffee and sandalwood essential oils. Thank you I will really appreciate it.

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Jorge… I don’t know anything specifically about beard oil… I’m assuming you’re looking for a scent combination and that will vary from person to person. If you purchase the essential oils you listed above and try them out in different combinations like the post suggests, I’m sure you’ll come up with a blend you’ll love. As of right now, I don’t do individualized consultations. I’m so sorry, but best of luck!

  18. Linda says:

    What a great article!

  19. Tre says:

    I am EO newbie. What a great article; thank you. I have a really stupid question I’m sure but I’m going to ask anyway. When mixing oils why do you blend 30/50/20 instead of the same amount of each? Why would you want one smell to evaporate before the others instead of consistency throughout?

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks for your question Tre, and it’s definitely not a stupid one.

      From my understanding and research (and I’m not an aromatherapist), all essential oils have particular qualities of smell as far as which are smelled first and which last a short while vs. a long while. This is why you blend them together based on those qualities (which are categorized as “notes”) so you can smell each oil among the others and have your blend last longer. Do you have to follow that rule? Of course not. If you’re making blends that are going to smell great and last a good while, should you follow that rule? Probably… I don’t know for sure as I’m not an aromatherapist and I don’t make perfume blends often.

      You could try using equal amounts of each and see how it turns out for you. The problem I find with that is that the stronger scents will tend to overpower the lighter scents because too much was used. For example if you were to blend lavender and patchouli and you used equal amounts, your blend is probably not going to smell as good as if you used more lavender than patchouli because patchouli is very strong and it can smell bad if too much is used.

      As far as wanting one blend to evaporate before the others… it’s not my choice. The smell of top note oils tend to diminish before the base note oils. This is probably because base note oils tend to be very resinous which lasts longer.

      I hope this has answered your questions and not confused you more. Blending EOs this way is mostly used when you’re looking to obtain a good smell for perfumes or air fresheners. I like all my homemade products to smell good so I always consider blending this way, even for my medicinal products. Thanks again!

  20. Susan Crowder says:

    Thank you Meagan! I am also learning about herbs & essential oils!
    It was helpful in learning how to mix and test essential oils. I’ve mixed Tea Tree &
    Eucalyptus oils and will test it tomorrow at 6:30 P.M.!
    Susan M. Crowder

  21. Diana says:

    Hi,

    I am looking into oils and theres just so many 🙁 I was thinking of mixing vitamin e oil with coconut oil do you think that’d be okay? I have mixed rosehip oil with emu oil and used that on my face. would these be too strong for my face?
    I am trying to treat my eczema and redness on my face. Please recommend me oils and oils to blend if you know any good ones!
    Thank you

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Diana. It sounds like you’re mixing carrier oils together which are totally fine and very good at nourishing the skin on their own. What I’m talking about here in this post is how to blend essential oil together to get a nice smell. This essential oil blend will then be added to the carrier oil(s) of your choice like those you mentioned in your comment. If you wanna learn more about blending essential oils based on their therapeutic properties and have them smell good too, check out this post I wrote on how to create therapeutic essential oil blends in 7 steps. Hope this helps some! Thanks for your comment!

  22. Tylee says:

    How do you apply the oils? Do you just use a cotton ball or your hands or something?

    • Meagan says:

      Once you dilute the essential oils in a carrier oil you can apply that via a cotton ball or your hands… whatever you prefer.

  23. Lauren K says:

    I recently took a class at my university on the use of essential oils and my professor mentioned that in rare cases peppermint can be extremely dangerous in children under 6. I believe Amplatz Children’s Hospital in Minnesota uses spearmint rather than peppermint as it produces similar effects. Please follow the link bleow for more information about this under the Special Considerations section. If you also find this information concerning I would suggest removing peppermint from your children’s top ten list.
    http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/aromatherapy/are-essential-oils-safe

    • Meagan says:

      Yes Lauren… there are many EOs that aren’t to be used on small children which is why I put the disclaimer about eucalyptus EO below the graphic encouraging parents to do more research on safe EOs for small children. This list is for children in general, it’s not age specific. I also link to my posts on EO safety which addresses age related concerns. Thanks for the link though!! I’m so glad to see more people using EOs safely in age appropriate ways.

  24. Susan says:

    Thanks for this wonderful post! I am just getting into making my own natural body products and I will be using essential oils in them. This will be very a helpful & creative resource for me. Greatly appreciated!

  25. Lisa says:

    Hello. I’m an EO newbie. My children and I this weekend created some blends for their new atomizing diffusers for their rooms. I saw a post that said something about the need to use a carrier oil for diffusing. Is this necessary and/or safe for the machine that I am using? We have just been diffusing with “straight” EO’s and it seems right. Am I causing more harm than good?

    • Meagan says:

      From my understanding, you use straight EOs dropped in distilled water for atomizing diffusers. You use EOs mixed in a carrier oil if you’re heating the oil in a room diffuser that uses a candle. Hope that helps!

  26. zeyad says:

    Hi meagan

    Im zeyad fome kuwait state , i just read the all information you wrote my qustions is
    Im just mixing essential oils (arabic) but what i dont understand is we mg in our mixing example for 50 mg bottel

    15 gram of essential oils
    And alchole

    Then i keep it in Refrigerator for a day then i keep it in dark place for 3 days

    Another question please

    What is the best thing that i mixed it with the essential oils to keep the smill stay long time on clothes ?

    If you can help me with some informations i will be glad

    Not : the arbic essential oils its the same indian essential oils

    Big thanks to you and wish all the best sister

    Zeyad

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Zeyad, I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking in your first question. Are you wanting to know how much of the essential oil you add to the alcohol? It would depend on what you’re using this blend for and at what strength you want it. As far as how to get it to stay on your clothes for a long time, that too will depend on the blend and the strength. Make sure you’re using each of the three notes in your blend. Remember the base note oil is the one that will linger the longest. Also, the dilution percentage will matter. The stronger the dilution, the more it will smell. For example a 1% dilution won’t smell as strong as a 3% dilution will. Hope that helps more!

  27. Shari says:

    I just happened upon your site and I really like it. Everything is researched and well written. I’m saving this to come back again 🙂 I totally agree with you on cost not necessarily reflecting the quality of oil. While I agree that a low cost essential oil will usually indicate an adulteration, there are many smaller companies that have pure essential oils with reasonable prices.
    I also really enjoyed your information on blending. When I first started blending oils I didn’t know much so I would muscle test which ones I needed to use and in what quantity. It’s interesting as I am learning more of the “science” behind it, and I go back to my blend recipes and see how it all played out with the top, middle, and base notes, all in the correct quantities. It’s actually really fun to see. I am enjoying learning more, which makes me realize how much I don’t know!! 🙂

    • Meagan says:

      I know… I feel like I’m always learning something new, and many times, relearning things as new info becomes available. I’m glad you’re finding great info here on GUH, and thanks for the comment. I’m happy to have you here Shari!

  28. Brandi says:

    Like most people I am new to mixing EO’s. First, I would like to say thank you for all your time and hard work you put into this article. Most people don’t realize how much time goes into the trial and error process. It seems you have done a lot of hard work and a good job for us all to take into consideration. I would like to know if you have to rest it 24 hours if you are going to be putting it in an oil burner or a diffuser? I would be mixing something for calming and concentration. I homeschool and my DD needs something to help her stay focused and my patience is being test greatly right now.

  29. dorie says:

    *sigh* this EO thing is so overwhelming. I can’t find anything that says what to do once you’ve mixed an oil blend. Do you apply it to a specific part of the body? I am looking for blends that will focus and calm myself and 8 yr old son…Both for home and school/work. I am seeing several blends to try…but don’t know what to do with them when they’re created. Any help?

    • Meagan says:

      Sure Dorie. So after you’ve got your essential oil blend, you can diffuse it at home to get it into the air or you can just open the bottle and sniff it from time to time. That’s two great ways to use EOs safely… assuming the oils are appropriate for your son’s age. For school, the best bet is to dilute the EO blend in a carrier oil (like jojoba oil) and put it in a 1 oz. glass bottle with a roller top. That way it’s easy to apply. Simply rub a little bit on the insides of the wrist, behind the ears, the temple area, or the neck and you should be able to absorb it into the skin slowly as well as smell it for a bit. Hope that helps!! Let me know if you have any other questions!

  30. Veronica says:

    I would like to mix an oil to help with pigmentation.
    I read that the following oils might help with this and want to know how to blend them together as I don’t know the ‘notes’ for all of them:
    Lavender
    Patchouli
    Lemon, Lime, Orange
    Sandalwood
    thanks for your input

    • Meagan says:

      If you follow the links in the post to the AromaWeb.com site, it will give you more of the oil notes which will help you with blending, but remember, blending is mostly for scent. If you’re looking for something more therapeutic, the notes don’t matter as much. Hope that helps you some!

  31. Josie says:

    I really appreciate your honesty related to EO companies. It seems that so much of the information available ” out there” seems to be trying to lead you to a specific brand, which tends to makes me skeptical to their purpose and honesty. Great information!!

  32. katy says:

    Hey! I am new to all this but am going to try and start mixing up some of my own blends soon and was wondering about letting the mixture rest. Does this need to be done w/a lid on or off? Or does it matter either way!?

    • Meagan says:

      Definitely with the lid on Katy. If you let EOs sit with the lid off they will dry up and evaporate. It’s weird. Thanks for your comment!

  33. Manda says:

    what if there are 4 oils, in a blend? Is it usually considered 1 top note, 2 middle notes, and 1 base? or is it different? Or does it just depend on what oils are used? Any info would be helpful!
    Thanks!

    • Meagan says:

      I’m not sure that the amount of oils matters all that much as long as you have a top, middle, and base note to round the blend out. I’m sure there’s a lot of other info out there for those that want to get into more advanced blending for perfumery and such. Sorry I can’t be much more help than that.

  34. Gabriela says:

    Hello Meagan!
    I found you while searching for information about essential oils. You have a really neat site and with tons of great and valuable information that helps me a lot. I have been using essential oils for some time now, specially for cleaning around my home and for room sprays . I am now making soy candles but I am using essential oils instead of fragrance oils, even though some says that essential oils doesn’t have a very good scent throw in candles. My question for you is, Can I use jasmine absolute in jojoba oil for scent my wax? And what will be the ratio for blending in 6oz of soy wax? Would the 30-50-20 rule apply the same for blending essential oils for candles?
    Looking forward to your answer, it would really help me a lot.
    Thank you Meagan

    Gabriela

    • Meagan says:

      Hey Gabriela! I can’t speak from experience here because I’ve never made my own candles, but I too have heard that essential oils don’t work as well as fragrance oils in candles. No matter, I’d personally use them over fragrance oils. As far as the jasmine absolute… I don’t think you will get the scent you’re going for if you use any essential oil that’s already diluted in a carrier oil like the jojoba oil in this case. You need the concentrated oil. And yes, I’d still think the 30-50-20 rule would still apply if you want a rounded blend. Hope that helps… some!

  35. vinay jaiswal says:

    well im a student doing diploma in textile engineering im workin on aromatic fabric
    my new project in which im making a fabric which gives aroma as well as it act as a mosquoto repellent need your help im blending lavender with clove or lavender with eucalyptus for this purpose still not started just thnikng and doin reasearch on it any sugggestion plzzz contact

    srrryy i forgot to tell that im talkin about essential oils and im using three oils for this purpose lavender bcoz of its good soothing frangrance and as well as mosquito repellent property and the other two are eucalyptus essential oil and clove oil which has great mosquito repellent need your help how to mix it and use it. it may be chances that after mixing these oils only aroma will come and the other property of mpsquito repellent will not work or may be aftr mixing aroma can be effectd so which mixing of which oil give optimum performance i need help about it give your suggestion plzzzz

  36. Sarah says:

    Hi Meagan, thank you, this was really helpful. I’ve recently started making bath melts and want to make some with essential oils; this article has been a good starting point for me and I’ve referenced it on my own blog. Are there any essential oils you particularly enjoy using in the bath? I’d be very grateful for your suggestions!

    • Meagan says:

      I almost always give my kids baths in the evening (same goes for me) as a way to relax before bed so we use a lot of relaxing oils like lavender and chamomile or grounding oils like patchouli and vetiver. If I give them a bath in the middle of the day for some reason I’ll use more uplifting/energizing oils. Citrus oils mostly, but there are others that work great in those blends too like mint oils. Of course I’m always careful about safety precautions with EOs and using the correct ones with my kids. Best of luck with your bath melts. I’ve never tried those before so I’ll have to put that on my to-do list. They look wonderful!

  37. Cari says:

    I am enjoying learning about essential oils and am appreciating them so much! Thank you for this article. I do have a question for you … How do I choose and use a diffuser? I am currently using my old scentsy burner – water with a few drops of essential oil – as a diffuser, but it evaporates so quickly and the scent is so light. I’m guessing I need a diffuser, but there are so many, I don’t know what to buy. What do you suggest for longer lasting air diffusion? Thank you!

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Cari. I don’t have much experience with different types of EO diffusers. I have a Young Living diffuser that my MIL bought me, and I love it. I use it often and it works great. It’s pricy, but totally worth it to have one in my opinion. However, I have heard others say that the cheaper ones work just as well. I know Plant Therapy carries diffusers, and I think they have some really great ones that are lower priced. Hope that helps!

  38. Julie says:

    Great information! Thank you for sharing!

  39. Jessica says:

    Hi Meagan, Thanks for sharing, you really broke the process down in an easy to understand way. Wish I had the oils you used in the example so I could try it out. I’m going to read more of your blog. I do have a question though, I think you said you’ve used Eden’s Garden and Young Living. I’ve been using Eden’s Garden for 2 years now and since I never tried anything else I am very satisfied, just needed an opinion from someone else to help me in my research. Today I went to a class and made YL Thieves Disinfectant spray. All the oils she let us smell seemed more fragrant than my EG EOs, I was wondering if you ever noticed that and what may be the reason. I’m not sure how oils are “supposed” to smell, only that I did notice a slight difference.

    • Meagan says:

      I’ve used YL oils only a few times whereas I’ve used EG oils much, much more, and honestly I’ve not noticed much of a difference. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t paying attention though. I think YL has great products… their seed to seal promise is reassuring, but I don’t think they’re the “best” or “only” EO company out there. I’ve been very happy with EG oils. I’ve recently tried Plant Therapy oils, and I’m really happy with those. I have a Q&A with that company coming ups soon so stay tuned as it will give you more info on them. All this goes to say, I’d personally try some other EO brands like Plant Therapy or Mountain Rose Herbs before I’d pay the high prices and commit myself to YL. If I wasn’t happy with any of the others companies or oils, then I’d go for YL. We each like different things and there’s really no “wrong” brand. Do what works for you and you feel is best. Everyone is welcome here. I’m not committed to one company. I just what has worked best for me. Currently it’s EG, but that could change as I find other companies I like. I hope this answers your question Jessica and is helpful to you!

      • Dianne says:

        Thanks for your info Meaghan. It was very helpful. I have to say that I love, love essential oils. I did so much research and have used them for years. More than a year ago I decided to give Young Living a try after much research and even though I have tried other companies I have to say that I absolutely love Young Living. I know there are other great companies out there because I have used them. However Young Living is absolutely a wonderful company and their oils are amazing. I totally trust them and I have had such success with them health wise. I am a member of their Blue Spruce Club and everything I ever want to know about how to use essential oils is there. I love Thieves, YLs blend. It is amazing for everything. I still use other oils but YL is my favourite!

  40. Morgan says:

    Hello! I love this post! Just found it via Google. I am wanting to make a room spray today and the only oils I have on hand are eucalyptus, patchouli and tea tree oil. Any recommendations? Will these even go well together? Thanks!

    • Meagan says:

      I think eucalyptus and tea tree will mix well together, but I’m not so sure about the patchouli. Just read the post again and take each of the oils through the blending steps to see if they are a good fit. Hope that helps.

  41. amy says:

    Hi there — Im new to oils… maybe someone already asked this… but is it ok to mix oils from other companies — for example — lavender from Young Living with peppermint from doTerra? I have bought from several companies (doTerra, NAN, and Florihana for now, lots more to try for sure)

  42. Diana says:

    Meagan, I looking for a 1970’s hippie blend of patchouli, sandlewood, frankincense, and I’m sure there is more to get that muskiness, I just can’t quit get the right # of drops. Could you provide any advice.

    • Meagan says:

      I’m so so sorry Diana, but I’m definitely not a perfumist. That blend sounds awesome… like something I’d definitely wear, but I’m no help. This article is a basis how to on how to blend… I don’t know enough about the smells of individual oils to be able to tell you what you’re missing and how much of each oil to use. You’ll just have to experiment and see or consult with someone who makes essential oil perfumes. Thanks!

  43. Samir Rao says:

    Thanks, Avery useful information on blending essential oils,
    hope would be successful in creating blends of my choice.

  44. Tori says:

    I just started using Essential Oils, and I mixed a roller bottle with Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint and FCO and another bottle with Digestzen and FCO and both have turned cloudy and look like they have condensation in them. Do you know what might have happened? I’ve kept them in a cupboard when not in use. Thanks!

    • Meagan says:

      Honestly Tori, I’m new to using roller bottles. I normally just put my essential oil blends in a bottle with a dropper top and use them that way, but I’ve recently gotten some roller bottles and started trying them out. My only thought would be that moisture got into the bottle somehow and it’s trapped in there by the roller ball. Other than that I’m no help. I’m so sorry!

  45. Jessica says:

    I am sort of new and trying to learn more. What EO Books do you recommend?

  46. Lynley says:

    Dear Megan
    Thank you so much for your wonderful information.
    Regarding your spray using vodka, water and essential oils – could you please give me the ratios?
    To Diana April 20 2015 – doTerra have two beautiful blends you may love.
    Immortelle contains frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, myrrh, helichrysum and rose. Whisper contains patchouli, bergamot, sandalwood, rose, jasmine,, cinnamon bark, cistus, vetiver, ylang ylang, geranium, cocoa bean extract and vanilla bean extract. I hope this helps

    • Meagan says:

      I’d use 1/3 vodka and 2/3 water then add in whatever dilution of EO that makes it smell the way you want. Hope that helps Lynley!

  47. Ardith says:

    Hello, Meagan. In a sea of essential oil articles that I’ve seen online, yours is by far the most helpful and best written. I am finding it extremely helpful. Thank you very much. Cheers, Ardith

    P.S. If you happen to know of/can recommend a recipe for a woodsy reed diffuser fragrance, I’d be doubly appreciative.

    • Meagan says:

      Glad it was helpful Ardith! As far as woodsy blends, I’m sure you can find a bunch if you Google it. I’m sorry, I don’t know any off the top of my head. Thanks!!

  48. Donna says:

    Hi Megan,
    That was the most informative article that I have come across since starting to use EO’s recently. You are unbiased and honest which is fantastic. Keep up the great work!
    Kind Regards Donna

  49. Ericha says:

    I’m just starting to get into natural essential oils ever since I learned about the harmful effects of pharmacy medicine and all of that, thanks for helping a 16 year old beginner! (: I’m about to go buy some right now from a natural herbal shop

  50. maxie says:

    This may have been discussed in some of the comments…I did not read them all. I have read to put a drop of essential oil on a white sheet of paper and put aside for 24 hours. After that time, if you see a shadow the oil is not pure and if there’s no shadow it’s pure. Is this a reliable test? And, is there an expiration date on oils…I have some with an exp date. I always put a sticker on the bottle the day I opened it.
    Thank you,

    • Meagan says:

      I honestly don’t know about that test Maxie as I always purchase my oils from companies I trust so I don’t test them. And yes, most aromatherapists do say that EOs expire. I think they last longer if you store them correctly, but I think their therapeutic properties wane over time. Hope that answers your question, and thanks for your comment.

  51. Kenny Elizabeth Trench says:

    Thank you so much for all this wonderful information! I have become passionate about oils and specially blending them and you article was so helpful :). Again, thank you and blessings 😉

  52. Annette Blocker says:

    Really enjoyed all the information! What would sandalwood be considered? Woodsy or earthy? In comparison to bergamot would it be a top note or middle note…I am pretty sure it is not a bottom note but I might be wrong?
    I like bergamot, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver, but I think they may be too much alike to use them together, although i have experimented with bergamot & sandalwood before and rather liked it!
    Thanks once again!
    Annette

    • Meagan says:

      I believe sandalwood is a base not Annette. Of course you can combine whatever you like together if you think it smells good. I don’t think there are any black and white rules when it comes to blending as long as you have something from each note so your blend is “well rounded”. And from my understanding categories and notes are all relative to the other oils you’re referencing… they too are not black and white. Hope that helps some!

  53. Laura says:

    Hi,
    This post is awesome! Thanks for the info for a newbie.
    A question that you may or may not be able to help me with. . . I am trying to make a citrus blend to use in soap. I think I have the blend of EOs that I want to use. What I am not sure about is diluting it in a carrier oil. How diluted should I make it? Or should I not dilute it at all so it is strong enough to make it through the soap process? Thanks for any help!

    • Meagan says:

      You don’t have to dilute it if you’re using it directly in your soap Laura. That’s how you’re diluting it… in the soap. Hope that helps, and good luck with your soap!

  54. Angela says:

    I would like to add pure essential oils to beeswax candles. My questions are: Should I add a carrier oil or just the pure essential oils? Does anyone have a blend they would like to share and how much would I use for a pound of beeswax? Any help is greatly appreciated!

    • Meagan says:

      You don’t need a carrier oil to add essential oils to beeswax, and I’m not sure how much you’d add to a pound of beeswax. A pound is 8 ounces so I’d say 3-5% essential oils, and 12 drops per ounce is 1%. If the scent isn’t strong enough you’d have to test it out by adding more. Hope that helps!

  55. Jose says:

    I’m a massage therapist and also a user of EOs. I really enjoyed reading this. I found it to be very helpful in understanding EOs and how to blend them by notes and by and by categories. This has been the most in depth I have seen anyone get into usage and blending. I apreciate how positive you are towards all brands of oils. I have bookmarked your page and will be back for more information.

  56. Michelle says:

    Really liked this article as it had good info and wasn’t about trying to sell me something. Just getting started in EO’s, so I’ve been doing my usual Sherlock Holmes research.
    What I can’t seem to find is a good book for beginners with a good amount of recipes and not big scale recipes either.
    I don’t need the history of it all, just oil names and uses and some good recipes would be nice.
    If you have any suggestions that would be great. Thought I found a good one but read some reviews and then decided to not buy as it was older. Don’t want out of date info either.
    Man this whole world is a bit daunting!! 🙂

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks so much Michelle. As far as getting EO recipes… I’m not aware of any NEW books out by any well-known aromatherapists, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t. I’m not an aromatherapist so I’m not in that circle too much. I get a lot of recipes from Vintage Remedies (Jessie Hawkins is an aromatherapist) and Aromahead (an aromatherapy school) as well as older books by respected aromatherapists and companies that sell quality essential oils. I know Plant Therapy, Eden Gardens, and Mountain Rose Herbs shares recipes from time to time. Good luck!!

  57. EYG says:

    Wonderful blog site! I just jumped into this EO stuff this week, with little forethought. I wanted some natural bug repellent solutions for my dogs and my family. Next thing I know, I have ordered lots of ingredients and am finding myself getting to get into this. My husband said if I start stirring a big black couldron and cackling, he will start worrying. Lol. I told him Eye of Newt doesn’t seem to be available in an EO, so not to worry.

    I have a question that I am embarrassed to ask, but…

    I just made my very first blend. 1 ounce of frac. Coconut Oil with 2% rate of Neem Oil. (For repelling ticks off my dogs). The Neem stinks to high heaven. If I want to add smell-improving EO to this mixture, I have no idea how to do it without ruining the Neem properties…the proportions/dilution rate, etc.

    Would I blend a properly diluted (in carrier oil) say…Eucalyptus, mixture in with my Neem mixture or simply add some drops of Eucalyptus to the Neem mixture with no additional carrier oil? This probably sounds very stupid, but I am a little confused since there is generally a finite number of drops you should use per ounce/ml of carrier oil. Does my question this make sense?

    Thank you for providing such a great resource!

    • Meagan says:

      If it were me EYG, I’d Google “safe essential oils for dogs” and get a list to go by. Then I’d Google “bug repelling essential oils” and compare the two lists. Cross off any EOs on the bug repellant list that aren’t safe for dogs. Next, I’d put the oils you have left into their notes and categories and try to find 3-4 bug repelling oils that can be paired together and still smell nice and well-rounded. You can combine these EOs together using the percentage rule mentioned in the post and label it with “bug repellant EOs for dog”. When you’re ready to use it, mix it into your carrier oil at the appropriate dilution and you should be good to go. Hope that helps!

  58. EYG says:

    Thank you.

  59. Angela says:

    Hi Meagan! I just recently purchased 3 oils from Edens garden and I wanted to know if you can combine the ones I purchased or would I need to look and see what is in them first. I got “stress relief” “goodnight” and 4 thieves”
    Thanks for all the great info!! Im just entering the world of oils and Im a little bit clueless!!
    Angela

    • Meagan says:

      What you bought are their synergy blends which is where they take single oils and combine them to create certain effects. You are supposed to use them just as they are (diluted in a carrier oil of course), but they’re not meant for blending with other oils any further. Does that answer your question?

  60. Stephanie says:

    Hi could you tell me a fragrance oil to add to Japanese Peppermint and neem oils. I have a few others in the mixture, but these two are the strongest scents. I want to add another that would give a much more pleasant scent. Please help if you can..

    • Meagan says:

      I’m sorry Stephanie… I’m not an aromatherapist, and I don’t consult or create blends for other people. It takes me a while to research oils, and I’d have to blend it all together myself to find something that would work which is why I don’t offer this sort of service. Keep looking and pairing different ones together to find something you like.

  61. IVOR says:

    Meg……..I’m an 81 yr. old rookie with stage IV prostate cancer in remission…….I bought Frankencense and thyme………….how best to use ?? best to blend with ??.other EO to purchase. All info will be appreciated. Thanks for what you’re doing for humanity.

    • Meagan says:

      Hi IVOR, and thanks for your comment. I’m happy to hear your cancer is in remission. Unfortunately I’m not an aromatherapist, and I don’t know about using EOs specifically for that issue. My best advice would be to Google it and familiarize yourself with what you learn, then find a certified aromatherapist who can help you. Best of luck!

  62. Erin says:

    I may have missed this…but how many different oils can you blend in one blend. I have found 8 different oils that are good for hypothyroidism and I put them all together….but wondering if this was safe?

  63. Lisa says:

    Great blog! Quick question for a newbie here: into what are we blending these drops of oils? An empty bottle? A cotton ball? The palm of your hand? A diffuser? Thanks.

  64. Shelley Orenstein says:

    iam a new soap baker and am just learning about adding EO to my soap. I currently only have 3, tea tree, lavender and apple. Can you tell me what other oils are good for mixing with the ones I gave! Thank you.

    • Meagan says:

      Hey Shelley! Good for you for starting to add EOs to your soaps. I love scented, homemade soaps! As for what oils to mix with the ones you already have, let me direct you back to the post on blending. It will help you find other EOs to add to the ones you have and to come up with blends that work for your soaps. Figure out what categories and notes the oils you have are and then work on finding other oils that complement them. It’s hands on. You have to get oils and try out different blends and decide on what YOU like. Lastly, “apple” is not an essential oil… it’s a fragrance oil and it isn’t considered natural. If you’re going for “all natural” soaps and scents you may want to rethink that one. You could replace it with chamomile as many people think chamomile has an apple-like scent. You’ll need to decide if Roman chamomile or German Chamomile is better. Thanks for your comment, and I hope this has helped you some.

  65. Sarah says:

    Hi Meagan!!

    I need your help! I’m starting to get involved with essential oils. I need help with my allergies. I believe the dustmites in my house have been causing my itchy eyes and congestion and such in my new place.

    I want to be able to spray a mixture around the house, on my clothes that can kill them or lessen there activity.

    I’d love a remedy!! These dust-mites are killing me!

    • Meagan says:

      Hey Sarah! I’m actually not an aromatherapist, and I don’t make blends for people. I just share what I’m learning and how I do things. My suggestions for you would be to come up with a cleaning routine that keeps your house clean (which will help with dust mites as you know) and search Google for EO bug blends. I actually have some on GUH, but I’m not sure how they’d work for dust mites. You may also want to work with an aromatherapist if you have more questions. Thanks!

    • Chaya says:

      Hi, I came across your post and thought I would add my two cents. Your problem may be something other than dust mites. Dust mites live in mattresses and in bedding and feed on dead skin cells that we shed when we sleep. I know, this is disgusting. If you allergies are due to dust mites, this likely would not be affected by moving to a new place. If your, “new,” home is actually a newly built or remodeled, it is more likely you are experiencing chemical sensitivity to products used such as paint, chemicals used in laying carpet or flooring, etc. I had a horrible case of irritated eyes and allergies when we painted. If we ever paint again, I am going away for several days. There is not much to do about this except air the place out and wait. Or, if you have relocated to a different locale, there may be new allergens. You might try running your air conditioning colder and washing your hair prior to going to sleep, as allergens attach themselves to your hair and you inhale them while you sleep, waking up congested.

      Since I have asthma, dust mites are a problem. I use a mattress pad that can be easily removed and washed. Make sure all bedding is machine washable in hot water, as this kills the mites. I put my down comforter in a washable duvet, so it can be washed weekly with the other bedding. I’m sure a spray of tea tree oil on the bedding couldn’t hurt. I put eucalyptus in my eo diffuser in my bedroom. I keep dust attracting items in closets or drawers, exchanged my dry-clean only bedroom curtains for washable ones and got rid of the hard to clean blinds. For kids, no stuffed animals in the bedroom unless they are machine washable.

  66. Claudia says:

    Ciao, sono capitata casualmente in questo tuo sito mentre girovagavo per Pinterest e volevo dirti che è molto bello, interessante, ben fatto … brava! Ho condiviso nel mio sito una tabella che hai postato su Pinterest citando questo tuo, spero non ti dispiaccia, ciao.

  67. Athena Phillips says:

    Hi – I recently read that lemon is a great oil for focus in children. I also read that it pairs well with rosemary. I want to make a roller-bottle for my son to take to school. I am not really sure how to mix it. How many drops would you suggest of each and do I need to include a carrier oil? I am super new at this and the internet information and books are overwhelming. Thanks in advance.

    • Meagan says:

      Yes, both are great for attention, but I’ll caution you about using rosemary on a child under 10 as that’s supposedly the minimum age to use it safely unless it’s really, really diluted. You can find more info about essential oil safety here. As for drop amounts, if it were me, lemon would be used most with a bit of rosemary. I’d do a 3% dilution so maybe 2 drops of lemon and 1 of rosemary for every 1 teaspoon of carrier oil you use… yes, it does need to be diluted in a carrier oil. ALL oils using on children, and most adults, should be diluted. It’s just too risky to not, and that helps spread them over the body more and have more surface are to absorb better. Hope that helps and gives you a start. If it doesn’t work as well as you’d like you can always adjust the oils or the dilution, but remember to keep it at a safe level.

  68. Lynda says:

    Thank you for the article, very useful information! 🙂 My trusted go-to company of pure, therapeutic oils is Veriditas Botanicals, which (fortunately/unfortunately) only retails in selective locations. But in a pinch or when I can’t find a particular oil I need through that brand, I have used others on your list. 🙂

  69. Jennie says:

    Wonderful and informative article.

    I was hoping I could get your expert advice on what to pair with cayenne? I’m creating an arthritis rub and I’m really sick of smelling like my grandmother considering I’m in my 20s! What do you recommend?

    • Meagan says:

      I’m glad you liked the article Jennie. I’m no expert when it comes to aromatherapy so I’d definitely search some other aromatherapy blogs like LearningAboutEOs.com and the Aromahead Blog for arthritis blends, but I think I’d make a cayenne salve like the one here and then add essential oils that contain menthol like peppermint or wintergreen to it.

  70. Courtney Johnson says:

    How can I become an herbalist? I would really like to know. I took an alternative Medicine course in college and I fell in love with it.

  71. Helen says:

    Hello! Loved the article. Very helpful! I just started using oils this past spring and got them through Young Living, however I can’t afford them and found Eden’s Garden is more reasonable for me. My question is can I blend the two brands together? I still have some YL oils left and was just going to replace the ones I’m out of with Eden’s Garden. I usually just diffuse them, but have made a cream for Hand, Foot, Mouth.

    • Meagan says:

      Absolutely Helen. You definitely can blend two different blends together. Glad you liked the post, and thanks for your comment!

  72. Nick says:

    Great article….thanks Megan. I was hunting for a page like this, and was glad when I found it.
    PS…your pose on your profile page lifts my heart-beat rate. 🙂

    • Meagan says:

      LOL! My husband says it does that to him too! Thanks for the kind words about the post though. I’m glad it was helpful!

  73. Will says:

    I really enjoyed reading this article. It was very insightful. I as well make oil blends, mainly to uplift moods, while still moisturizing my skin. My ratio is of 20% to 80% of my essential oils to carrier oils. I am still learning and am hoping to be a certified herbalist soon so I can be more credible in my practice.

  74. Ali says:

    Thank you Megan I looked very long for article like this. I quit using perfumes 10 years ago because of allergic reasons but I always wanted to buy natural perfume oils.But I think its both much cheaper and I can also make my favourite perfume. So i hope you can help me.

    I like fresh citrus smell so what do you think if I blend different citrus oils bergamot, orange, lemon, tangerine and grapefruit together to make it stronger? But maybe include peppermint or neroli?
    If I use more almond oil drops will the smell be stronger? Thank you

    • Meagan says:

      I’m not sure blending a bunch of citrus oils together will necessarily make it stronger as they all have different scents that would layer together, and I believe they’re all top notes. If you like citrus scents, maybe research which of those are top and middle notes and find a base note that blends well with citrus scents to round it out well. Also, the more carrier oil you use (“almond drops”) the weaker the scent will be. Hope this helps some Ali!

      • Ali says:

        Thank you Megan. You’re absolutely right, this top notes will not last very long. I will buy essential oils from Amazon to experiment and find out my favourite scent. In my mind right now is vanilla, grapefruit and neroli. But some people are not happy with neroli fragrance oil in Amazon wich is typically not normal for citrus scent. I thought everybody loved citrus scent but obviously not. I am also thinking grapefruit, peppermint, orange and lavender?

  75. Ashley says:

    This is so perfect. I have been studying so much on herbs and oils. I make my own herbal tea blends that I sell. I just finished mixing the oils for a calming aromatherapy oil. I used a 1oz bottle. I kind of go big or go home… And this is my first go at it. It has lavender, majorim, orange sweet, and sandlewood. They are “resting” now. I like to use oil like this before bed. So I decided to try my own mixture with what I have learned and my favorite and most soothing smells. I will then mix the rest with my carrier oil and have my first ounce of a blend. But it’s just for me. If it turns out well… I may make roll on scents to sell in my shop!

  76. Giselle says:

    Hello, thanks for your wonderful and informative post. I want to use essential oils in my cold process soap, but I want to know whether I can bottle the blends without using carrier oils for use when needed. Are the carrier oils necessary, or can I skip that step? Thanks!

    • Meagan says:

      You can definitely create your own blends and bottle them in glass bottles for storage. Then when you make your soap you can simply add in your essential oil blend straight into the soap. You don’t need to add a carrier oil because your soap acts as the carrier. Hope that makes sense and is helpful! Best of luck Giselle!

  77. Diana B says:

    Loved the article!!! This is exactly what I was looking for!

  78. B Cora says:

    Your article was extremely helpful–thanks for the information!

  79. mildred trafford says:

    Sooooo much helpful information….thank you for sharing…I am new to essential oil blending and I am enjoying the herbal information… the more I read the more I find it is going to be a life changer for me !!!

  80. Tracy Marshall says:

    Thank you so much for all this awesome information regarding oils and their uses as well as how to blend. Since I starting using oils, I cannot imagine my life now without them. I have been on antidepressants on and off for a big part of my life. Now with my oils, I no longer need them. Anyway, thanks again, I use your page as one of my biggest “go to” resources for my oil questions. Have a great day!

  81. Vaggelis Manavis says:

    hi there
    i’m using the purelogy hydrate shampoo which already has some essential oils in it.. is it a good idea to add some more before my bath on my hair?

  82. Elizabeth says:

    I have some laser burns on my face that I’m trying to get rid of (the “professional” used the wrong laser, and now I have reddish brown nickel sized burns on my face). I’ve researched and found that Geranium, Helichrysum, Lavender, Neroli, and a few others are good for scars, burns, etc and they all blend well together. My question is can I blend them all (since they each have a unique power, if you will) and how much do I use of each?

    • Meagan says:

      You can definitely blend them all together Elizabeth, but I’d add in a base note oil (and maybe even another middle note oil) if it were me to round the blend out a bit more. Those oils are very floral and light so I’d add a couple others in to bring it down some, but that’s just me. If you like that scent, you can just use those and that’s it. Especially if you’re using it as a spot treatment sort of thing.

      As far as how much to use of each goes, that’s up to you. That’s the magic of blending. I understand that they’re expensive oils so you don’t wanna play around too much with different blends, but there are really a lot of different options. You could try equal drops of each or if you really like the smell of one over the others use more of it. Hope this helps get you started! Best of luck!

  83. Tiffany Perry says:

    Thank you so much for this information, and the links you have provided. I’m new to this whole world of oils and thoroughly confused. One of my 9 year old sons has ADHD, Autism, severe anxiety and phobias, and a severe peanut allergy. On top of all of that he has a higher heart rate due to the anxiety and phobias setting everything else off, and cannot take any medications to help calm him down. He goes to therapy and social skills twice a week and has TSS workers at home and at school, but he still suffers and I needed to find something to help him without modern medicines in the mix. As it turns out, his therapy center is directly next door to a place called Penn Herb Company, so we ventured in to inquire about alternatives. He took a big sniff when we went in and I could see him relax. They helped me get a small stash of relaxing oils and make him a “calm down potion.” It worked every time I tried it on him before full meltdown. I am now on a mission to help him and the whole family get better without chemical medicines, but cannot spend hours in a store or classroom, or even at my computer (I have 4 boys, 2 of them not school aged yet and I stay at home to raise them) so sites like yours are now my lifeblood. Everyone else seems to have a grand opinion on a brand of oil and says the others are no good. It is so hard to decipher some of this stuff. It is awesome to have someone give the truth about different brands, and their claims. All the best to you, and thank you so much again from the bottom of this Mama’s overflowing heart!!!!

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks for sharing your story, Tiffany, and I hope you have great success with the alternative therapies you try for your little man. Just remember, if you don’t get drastic results right away, that’s completely normal. Most alternative therapies work slowly, but they really get to the root of issues. Keep up the faith, mama!

  84. Sue says:

    Meagan,
    I have just enrolled in Aromahead Institute for aromatherapy certification. Seems like a really good school, in business since 1998. Earlier in this thread, you mentioned that you did not know of schools offering certification.

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks for sharing, Sue! I’ll update the post. I’ve taken their free EO course, and it was great. I’ve mostly done my EO education through Vintage Remedies, but if I ever decide to get certified as an actual aromatherapist, I’ll probably go through Aromahead. They seem to have a great program. Best of luck on your studies!

  85. Cindy says:

    When you mix oils with lotion how much lotion do you mix in with the oils.
    Thanks,
    Cindy

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Cindy. The amount of oils to lotion will depend on what you’re using your lotion for and how often. If it’s an all-over body lotion that’s used a couple times a day you usually use a lower dilution (1-2%), but if it’s a lotion for bug bites or eczema and you’re only putting it on a small area of skin, you can use a higher dilution (3-5%). A 1% dilution is 1 drop of essential oil for every 1 teaspoon of product. Another way to look at it is 6 drops for every 1 ounce. Hope that helps!

  86. Elizabeth Eddleman says:

    Hi Meagan,
    Loved your article. It helps me understand a bit more. I bought a bottle of pure patchouli oil recently. I have always loved the smell of patchouli. I was overwhelmed with how strong the smell was. I was wanting it for like and air freshener in my home, but way too strong to use alone. I have these goat milk soap that are scented patchouli and orange, which I just love. So I got the bright idea to mix my patchouli oil with orange oil. What I like to know do you think I should use a carrier oil like jojoba to tone the scent down if needs be? And will it change the scent at all?

    • Meagan says:

      Diluting your EO oil blends depends on how you plan to use them, Elizabeth. If you’re going to apply it to your skin, you’d want to dilute it with a carrier oil. If you’re using it in a diffuser then you’ll only need a few drops to scent a room in your home. The smell of patchouli is strong. Diluting it in anything (carrier oil, salve, soap, etc.) will tone it down. When you use it in a diffuser or any place it’s not really diluted, just use less so the scent isn’t so overwhelming… or combine it with an oil to tone it down more. Hope this helps!

  87. Karol says:

    So new to the essential oils and found this site by “google” and found it very informative 🙂 Thanks for all the info!! Learned a LOT!

  88. Michelle says:

    Unofficially medically, I would be classed with high blood pressure and have tested for cholesterol.. Average (HDL) to borderline (LDL) triglycerides are what is out of whack.. So in my beginning stage of understanding and use of EO’s I … Oh inflammation is my worst symptom…with that all being said I have found that I should utilize Helichysum , lemon and ginger oil. All of which deal with inflammation/ HBP.
    Now to add to this it has come to my attention of black seed oil which deals direct with triglycerides .

    My question to you is I would like a blend that can be external and or internal for safe and hopefully pleasant.

    Can you assist me? I do not want to make a grave error in self treatment naturally being uneducated.
    Thanks for your time and your website. I too utilize Plant Therapy EO’s.

    • Meagan says:

      I’m sorry, Michelle. I’m not a certified aromatherapist, and the aromatherapy training that I do have does not qualify me to help you in this area. I’d recommend finding someone who’s certified and works with clients. They can help you more! Best of luck!

  89. Kara says:

    I loved the article Meagan. It was well written -easy to follow. You broke down blending in a language I could understand. It’s the first article I’ve come across since I’v been researching this, that touched on/summarized everything I had questions about. Thank you for sharing.

  90. judith says:

    How can I make the best spearmint and eucalyptus oil blend. I am new to oils but I love my Stress Relief lotion from bath and body works. And also do you know how to convert it to a deodarent?

    • Meagan says:

      If you follow the steps in this post, Judith, combining oils that blend well with mints (see “categories” and “notes” sections), you should be able to come up with something you like. To make a deodorant, you can simply choose any DIY recipe (I have one here) and use your oil blend in it. Hope that helps!

  91. Rachael says:

    Hi there – thanks for a great article, I am just starting out in using essential oils and this has been really helpful. I have just made my first batch up today of blends (Relaxing: lavender, bergamot & rosewood. And insect repellent: lavender, peppermint & rosewood. I don’t have a large stock on EO’s yet so limited to what I can use at the moment). However I am little stumped regarding the dilution rates? In your article you gave a 10% and 20%, are these okay to use on the skin? I read on another page that a 2% dilution should be used on the skin? So more like 1 drop of essential oil blend to 4 tsp of carrier oil. Which is correct please? Also, what dilution rate would you recommend on young children? Thanks 🙂

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Rachael. Great questions! Those high dilution rates (20% and 10%) are just so you can smell your EO blend mixed with a carrier oil to see if you like it or not. All carrier oils smell different, and they can effect how your blend smells in the end. That’s why I recommend testing your EO blends in different carrier oils at different dilutions to see what you like best. And, because the smells of EO blends change depending on what they’re mixed with, it’s always a good idea to test them in small batches before making bigger batches (hence using drops and not teaspoons or ounces!). Once you know what you like, you can then move on to making larger amounts of preblended oils (EO blend + carrier oil) for skin application using a lower dilution rate (3-5% for adults and anywhere from .25-1% for children depending on their age). This is my article on using EOs for children safely. There is a lot of different opinions on using EOs for kids. Since I’m not a trained aromatherapist, I tend to take the safe route with it comes to EOs. Hope this helps answer your questions a bit!! PS. Just for the record, higher dilution rates are often used in bath products (body wash, shampoo, shave creams, etc.) as they don’t sit on the skin, but are washed off fairly quickly. This decreases the amount of EO absorption you would have, therefore, higher percentages of EOs can go in those products so they smell stronger.

  92. Helen Talley says:

    I am looking for a list of essential oils and blending. We have found many on-line oil lists. All they show is the oil and what to blend it with, no dosage. Do you had a list of blended oils with the amount of drops to blended it with? Thank you.

  93. Alex says:

    Thanks for this informative post Meagan.
    I would like to ask something – have you know about adding essentials oils to the mix AFTER the 24 hours “settling”period? Can that be harmful?
    I wonder if after blending the oils in a carrier oils and waiting the 24 hours you are not allowed to add any EO anymore.
    Thank
    Alex

    • Meagan says:

      Hi Alex. You can definitely add more essential oils to your blend after the resting period, but you’ll need to let it rest again if you add more oils. This is so everything can settle, giving you a better idea of how it will smell once everything is combined.

  94. dusty french says:

    I am a beginner in soap making and I am interested in learning about the essential oils that go into soap making and about different kinds of blends. Thank you

  95. Anonymous says:

    4.5

  96. Elizabeth says:

    Hey! Sorry to be commenting on such an old post, I was googling and found you. =) You have a lot of helpful information posted, I really appreciate it! I am a nursing student and I’ve just started to use essential oils for studying and test taxing anxiety. I am using lavender and rosemary because I’ve read a lot of research on these and they seem to be scientifically proven to help with testing. I also have ADHD and of course like all nursing students, a ton of test taking anxiety. I am wondering if I could combine the two oils to help me with my exams? If so what would your ratio recommendation be? The rosemary alone seems to help me concentrate a lot (probably as much as my adderall) but I feel more anxious when using it (also like when I take my adderall). The lavender alone makes me so relaxed I’m a little on the fuzzy side. I have done both of these with the diffuser and applying topically with fractioned coconut oil. When I apply topically I make a rollerball with 10mL of fractioned coconut oil and 20 drops of essential oil. Any advice or tips you can give would be greatly appreciated!

    • Meagan says:

      You can definitley combine both, Elizabeth. The ratio is totally your choice depending on what helps you. One thing you could do would be to make two separate personal inhalers (one with rosemary and one with lavender) and take a few deep breaths of the rosemary as needed, then, if you start feeling too anxious, start using the lavender one to calm you a bit. Maybe try it BEFORE you take a test… like during a study session, to see if it helps or not. Best of luck in your studies… I remember a lot of late nights getting ready for those big tests!

  97. Kelly thompson says:

    Had a great time reading all the comments!! Article was great as well. Thank you !!

  98. Anonymous says:

    1

  99. Max says:

    The whole article was really helpful! My girlfriend and I are currently trying to find ways to raise money so she can fund a research aimed to study and protect a species that is now endangered in our country but it has been very difficult as many people don’t feel concerned. We’re now trying to find other ideas and she came up with the idea of making candles. Mixing essential oils can be quite difficult when you’re not sure if they would blend together well, especially when you don’t already have them on hand… Our idea is to create candles made from organic soy wax, that could also double as massage candles (she already made some and it does wonders for the skin), and blend oils with natural scents that remind people of different environments where they can also find endangered species, since we plan on donating a percentage of the money to different non-profit organizations. We had some ideas but don’t know much about essential oils, and this article has been SO helpful and is already helping us with our list of mixes so we can create wonderful scents. All these tips will also help us get to a slightly less ”amateur” result so we can offer products with different depths and scents, that last longer. Thanks a lot!

    • Meagan says:

      You’re so welcome, Max! Definitely come back and leave a link to your new candles when they’re ready for sale. I’d love to try some and share them with my readers! Best of luck in your new adventure!

  100. LA says:

    Nice post, thank you for it, but would you mind correcting the percentages? Some of them don’t add up to 100%, even in the “The Perfect Balance” section!

    • Meagan says:

      Oops! Thanks for pointing that out. That was a misprint. And the “Bottoms Up” blend is close to 100%, and that’s good enough.

  101. Anonymous says:

    4

  102. Ramona Pena Alires says:

    Megan,
    Thanks for a comprehensive article. I’m inspired to make my own 1st blends! The info about Notes is helpful in relieving anxiety about waisting expensive oils when mixing.
    I’m looking forward to receiving your OFF guide.

  103. Anonymous says:

    3.5

  104. Anonymous says:

    1.5

  105. Raymond says:

    Hello Meagan,

    This article was really helpful in researching the best essential oil blends for allergies. Especially help balance with both aromatic and therapeutically properties of the essential oils. I just wanted to thank you and give a shout out! I have credited and linked your article in my article. Once again thank you for your wisdom!! 🙂

  106. Kara says:

    Hi Meagan, I’m somewhat new to the EO world. I would like to make two blends as a gift (along with a diffuser) for my cousin who was newly diagnosed with breast cancer. I’d like one to be healing (I was thinking orange, lemongrass, thyme and frankincense). The other I’d like for her nausea (which I’d like to encorporate ginger and lemon). Do you have any advice?

    • Meagan says:

      Unfortunately, I’m not a certified aromatherapist, Kara, so I don’t have any specific advice on using oils for cancer. Your blends sound lovely, but if you’re looking for an “okay,” I’d check with someone who’s more of an expert in EOs for health issues.

  107. Glenn says:

    It won’t let me enter my email for the PDF file.

    • Meagan says:

      Sorry about that, Glenn. I added you to the list so you should receive an email with your download link shortly!

      • Glenn says:

        I received it and thank you. I’ve been a massage therapist for 13 years and started trying out essential oils last year.

        I’ve mixed several with the tea tree, lavender, and orange/tangerine combo being my go to.

        However this helps me take hints to a new level. Thanks again!

  108. Poppy-Kathryn dews says:

    Hi Meagan!

    Your information is the best the best I’ve read yet! I’ve just started using essential oils…I use them in my diffuser at night, as it helps my eternally stuffy nose from allergies. Any scents seem to help, as I believe it’s the moisture it puts into the air that helps. I’ve been using a blend of Bergamot and Lemongrass. Both are made by Majestic Pure, and do just fine.

    During the day I use my Lampe Bergers…and buying their fuel has become an expense I feel is impractical. So, I’ve been trying to make some myself, using 91% isopropyl alcohol and a blend of essential oils. I really haven’t had any problems, other than the scents I’ve made are just not very strong. Could it be that my oils are not good enough for this purpose? I’ve done some testing of different brands by putting just a drop of oil onto a piece of paper and allowing it to dry. The Majestic Pure dries almost completely, without leaving much of a mark on the paper, while other brands dry leaving an oily mark. Is it possible that the Majestic Pure has alcohol in it?

    I am about to try some Plant Therapy Oils, but they don’t carry the scents I need to make something close to “New Orleans.” I use Apple, Pear, Vanilla, Honey and Cinnamon.

    I’m so happy to have found this site!
    thank you!

    • Meagan says:

      Glad to hear you’re finding the info helpful. I’ve never heard of the Majestic Pure brand before so I can’t comment on how strong it is. I always look for EOs from brands I know and trust that are high-quality, pure oils. If you can’t smell your blend well once it’s added to your alcohol, it could be that your dilution rate is off. I’m not sure. If you’re looking for a good company with a lot of oil choices, be sure to check out Edens Garden essential oils. They offer pure EOs, and they carry a ton of scents!

  109. Dorothy says:

    Hi Meagan

    I came upon your post while doing a search on essential oils and absolutes. I love your writing style, and overall website design, so that you for this lovely post. Here’s a question for you Do you have experience blending the two? I believe they need an emulifier to make them mix since one is distilled with water and the other via an alcohol process. Any suggestions on a natural emulating agent that will keep these two blended together nicely?

    • Meagan says:

      Hi, Dorothy. Great question, and this may be something you’ll want to run by an aromatherapist as they have more training in how EOs are made. But, from my understanding, whether the essential oil is extracted via steam (water), alcohol, or CO2… none of that comes through in the final product. As in, you don’t actually have water or alcohol or CO2 in the final essential oil. So, when you’re blending, you’re actually blending oil with oil regardless of the extraction process and emulsifiers aren’t needed. Now, I could be totally wrong there. Again, you’ll need to ask someone more knowledgeable in that area. Hope this helps.

  110. StEfanIe says:

    This is the most helpful information and I have found in a long time! I have a search in the Internet for days now. Thank you for being so specific and detailed. Question… Would all of these lending measurements be applicable for Candlemaking as well?!

    • Meagan says:

      The amounts listed in this post are for your essential oil blend only. AFTER your customized EO blend is ready, you’ll have to figure out how much EO you add to the amount of wax you have when you go to make your candles. Hope that helps!

  111. Anonymous says:

    0

  112. Kelly russell says:

    The above post notes that you can “sign up below to download a PDF with 24 essential oils and the various ways they can be used”, but I cannot find a place to sign up. Did you mean just sending you a message? Help. Very confused!

    • Meagan says:

      Hi, Kelly. The opt-in form is at the very bottom of the post, above the references and author info. If you still don’t see it, it could be a technical issues, and I can sign you up manually with your permission. Just let me know. Update: Hey, Kelly. I’m showing that you’ve been added to the list so you should receive your download link soon. Sorry for the trouble!

  113. Kathy says:

    This is an amazing article! I feel like I just took a day long seminar in a few hours! Although finding out about endangered oils makes me sad. Not only for the plant but for myself as well…some of my favorites are on there! But now that I know, I can’t go back. Time to find substitutes!

  114. Rachel says:

    Hello! I love this article. So helpful. I am blending some oils for diffusers and used this article to help me formulate a blend to promote clear breathing. It has lemongrass, rosemary, eucaliptus and incense. I used your suggested ratios for top and bottom notes and it smells lovely. But something weird happens! The smell kind of disappears after you first smell it. It’s almost as if this particular blend kind of blocks the olfactory nerves or something, because after the first smell I can hardly smell it at all. My husband and friend tested it for me and something similar happens to them. Do you have any ideas why this might happen? At first I thought I made the blend too weak, but then I realized that the first sniff was great and after that it receded to nothing. Any thoughts?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey, Rachel. It looks like you may have too many top note EOs in your blend which is why you’re not getting that long-lasting scent from it. Rosemary is the only oil you listed that is a middle note, but it’s also considered a bit of a top note too. In all the blending formulas, the middle notes make up the largest portion of your blend with top notes coming in second and base notes coming in last as they mainly ground or stabalize your blend. If I were you, I would go through the process again, adding in more middle note oils and maybe taking out some top note oils. Or, you could always find some middle note oils that fit with the purpose of your blend and blend well with the oils you’re already using. In that case, all you’d need to do would be to adjust the amounts of each oil in the final blend (using the suggested formulas) so that your middle note oils make up the largest portion of the blend. Hope that helps! PS… There are also some essential oils that stimulate nerves that allow you to smell them once and then you can no longer smell them until the nerves are destimulated. I can’t remember which exact EOs that do that, but I read about it from an aromatherapist a while back. I’ve not looked into it much, but I thought that was interesting.

  115. liz says:

    hi meagan – thanks for your post – i have a lot to read and learn on mixing blends for essential oils – i am having so much trouble because i make CP soap – and so many essential oils can disappear during the saponification process – i have managed a couple of blends but they are masculine in perfume – i so want to find an easy blend of no more than 3 oils that will be feminine and for some reason conjure up the seep south and scarlett – i dont live anywhere near there or even in that country but i have a perfume in my head that i just cant for the life of me create. Is there any chance you could point me in the right direction???
    thanks
    liz

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Liz. The idea for your blend sounds amazing. Unfortunately, I don’t do custom blending so I won’t be able to help you pick and choose oils. Maybe talk with some aromatherapists or look up essential oil descriptions on websites who sale essential oils for the qualities you’re looking for. Best of luck!

  116. Anonymous says:

    2

  117. Anonymous says:

    0.5

  118. Judi Robbins says:

    Do you always have to use some kind of oil? Is there any other medium for a carrier? I find the oils to be greasy have tried olive and avocado.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Yes, vegetable oils or other forms of fat are the best way to properly dilute essential oils. I believe some aromatherapists say that mixing EOs with heavy whipping cream and adding that to baths is acceptable and safe as the fat in the cream helps disperse the oil, but as far as putting EOs on your skin goes… diluting them in a carrier oil is best. You can find some oils that aren’t greasy. I believe they’re called “dry oils.” Rosehip seed oil is an example, and there are several others. Maybe Google it to get some other examples. Hope this answers your question.

  119. Anonymous says:

    3

  120. Stephen Dewar says:

    Greetings from Scotland.
    Thank you so much for this info it’s been so valuable to me and finding out you are a sister in Christ is the icing on the cake :-). I’ve been trying to find/make a beard oil that’s quite sweet but manly at the same time. I love cinnamon but I am finding it quite powerful and it overwhelming. I’ve waste carrier oils because I’ve been mixing essential oils in them trying to get a smell rather than mixing them first then adding them. My wife tells me when it’s nice or overpowering (usually is) so I’m going to put into practice everything you’ve written here. After I’ve made a nice cinnamon base oil I’m moving on to one that has a nice thistle/ heather smell to remind me of hill walking in the scottish highlands.

    God bless
    Stephen

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’m so glad this post was helpful to you, Stephen. Good luck on your beard blend, and I hope the thistle/heather blend turns out for you. It sounds lovely!

  121. Zoe says:

    Hello, thank you for such a detailed post!

    I want to make a sleep balm with lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus in. You said lavender is a middle or top note. What would chamomile and eucalyptus be?
    Thank you if you can help! x x

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Off the top of my head, I think chamomile is a middle note and eucalyptus is a top note, but I can’t be certain. You should be able to find that information on websites that sell essential oils, though.

  122. NP says:

    I’m new to essential oils and this is the best, most helpful site I’ve found on the ENTIRE WEB (well, okay, of all the many pages I’ve looked at)!!! Thanks so much for putting it together for us newbies.

  123. Lucy says:

    Hi Megan, I too want to add my ‘thanks’. I made my first bath oil recently… it smelt like the dentist’s room 🙁 Then I came across this post and re-balanced the oils based on your information. Now it smells divine! I also have a better idea about blending categories, and for therapeutic uses. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  124. Sydney says:

    Amazing! Thank you so much for this post. I have been putting off essential oil combing research for so long because every time I try I get so confused within the first few paragraphs that I just give up. This was not only easy to follow and understand but interesting as well. Thank you so much!

  125. Patti says:

    I cannot sign up to receive the free PDF can you please help me? Thanks for your time Patti

  126. Debi says:

    Great post with clearly written details and explanations. Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

  127. Julie says:

    Hands down, the best and most comprehensive guide I’ve found. Easy to understand with clearly written details…Thank you, Megan for taking the time to put together a great article with a wealth of information!

  128. Kristi says:

    This is great information! Thank you! I’m really excited to start making some blends! I was wondering when I get to the step to start making them what is the ratio of sweet almond oil to the essential oils?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      It depends on what you’re using the blend for. Perfumes that are placed on a small amount of skin can have larger dilutions whereas lotions or oils that will be spread over larger areas of the body will use lower dilutions. If you can let me know what you’re planning on using your blend for, I may be able to give you some further help.

      • Kristi says:

        I’m using roll on bottles to make some perfumes and some “sleepy time” and “energy” and those kinds of things.

        • Meagan Visser says:

          I see. 10-15% is a common dilution for perfumes, but they can sometimes be as high as 30%, depending on the oils used in the blend and how safe they are for the skin. Hope that helps!

  129. Anonymous says:

    2.5

  130. Jennifer Baker says:

    Hello. I am fairly new to essential oils and blending and am very interested in making organic soy candles using them. I’ve just discovered your post and feel it will serve as a great tool and reference for me. Thank you for taking time and mapping it out for folks like me ❤️??

  131. Sarah says:

    I really enjoyed this post and then I read you’re bio at the end and I liked it even more. I’m about 5 years late in reading it but better late than never. I am new to blending and have been reading whatever I can about techniques and I think your input has really helped me embrace the fact that this is as much of an art as it is a science and although there is a lot of chemistry involved, intuition and patience play a big role in it too. It’s really helped me prioritize what I want to accomplish and this article even helped make blending a little less intimidating/overwhelming. Thank you again for your help and God bless!!

  132. Kim says:

    Hi there
    I just found your site today and so am so excited!!! I’m a newbie, I’ve been buying blends from Plant Guru and am happy.

    I’ve learned a very important lesson recently. A friend who sells young living told me that I could put a few drops of lemon oil in my water, as well as orange and grapefruit. Dummy me didn’t research this. You know, “well she’s a friend and seems to know a lot about oils. I can trust what she says”. One night I couldn’t sleep well, even had my lavender in my diffuser. I kept wondering “what the hheeeecckkk”. Prayed a bit, and then listened and read up on grapefruit oil. Wellllll that was my first lesson DO NOT TAKE OILS INTERNALLY and grapefruit oil is an energizer.

    I want to thank you so much for all this wonderful information! And yes, I’m back to squeezing juice back into my water. Along with sleeping again.

  133. Rina says:

    Love your website! I wish I would’ve found you before I took a eucalyptus bath without blending‼️
    My body was on fire in certain spots…I’ll never do that again❗️Whoa…lol

  134. KM says:

    Meagan,
    So glad to have found your blog. This is exactly the information I needed!

  135. Tammy says:

    Hi Meagan! I’m New with using essential/natural oils. Is there a course that I could take to learn how to mix them? I want to start a small business on oils. Thanks!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Yes, Tammy! The business I mention in this post has a course on creating perfumes. It’s not just about EOs, but it does include them. It’s really about the art of blending scents which can be important even when you’re just working with EOs. Anyway, maybe check it out and see if it’s a fit.

  136. Varun says:

    Is it safe to mix Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lavender, Peppermint, and Cedarwood oil together with Coconut & Olive oil? Purpose is to cut hair loss and enhance hair growth. I believe these oils independently work well, but not sure if they can be mixed. Please help. Thanks.

  137. Rebekah says:

    Hi Megan! I’m new to oils, and I’m looking specifically for oils that help with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and colds/flu. I have right now sweet orange, lemongrass, frankincense, tea tree, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lavender. Could you offer some direction/advice on where to start with what I have? I would be using them by diffusing with a diffuser or using the steam from taking a shower if that helps. Thanks!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Thanks for your comment, Rebekah. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to look into oils for other people. However, I have provided a download at the bottom of this post that tells what some of the most commonly used essential oils are good for. Be sure to check that out, and hopefully it will help you. Best of luck!

  138. Cindy says:

    Please sign me up! So interesting!!

  139. melissa says:

    is there a way for you to add me and thenfor me to receive the blending oil guide? i love what you share, thank you

  140. Inas says:

    Hello Meagan,

    I love this article! It really helped me with the “Chemistry” & “Art” of oil blending! I hoping to sell my own special blends. I would love to here your thoughts on Agarwood Essential Oil for the skin and its impact in blends.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’m glad the post was helpful, Inas. As far as Agarwood goes, I don’t have experience with that particular oil, but Eden’s Garden has some great info on their site about it.

  141. Feroze says:

    I have terrible acne scars…. What type of oil blend can I use to heal them??? I want my face back

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Feroze. Thanks for your comment; however, you’ll need to see a certified aromatherapist for your specific situation or research essential oils that can help with acne or scarring on your own. Thanks, and have a great day.

  142. Jesslyn says:

    Hi Meagan

    Love your posting. Can I check if there is any shelf life to the DIY blend?

    If I were to add essential oils to the base oil, can I keep the unused portion? If so, for how long?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Jesslyn. Essential oils do have shelf-lives as do base oils (also known as carrier oils). The shelf-life will vary based on each oil so you’ll want to research each oil in your DIY blend to find that information as well as any carrier oil you add your EO blend into. When stored properly, most EOs and EO blends diluted in carrier oils will last 1-2 years. Hope that helps!

  143. CArolyn says:

    Hi, I tried to enter my details so that I could get a copy of the blends pdf but the link is not working. I was not able to enter my name or email address.

  144. Rajendra says:

    HI Meagan, thanks from the bottom of my heart. really you have taken immense efforts to jot down this article for beginners like me. I am in Mumbai but due to your article I could get wonderful piece of information to start off my fragrance initiative here. Tons of thanks to you and may Lord bless you and your beloved family.

    To your success,

    Rajendra
    Mumbai India

  145. Joan Williams says:

    Do you have any information on Capsicum Essential Oil (ie muscle RUB blends, etc.)

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’ve never used it before, Joan, but I would imagine a little would go a long way and that it would be a great addition to muscle blends! I’d also guess it would fall into the “spicy” category of essential oils, and I would also decrease its total amount in any blend I made it in as it’s probably a very strong oil. I do use cayenne along with some other essential oils in the muscle rub blend that I make for my medicine cabinet. You can find that recipe in my How To Make Herbal Ointments, Salves, and Balms: The Ultimate How-To Guide if you’re interested.

  146. Jayaa says:

    Hey Megan

    Luvd Ur article perfectly written for a beginner I ll b starting my signature fragrance store in next 6 months n have to say Ur article is my first guide to whatever basics I needed to know

    Thanku so much
    Love n luck
    JAYAA

    Do keep posting

  147. Mustafa says:

    Great article. Very useful and informative. Thanks a lot.
    God bless you.

  148. Catherine Henthorn says:

    Meagan – Such a useful, informative, easy to read article and I’m so glad I stumbled across it. What’s the reason that Lavender doesn’t appear on your list of 24? I always thought it was a go-to oil and was surprised not to see it listed…but then I’m a total beginner so what would I know? Please put me right…

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Oh, lavender essential oil is great, and I’d definitely consider it a go-to oil. It’s an easy one for beginners to use, it’s mostly safe, and it has a lot of different uses. I didn’t exclude it from the list for any particular reason. I just went through and tried to select oils with different notes so people would have a good variety of EO choices when making their blends. Hope that answers your question!

  149. Will says:

    Any idea’s on blends for autism? CBD oil I think is going to change everything, it’s taken away 95% of my autism symptoms and I’m going in public now. Also off all 5 synthetic prescription and testing different blends with frankencense, vanilla, lavendar, and peppermint I got. I like those but I would like some woody smells. I’m not sure, I just can’t afford to keep buying a new bottle at a time for $10.

    I don’t care about money, I do want to get off disability though now that I have 16 hours of free time a day and am not stuck in a bed taking pills all day. I want quality though, and to be happy with everything regardless if I ever sold it, I want to give it away for free! I want to grow CBD and give it away. All of this can heal the entire World, that’s why they removed certain things and put synthetics with patents, never even asking us about our diet or exercise, they never cared. I’ve been marketed to my entire life for medicine I’m going to give it all away I think. Or earn the money and then donate it. I just don’t like money, it’s dangerous.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’ve heard some really good things about CBD oil. I haven’t studied it enough to have an opinion, but it looks promising. As far as using essential oils for your autism goes, I’d suggest talking with a clinical aromatherapist as they’ll be the best person to help you identify the right oils to help you move in the direction you want to go. Best of luck, and thanks for your comment!

  150. jaysA says:

    Thank you for posting this article and responding to everyone’s questions. It is all so helpful and well written.

  151. Terry says:

    Hello,
    I’m trying to copy one of my favorite spray colognes into a solid cologne, Terre D’Hermes Eau de Parfum. From what I can gather, the oils used are grapefruit, orange, cedar, geranium, patchouli, pepper, pink pepper, and vetiver. Then something referred to as flint and benzoin. Any ideas as to how many drops of each? Thank you

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey Terry. This is probably something you’d want to speak about with a perfumist. This blog post is centered around creating basic essential oil blends, not copying perfumes or colognes as that is a very complicated process and often can’t be done using essential oils alone. Best of luck!

  152. KUSHAL says:

    What should be the ratio of Top, middle and base note if I am blending for Perfume

  153. lexi says:

    HELP I’m actually planning on making some home heat pads with jasmine rice. My plan was to use dried lavender and rosemary. I saw oils and a fixative would help the scent last in the herbs. So, making a “perfume blend” with lavender as my strongest scent, then rosemary, and oakmoss absolute as my fixative. I was going to put the rosemary and lavender buds in separate bowls with the majority of the rice in the lavender but a smaller portion set with the rosemary…then add a few drops of the essential oils to the separate bowls (rosemary probably 4-6) (lavender 8-12). After they’ve dried I’d like to combine everything and add my oak moss absolute … I want 2-3 drops I just have no idea how to help that spread TBH but this IS my plan-really hoping if you have any advice or experience about my plans to please share before I ruin everything lol THANK YOU!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      If you’re planning on combining everything in your homemade heating pad, I’m fairly sure you can add it all together at one time, mix it well, bag it up, and over time, the individual scents will meld together and the final scent will come through. Does that make sense? If I’m not understanding your question, feel free to clarify.

      • LEXI says:

        No that was my question! I was worried those smells wouldn’t blend properly (Lavender as the primary + rosemary with a touch of oak moss which i know will be hard with oak moss absolute as being thick!-I’ve been warned thicker than vetiver!) and the idea of the dried herbs(rosemary and lavender) in jasmine rice together… would I get lucky on any advice for mixing those oils with a general ratio in mind or if my OG idea of drop count sounded possibly safe?

        • Meagan Visser says:

          I’d recommend trying some of the blending ratios mentioned in my post… mixing the three oils together in different ratios, setting them aside so they can “rest,” then smelling them individually to see which one you like best. Once you know, you can add that oil blend directly to your herbs/rice, mix well, and add to your bags. Hope that helps!

  154. Angela says:

    What would your recommendation be when making blends not for scent but for therapeutic use such as in skincare? I want to try adding essential oils to my skin care routine, specifically adding them to a basic, existing lotion. I’ve done my research and have a bunch of oils selected that are supposed to be helpful for skin care, but I’m not sure where to go from here! Do I figure out the dilution % for each one and add it to the lotion? Or do I need to only add a maximum amount of essential oils in total? Is there a maximum number of oils you can use at one time or a maximum percentage of oils in total that can be safely added? Are there oils that react badly to each other? Sorry so many questions, but I’ve been searching a lot and can’t seem to find any answers!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Great questions here, Angela. While I’m not an aromatherapist, I do have some answers for your questions… or rather, some direction to guide you in your search for answers.

      First, when I’m creating blends for wellness purposes as opposed to scent alone, I follow the guidelines in this post.

      Next, there are no limits as to how many EOs you can use. Just know that many oils have similar properties, and you don’t need 15 oils when 4-5 will do. Does that make sense? Plus, the more oils you add, the more you muddy the scent.

      From my understanding, the total number of oils is not the safety concern, it’s the total amount of EOs used (the final dilution) that matters. While there are various dilution guidelines, these are the most recent recommendations from aromatherapists I respect. Products that cover large portions of your body and sit on the skin for long periods of time (like lotions) need to be diluted more (1-2% depending on the strength of the EOs used). Products that don’t sit on the skin for long (like body washes) can be diluted less (around 5-10%, again depending on the strength of the oils used). Products that cover larger portions of skin (salve with EOs) should be more diluted (2-3%) compared to products that cover smaller portions of skin (roller bottle spot applications) which can be less diluted (5%). Age and health will also be a factor in dilution amounts. Children and the elderly need their EOs to be diluted more as their livers are slower at metabolizing EO chemicals than a healthy teenager or adult liver. Dilution also depends on the strength of the oil. For example, cinnamon bark requires more dilution than cinnamon leaf. Does this make sense? A lot of EO books (like this one) give recommendations and guidelines for this sort of thing.

      I’ve never heard of oils reacting badly to one another, so that’s definitely something to ask a certified aromatherapist.

      Lastly, when using oils in skin care products, keep photosensitivity in mind!! Research that and keep a list of oils that can cause this close by. Hope this helps!

  155. gabe says:

    Hi Meagan.

    This blending essential oils for beginners was a HUGE help. Thank you for making it. I needed to know which two essential oils to blend for my canna-salve. The 1st batch I used eucalyptus only. Now for the second batch, I will add rosemary oil. Keep up the awesome work & stay blessed!

  156. Eric says:

    Where did you get the labels on the photo with the handwritten names and ingredients on them? Thank you soooo much for sharing your insight and expertise. Its greatly appreciated!

  157. Camellia says:

    Hi Megan,

    Can we blend Bergamot, Grapefruit and Ylang Ylang? If yes then what should be the ratio

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Camellia. If you read through the post, you can figure out if these oils will blend together well as well as what ratio you should use. Thanks!

  158. Mervyn says:

    I enjoyed reading the article, very informative easy to follow and practical I intend to use the information as I would like to develop my signature scents for my products.

  159. Blair says:

    Hi Meagan, I’ve created my own beard balm which I’m really excited about now my challenge is getting it to smell nice?
    Is there a limit to how much EO you can use in a fragrance? I have found a fragrance I like made of Manderine and May Chang in jojobo. It’s in a 15ml bottle but I can’t seem to get near the punch using 10 drops of EO in 15ml (half an ounce).

    What % can I go to?

    Blair

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’ve searched all my favorite websites on essential oil dilution, and they’re all saying 2% max for skincare products on the face. If you can’t get it smelling the same, it could be that the product you’re referring to has a fragrance oil included? Maybe, maybe not. I’d try to make it as close as you can or change it up to make it your own. Best of luck! I’ve got a man with a beard who would love some beard balm. Let me know if you ever sell it, and I’ll buy some!

  160. Tanya says:

    Hi,
    I’m currently taking anti-depressants, co-dydromal and hrt for the last 8 years and want to replace these synthetic medicines with natural remedies and oils, where would you suggest I begin this transition?

    I have an affinity with bergamot and love this smell..

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Tanya. I would suggest you work with a certified aromatherapist is your goal is to use essential oils to reduce or completely get off of your medications. Best of luck, friend!

  161. SAm says:

    Hi! Love your article and I can’t wait to kickstart my essential oil collection. Unfortunately, I was not able to sign up to receive your PDF. I would love to give it a read. Please let me know how I might be able to download! Thank you!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey, Sam. I just updated the email opt-in. Can you try it again? If it still doesn’t work, let me know, and I’ll manually add you. Thanks!

  162. MEg says:

    Such an awesome article! Thanks Meagan ♥️.

  163. Gregor says:

    Are you aware of any essential oils or herbs that could effect the adrenal glands? Something that can be rub into your glands that help with fatigue or provide an energy charge ? Thanks! Gregor

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’m not sure about essential oils, but if you research adaptogen herbs, you’ll find help there! Best of luck!

  164. Faris says:

    Thank you very much for this wonderful information, Dear Sister .
    Do the oils to be mixed are natural or synthetic ? , as I know that natural is very expensive .

  165. Kay says:

    Hello, Thank you so much for the huge effort you’ve put into this post. However, I’ve just noticed some sort of contradiction in a part of the post that got me confused. In the essential oil categories, you’ve placed some essential oils in more than one category, namely:
    Neroli – Citrus and then Floral
    Rosemary – Minty and then Medicinal
    Eucalyptus – Minty and then Medicinal

    So which category each belong to?! and is there a book you recommend that focuses on and tabulates the essential oil categorization (whether aroma wise, therapy wise and application (safety) wise) in specific?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Many essential oils will fit into more than one category. You can blend them with other essential oils that blend well with the categories they fit in, or you can smell the essential oil and decide which category you think it best fits in. Blending is more about what you think rather than a list of hard and fast rules. I’m not sure if there’s a book on blending or not. I know you can learn more about it by doing it. I also know that some aromatherapists and perfumists teach courses on it so you may want to Google that.

  166. Martha says:

    Hi Meagan! I just stumbled onto your blog and have spent the last 2 hours reading. What a wonderful supply of information, I love it! I was looking for something on blending oils because I want to make my own blends for aromatherapy (I have a diffuser of some kind in every room, lol). Your information was very helpful, and I say keep it up!

  167. Yogeeta daiya says:

    This was really helpful!

  168. Brenda Wagner says:

    How can I get the PDF.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Sure thing, Brenda. I’ve added you to the list! Be sure to check your spam/promotions folder if you can’t find it in your inbox.

  169. Esther Carter says:

    Hi Meagan, I loved your article, so helpful & wonderfully informative! I would like to sign up to download the pdf please , thank~you so much. X

  170. Mishell says:

    Hi, Meagan! This blog was a fantastic read and I am even printing out some of the great insights for my current experimentation into EOs. I think, though, I might be losing my mind! When I try to sign up for the PDF resource, all I see on my page is what looks like a broken HTML code instead of a link?

    “[et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_9]”

    I’d love to be added to the resource.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Sure thing, Mishell. My opt-in form is messed up at the moment so I’ve just added you to the list manually. You should receive your PDF in your inbox (be sure to check your spam/promotions folders if you don’t see it in your inbox) ASAP.

  171. Kaylee says:

    I loved your article, and signed up for the mailing list, but the link for the pdf on this page seems to still be down. Can you please send it to me? Thanks!!!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Sorry about that Kaylee. My opt-in form is having issues so I’ve added you manually. You should get the PDF today. If you don’t see it in your inbox, be sure to check your spam/promotions folders. Thanks!

  172. Shannon says:

    This is a wonderful piece of useful information you are sharing, thank you. I am just starting out and hoping to become marketable in this field. Best wishes in you endeavors and God bless!

  173. Elena says:

    Hi Meagan! Thank you for such an informative post, it was a very great read! I guess “[et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_9]” was supposed to be the sign up for the PDF. Could I please be added to the list so that I can get it? Thank you!

  174. Tina says:

    Hi Meagan, love your article, so helpful. Can you please manually add me to the mailing list – the link is still down on my side? I’d like to print your PDF as reference in my EO notebook 🙂 Thank you for all your effort in explaining it all in an easy to understand manner, it’s appreciated greatly.

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey, Tina. I’ve added you to the list so you should receive the PDF in your inbox soon. Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience.

  175. Fara says:

    Something must be wrong with this post or site if so many people can’t access the .pdf, myself included. I also would like to receive the .pdf and newsletter. Thank you…great article! Informative, instructive, interesting! ?

  176. Aneta says:

    Thanks for a great article and PDF!
    If using EO for candles- do you just use pure essential oils without diluting in carrier oil?

  177. Stephanie Cairns says:

    Thank you so much for this great article it’s the best information I’ve found to help me understand blending techniques for essential oils.
    I’m interested in making my own blends to use with bath salts as I have arthritis and benefiting from soaking in minerals and relaxing aromas. I wanna make these also for family and friends I’ve tried on occasions to blend oils with bath salts ( magnesium chloride) but having no luck preserving them together as the salts are going all wet and soggy, is there a particular ratio I should use ? Do you have any tutorials on this subject of using with bath salts? Or preserving a mix batch of essential oils and bath salts?
    Kind regards,
    Stephanie

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey Stephanie. I’ve never had any preservation issues when adding essential oils to bath salts as no water is involved. I have a couple of articles about how I make bath salts here and here if that is helpful to you. Good luck!

  178. Maddy says:

    This guide has been SO HELPFUL! I can’t wait to start this for my small business I’m doing!
    Thank you,

    Maddy

  179. Dana says:

    Hi Megan,
    I really enjoyed your article and I am looking forward to creating some specialty blends to add to bath salts. I was unable to find the PDF that was mentioned in your article. Is it possible to get that emailed to me?
    Thank you so much,
    Dana

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hey Dana!! There is an email opt-in form that you will enter your name and email address to and the PDF will be emailed to you. Thanks so much, and I’m glad you enjoyed the article!

  180. Jen says:

    Good Morning
    Thank you for all the great information I found to be educational an helpful Plan on sharing with friends who have been just as interested as I
    Have a fabulous day Stay safe as well ?

  181. Soobok says:

    This is a helpful guideline about the production of new and synergistic aromas and bioactive functions from using essential oils. Great thanks for providing details and chance of insight in blending work.

  182. Maureen A Barber says:

    Please send the PDF with 24 essential oils and the various ways they can be used.
    Love your writing style and clear instructions.
    Looking forward to using your methods to create blends that not only achieve therapeutic results but also smell yummy!

  183. Pheonna says:

    Hey Meagan,

    Thanks for the info – I found it really illuminating – quick question… what would the ratios look like if you wanted to blend 4-5 oils together? If you’re using the 30/50/20 method would you split the percentage depending on where the fragrance falls in TMB? So say I wanted to blend Lemon, Lavender, Juniper and Cedarwood together, considering Lavender is both T and M would I split the 30% for the T if I wanted the Lavender to be lighter with the Lemon or vice versa if I wanted the lavender to be more prevalent as the M with the Juniper?

    Thanks!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi there, Pheonna. This post is only geared toward simple blends made with 3 essential oils. If you wish to move into more complex blends, I always refer people to the Natural Perfumery Course from the Herbal Academy. It’s a great course if you’d like to learn more about plant-based scents.

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