Essential Oil Blends - Not an Exact Science

Creating essential oil blends is not an exact science although many perfume houses around the world have done nothing but study the chemistry behind it. While you may not be an expert, you certainly know what scents you like and don't like so it stands to reason that you might end up experimenting with essential oil blends to come up with something totally unique to call your own.

Grouping Essential Oils First

To understand essential oil blends, you should determine which type of group the oils belong to whether it is floral, woodsy, herbal, spicy and more. For instance, most floral essential oils are easy to identify because they literally come from a flower like jasmine, rose, lavender or neroli. Those scents with the spicy label tend to mirror the spices used in cooking like cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, anise and cloves.

Essential oil blends with a woodsy scent like have pine, cedar or sandalwood while the herbal essences may have basil or rosemary. Many perfumes have an oriental type of undertone which means the essential oil blends in them may have patchouli or ginger. Body splashes tend to have essential oils like grapefruit, lime, lavender, orange or lemon because of its light scent.

Blending Favorite Scents

For the most part, essential oils that fall within the same category are easy and safe to blend well together. However, there are some great essential oil blends that come from mixing up the categories a bit such as choosing a floral scent and mixing it with a spicy or woodsy one. Some essential oil blends need counterbalances otherwise you might end up with an overpowering scent. For example, spicy essential oils mixed with oriental or woodsy scents may need the lightness of a citrus or mint to create a balanced aroma.

In essential oil blends, you will also discover that the aroma of some dissipate more quickly than others, creating a distinct level of scents. Top notes are those you typically smell first in essential oil blends and often are the first to dissipate. The middle note is the next layer of scent followed by the base note, what you are typically left with after the other scents have dispersed. Knowing which oils fall into these note levels helps greatly in the creation of your own special essential oil blends.

There are no rules for creating your own essential oil blends other than writing each step down that you do. For instance, what if you create a scent that is just about perfect for you, only the middle note is a bit too strong for your taste? If you do not write down how many drops of each oil you put into your recipe, you will not know exactly how much to tone it down. Documenting your every move is the key to success for essential oil blends.