Essential Oil Blends: How to Make Your Own Unique Ones

05 Mar Essential Oil Blends: How to Make Your Own Unique Ones

Making your own essential oil blends can be extremely fun and rewarding. But first, read on to understand a little about fragrances and the impact they have on us.

Do you know how big a postage stamp is? Well, around the same size is your olfactory lobe, located high up in the nasal cavity. This is the patch of tissues that enables us to perceive smells. It is also a part of the limbic system that controls emotions and long-term memories. 

That’s what allows us to enjoy a world of scents and aromas.  

Have you also noticed how no two people always enjoy the same smells? Noses are delicate and sensitive organs. And each one of us is gifted with a unique sense of smell preferences.  

While some love the smell of rose, others might find it a bit overpowering. While you may delight in the mild, clean fragrance of lavender, it may not have the same effect on someone else. 

Now, imagine surrounding yourself with the most delicate and healing fragrances; creating your own combinations of fragrances, that are personalized to your nose. Of course, there could be plenty of other takers for it too, but let’s focus on you!  

Creating your very own essential oil blends

A really fun way to get creative using your sense of smell is making your own, unique essential oil blends.

These blends can be used for various purposes ranging from inhalation and headache relief, to skincare and even inducing better sleep. 

While there are no strict rules per se when it comes to formulating blends, a good principle to go by is to choose one essential oil  from each category of top note, middle note, and base note fragrances. 

(What are these notes, you ask? ‘Notes’ is a term used in perfumery to refer to the category of a scent based on its fragrance and staying power.) 

So, top notes include citrus (such as orange, lemon, lemongrass), floral (such as rose), herbaceous (such as citronella, peppermint, spearmint), and spicy (such as fennel or clove) fragrances. They create the first impression of your blend. 

The middle notes include floral and fruity (such as lavender, ylang ylang, geranium), camphorous (eucalyptus, rosemary), spicy (black pepper, nutmeg), and woody (pine, spruce) fragrances. These notes will form the body of your blend. 

Base notes include floral (jasmine, rose), earthy (vetiver), oriental (ginger, patchouli), spicy (frankincense), and woody (sandalwood, myrrh, cedarwood) scents. Keep in mind that base notes last the longest. 

Besides looking at the fragrance notes, you can also use the properties of different essential oils as the guiding light to your creations. 

For instance, tea tree oil is great for skin and scalp care, while chamomile is wonderful for women who have menstrual pain. Lavender and peppermint pair extremely well for headache relief, as both have different kinds of soothing properties. 

Making your own blends 

Whichever route you choose, remember to have fun and trust your nose to guide you through it all. 

Ingredients you’ll need 

• a dropper or reducer cap, 
• a small blending utensil (ideally made of glass), 
• small storage glass bottle for every blend you create, 
• gloves (because you don’t want undiluted essential oils coming in contact with your skin directly), 
• cotton and towels to wipe and clean,  
• pen and paper (you don’t want to forget the recipe in case you create a magical blend and wish to replicate it in the future). 

Method to follow 

To make a simple blend as a beginner, you can choose one oil from each note category and use 1 drop of the top note and base note, and 3 drops of the middle note, and combine it with 20 drops of carrier oil (jojoba, olive are popular choices). This makes it a ratio of 1 part essential oils: 4 parts carrier oil. 

This is the ratio for a small quantity. You can increase the number of drops in a proportionate manner as you gain confidence and experience. 

Absolute Aromas Signature Blends 

While creating your own blends is fun, you can also try out our signature essential oil blends. These blends are carefully formulated by our aromatherapists in our in-house lab. Each of these blends are created with a specific function in mind. The Breatheasy Blend for instance, does just that, helps you breathe easy. Seven clearing essential oils  – Eucalyptus Globulus, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus Radiata, Niaouli, Ravensara and Peppermint have been precisely formulated to help clear your sinuses and protect you against chills. 

Uses of blends

Besides inhaling and enjoying the therapeutic benefits of the blends you create, you can also add them to your shampoo, body cleanser, face lotion, or sprinkle a few drops on your pillow to enjoy the soundest and sweetest sleep. You can also add the blend to distilled water and make a body mist with it.  

The possibilities are endless…