Essential Oil Blends: Top Tips To Create Powerful Blends
Essential Oil Blends: Top Tips To Create Powerful Blends
Essential oils blends are as much science as an art.
Today, I’m going to show you how you can blend essential oils skilfully.
I’ll answer questions such as:
- Why should I blend essential oils?
- What is the golden measuring rule?
- What essential oils blend well together?
- What equipment do I need?
- How can I use my homemade blends?
Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents — Navigate to the section that interests you most.
What Are Essential Oil Blends?
Essential oil blends are pretty much what you might expect: They are at least 2 EO single notes combined to create a new blend.
Sounds easy enough, right?
But, not every essential oil blend results in a harmonised combination.
That’s because every individual essential oil has a wide range of different scent compounds.
Plus, there are different categories and strength notes for each essential oil that can indicate which EO goes well with which one.
Let’s see how it works.
Essential Oils Guide
Why Do You Blend Essential Oils?
When it comes to blending oils, it’s not as black and white as you might think.
In any blend, you’re looking to achieve one word: Synergy.
It’s about creating a harmonious blend that also offers what health or mental benefits you’re after.
More precisely, every essential oil has its chemical structure. When you combine different oils, it results in a chemical reaction where the molecules form new connections.
Since each essential oil has stronger and weaker aspects, one oil can complement the other.
This way, you can make a blend according to your needs.
And in the end, blending EO’s is a really fun way to create your own unique fragrances.
First, it’s essential to ask yourself what situation you’re creating the blend for.
Maybe you’re looking for a blend that promotes a relaxed atmosphere in your home after a busy day, or perhaps you want a blend that you can use for a revitalising massage oil.
Reasons to blend essential oils are:
- To combine the health and therapeutic benefits of each EO
- To create the perfect blend that suits your mood
- To create a fragrance that lasts longer in a room (some EO’s evaporate faster than others)
- To match the season’s ambience and weather
- To energise yourself at the start of the day
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In short — you can create magical blends that complement each other.
(think of a genie in a bottle)
The basics of blending oils are:
- The scent note
- The scent strength
- The fragrance group
On the Aromen website, we’ve included these little facts for each EO.
Have a look at lavender:
So whether you’re blending or just reaching for your favourite essential oil, you’re well informed.
Read more about how essential oils affect your mood and overall well being!
Natural Matches
If you look around, some plants, herbs, and fruits are a natural match.
In fact, you can already learn a lot from smelling each essential oil.
No one would argue that …
- Ginger, cinnamon and star anise, or
- Peppermint, rosemary and lavender, or
- Rhododendron, geranium and jasmine
Are great together.
It’s no surprise that essential oils derived from similar botanical families are often blended for aromatherapeutic purposes.
Aromen has blends that match your personality according to their fragrance group!
Do the test here to see which EO you are!
In the next chapter, I’ll show you how to start identifying scent notes and fragrance groups.
For further reading about essential oils, their background and chemical structure, have a look at our “Definitive Guide to Better Health & Wellbeing”
The Scent Note
The scent note is determined by how fast the oil evaporates.
Like musical notes, top notes are quick and refreshing, heart notes form the centre, and base notes are heavy and intense.
There are three scent notes:
- Top: Evaporate quickly, are light in intensity and short of fragrance.
- Heart: Supply the foundation to a blend, are more mature and bring out the best of the top and base notes.
- Base: Evaporate slowly, are long-lasting and often intense and grounding.
The art is to not let one single note overpower the other so that each oil can show off its best features.
| Examples of scent notes | |
|---|---|
| Top notes | Eucalyptus, lemon, sweet orange, thyme, lime, peppermint, lemongrass and basil |
| Heart notes | Lavender, rosemary, geranium, marjoram, cinnamon, tea tree, ylang ylang, cypress and neroli |
| Base notes | Sandalwood, vanilla, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli and vetiver |
The Scent Strength
The scent strength dictates how strongly you’ll perceive the fragrance.
At Aromen, we classify the scent strength of an essential oil between one to six, where 1 is the least intense and 6 is the strongest.
| Examples of scent strength | |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Grapefruit, bergamot, green mandarin, cypress, golden everlasting, lime, lemon and black pepper |
| 3-4 | Lavender, balsam fir, clary sage, sandalwood, Swiss Stone pine, cajeput, cedar, lemongrass, eucalyptus globulus and elemi |
| 5-6 | Roman chamomile, cinnamon, clove, patchouli, vetiver, thyme, bay St. Thomas and jasmine absolut |
Usually, there’s a relationship between an EO’s scent note and scent strength (like lemon, patchouli and lavender).
However, there are also exceptions (such as jasmine and eucalyptus).
Overall, citrus oils tend to be top notes, floral EO’s heart notes and resinous essential oils base notes.
Floral Essential oils
Floral essential oils blend well with citrus, resinous, woody and spicy essential oils.
You’ll find that they often have a heart scent note and a medium scent strength.
Spicy essential oils
Spicy essential oils blend well with resinous, woody, floral and citrus essential oils.
These EOs have a top or heart scent note and a light to medium scent strength.
Herbal essential oils
Herbal essential oils blend well with woody and citrus EOs.
EO’s in this category usually have a heart scent note and medium scent strength.
Citrus essential oils
Citrus essential oils blend well with floral, herbal, woody and spicy EOs.
Citrus EOs have fleeting scent strengths and a top scent note.
Woody essential oils
Woody essential oils blend well with spicy, herbal, floral and citrus EOs.
These essential oils tend to have medium scent strength and heart to base scent notes.
Resinous essential oils
Resinous essential oils blend well with spicy and floral EOs.
Often, resinous oils have a strong scent strength and a base scent note.
| Examples of fragrance groups | |
|---|---|
| Floral | Lavender, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, geranium and neroli |
| Spicy | Black pepper, cardamom, clove, juniper and vanilla |
| Herbal | Eucalyptus globulus, peppermint, thyme, rosemary and wild mint |
| Citrus | Lemon, sweet orange, lemongrass, bergamot, grapefruit and mandarin |
| Woody | Balsam fir, cedar Atlas, Swiss Stone pine, Scots pine and sandalwood |
| Resinous | Benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, elemi, vetiver and patchouli |
How Do You Blend Essential Oils?
The best advice that I can give you when blending oils —
Listen with your nose!
And if you like a blend you’ve created, don’t hesitate to write it down! It’s all a matter of ‘taste’ after all.
The Practicalities of Blending EOs
Remember when I said you need to consider what situation you’ll be using the blend for?
Look around and ask yourself:
- How large is the room I’m in?
- What health or mental benefit am I looking for?
- In what way will I use the blend?
- Are there any specific oils I want to use?
Identifying the what’s, how’s and why’s helps you choose oils that suit your needs.
Now that you’ve shortlisted the best essential oils, I’ll explain the golden rule in blending!
(Exciting, isn’t it?)
The golden rule =
More precisely, you add 30% of the top note, 50% of the heart and 20% of the base essential oils (assuming you’re using 3 oils).
That way, you’ll create a fail-proof blend!
If you’re using more than 3 EO’s, make sure you still adhere to the golden rule.
For example, you want to add lemon to your blend:
10% lemon (top) + 20% peppermint (top) + 50% juniper (heart) + 20% sandalwood (base).
You can make it even more complex by adding cypress oil to the equation:
10% lemon (top) + 20% peppermint (top) + 30% juniper (heart) + 20% cypress (heart) + 20% sandalwood (base).
I bet you’re getting the idea.
A few base rules:
- Don’t make a blend too complicated; start with 3 and expand to a maximum of 6
- Don’t include EOs with opposite effects; e.g. calming and energising
- Always keep the end result in mind
- Always consider the fragrance group, scent note and strength and the botanical relationship of the essential oils
- Never exceed the 2% dilution rate; too high a rate can cause skin irritations
- Use dark bottles when blending to preserve the oils
- Always blend safely
And above all, stick to the golden rule if you want a synergistic blend.
In this table, you can find the recommended ratios for skincare, massages, diffusing and more.
| Where | How many drops | Example & Recipes |
|---|---|---|
| Inhalation and diffusing | ||
| In diffuser | 5 – 20 drops | Average sized room, 6-8 drops per 100 ml |
| Steaming | 1 – 6 drops | 3 drops of eucalyptus globulus oil to a tub of boiling water |
| On a handkerchief | 1 – 5 drops | 2 drops of lavender oil |
| Skincare | ||
| In bath | 10 – 15 drops per 10 ml hydrophilic base oil | Add 10 drops of a relaxing blend to 10 ml of sweet almond oil |
| Bodylotion | A maximum of 20 drops per 100 ml carrier oil | Mix 2 drops of lemon, 3 drops of juniper and 1 drop of ylang ylang in 10 ml jojoba carrier oil |
| Face | 1 drop per 5 ml carrier oil | Mix 1 drop of lavender and 1 drop of ylang ylang in 10 ml sweet almond carrier oil |
| Massage | ||
| Standard aromatherapeutic massage | Max 1%-2% dilution; max 20 – 40 drops per 100 ml base oil | Mix 10 drops of black pepper with 10 drops of ravintsara and 5 drops of grapefruit in 30 ml sweet almond carrier oil |
| Calming aromatherapeutic massage | Max 1% dilution; max 20 drops per 100 ml base oil | Mix 4 drops of jasmine and 3 drops of bergamot with 30 ml jojoba carrier oil |
| Specific aromatherapeutic massage | Max 10% dilution; max 200 drops per 100 ml base oil | Mix 6 drops of lavender oil with 10 ml jojoba carrier oil |
So grab your notebook and pen and get blending!
Have a peek at our DIY wellness packages to create your own nurturing lotions.
How to Blend Like a PRO — Step-by-Step guide
If you could either try blending on the fly or take your blends to the next level — what would you choose?!
If you’re like us, you’d want to do it properly!
Let’s show you how blend like an absolute PRO!
1. Gather All Your Supplies
Once you’ve decided what blend you’ll be creating, you need to collect your equipment.
- Your essential oils
- A pipette for each essential oil
- Bottles to store your blends
- Measurement cups
- A bowl to blend in
- A stirring rod
- A few sample strips
Make sure all equipment is clean and dry.
2. Sample Your Essential Oils
Drip each essential oil onto an individual sample strip and smell them by waving them in front of your nose.
- What notes can you identify?
- Does the scent match the other essential oils?
- How does the fragrance make you feel?
3. Start Blending
If you’re diffusing the blend, you can simply drip the essential oils into the water according to the golden rule.
If you’re after a relaxing massage or soothing body lotion, you start by measuring and adding the chosen carrier oil into the blending bowl.
Then, drip in the essential oils and stir until it has become a uniform mixture.
You can test the mixture by applying a small portion to the skin.
Once you’ve found a blend that you like, store it in a dark brown glass bottle and keep it out of the sunlight.
25 Top Essential Oils With Their Matching Blend-Friends
| Bergamot | Cedarwood, cypress, geranium, juniper, lavender, mandarin, myrrh, neroli and patchouli |
|---|---|
| Black Pepper | Clove, elemi, frankincense, lavender, marjoram, rosemary and thyme |
| Cedar Atlas | Basil, bergamot, cypress, jasmine, juniper, myrrh, neroli, rosemary and ylang ylang |
| Cinnamon | Clove, lemon, lemongrass, mandarin, sandalwood and sweet orange |
| Eucalyptus Globulus | Cedarwood, lemongrass, marjoram, peppermint, pine, thyme and vetiver |
| Frankincense | Bergamot, lavender, lemon, sandalwood and ylang ylang |
| Geranium | Bergamot mint, golden everlasting, juniper, neroli, sandalwood and palmarosa |
| Ginger | Atlas cedar, ho wood, frankincense, roman chamomile, marjoram, patchouli and vetiver |
| Golden Everlasting | Lemon, patchouli, roman chamomile, sage, sandalwood and ylang ylang |
| Ho Wood | Bergamot, basil, cedar atlas, lavender, lemon and rose |
| Jasmine | Frankincense, lemongrass, geranium, peppermint, rose, sandalwood, sweet orange and tangerine |
| Lavender | Bergamot, clove, neroli, patchouli, peppermint, sage, sandalwood, and Swiss pine |
| Lemon | Cedar atlas, eucalyptus globulus, frankincense, juniper, marjoram, peppermint, stone pine and spearmint |
| Lemongrass | Eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, mandarin, marjoram, sandalwood and Swiss pine |
| Mandarin | Benzoin, black pepper, cedar atlas, frankincense, neroli, peppermint, roman chamomile |
| Marjoram | Bergamot, camphor, cedar atlas, eucalyptus staigeriana, lime, lemon, ravintsara and rosemary |
| Patchouli | Bergamot, geranium, lavender, sandalwood, stone pine, sweet orange, vetiver and ylang ylang |
| Peppermint | Benzoin, cedar atlas, eucalyptus, green mandarin, lavender, Scots pine, tangerine and tea tree |
| Roman Chamomile | Geranium, lavandin, lemon, neroli, patchouli, sage and ylang ylang |
| Rosemary | Basil, laurel, lemongrass, myrtle, peppermint, petitgrain, tangerine and thyme |
| Sandalwood | Bergamot, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, patchouli and rose |
| Sweet Orange | Cardamom, cinnamon, clove, lavender, lemon, marjoram, peppermint, spearmint and vanilla |
| Swiss Stone Pine | Basil, cardamom, cypress, eucalyptus globulus, frankincense, juniper, roman chamomile, sage and thyme |
| Tea Tree | Clove, green mandarin, lavandin, lemon, lime, marjoram, pine and rosemary |
| Ylang Ylang | Bergamot, cedar atlas, copaiba, frankincense, lemon, patchouli, sandalwood and sweet orange |
Happy Blending!
Now that you’ve been taken for a tour around the blending world, I’m confident that you can skillfully blend your own beautiful mixtures.
Have a look around the shop to find all the merch you need, such as our high-quality glass bottles and pipettes. That way, you can save your unique blends like a pro!
Or if you’re after blending inspiration — Aromen has plenty of fragrant blends that can help you on your way.
We also have our signature essential oil blend of 5 EO’s: Aromen BioPure blend. Consisting of fresh eucalyptus, tea tree, thyme, lemon and bergamot, this blend is perfect to create a subtly fragrant room while purifying the air from harmful microbes.
And if you’re still looking for a unique present for a friend’s birthday, don’t look any further! With these diffuser set kits, you give him or her all the essentials of aromatherapy.
Essential Oils Guide
