How to...make an essential oil blend.
Updated: Nov 24, 2020
When I started making my neurotransmitter candles for Make and Create, I did a lot of research on how to make the perfect essential oil blend. There is a lot of information out there on this subject, which I've condensed down into a few basics - so I thought it might be useful to share this on here if this is something you've been thinking about doing, but aren't sure where to start!
The first thing to say is - there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to blending essential oils. Scent is a very personal thing, and what appeals to some, will not appeal to others - so go with your gut instinct here and don't get too tied up with the "rules".
That said - there are a few basic principles you can use when starting out with scent blends, which I will outline below.
When making an essential oil blend - you need 3 main components - a top, middle and base note.
Top note - smelt first, fades fastest. They tend to be light, fresh and uplifting in nature. They evaporate quickly as they are the smallest molecules.
Middle note - “heart of fragrance” The bulk of essential oils are considered middle notes and normally give body to the blend and have a balancing effect. The smells of middle notes are not always immediately evident and may take a couple of minutes to come into their own right and are normally warm and soft fragrances.
Base note - Essential oils that are classified as base notes are normally "heavy" oils with their fragrance evident, but will also slowly evolve and be present for a long time and slows down the evaporation of the other oils. These fragrances are normally intense and heady. They are normally rich and relaxing in nature and are also the most expensive of all oils.
In terms of ratios - again, there's no hard and fast rules but generally speaking:
Top notes - 25% of blend
Middle notes - 35% of blend