Blending Tips for Essential Oils to Create Signature Fragrances
Blending essential oils is an art form that calls for imagination and exploration but equal importance of patience. Essential oils are derived from plant extracts, giving them their beneficial properties and ability to produce attractive scents. Let us discuss the different techniques of blending essential oils, which can make desirable aromas for aromatherapy and other uses.
Creating the Perfect Blend of Essential Oils
Creating a blend using essential oils can be a very exciting opportunity. You might need some practice to obtain the desired blends of essential oils for multiple uses. All you need are basic items to set up your very own blending station, where you can begin the interesting process. Here are a few things that you will require:
- Amber glass bottles to store your blends
- Pipettes
- Test strips
While blending different aromas, you may need to clear your nose repeatedly if it becomes overloaded with different aromas. The best way to do this is to go out in the open and breathe fresh air.
Setting the Actual Intent
Before you begin blending, it is ideal to recognize the purpose of your creation. Begin by visualizing what scents you want to create. Emphasize the notes you want to develop and the purposes for which you want to use them.
Learning the Fundamentals of Blending Essential Oils
Before getting down to some actual blending, you must understand the fundamentals of different fragrance families and their notes. A fragrance family is a collection of various scents with shared traits. These could be floral, woody, citrus, and more. The layers of a scent are depicted by their notes, which are top, middle, and base notes. Categorization of these notes varies according to the volatility, type of fragrance, and depth of the perfume.
Let us understand a bit about these notes.
Top Notes
Top notes make up to 10-20% of the mix of oil. Usually, top notes tend to fade quickly but are generally very pleasant. The volatility of the top notes gives any combination its first impressions. Some of the common oils used to make top notes are basil, bergamot, clary sage, grapefruit, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, lemongrass, and spearmint.
Middle/Body Notes
These fragrances make up to 60-80% of a mix. These essential oils will make up a significant portion of the scent. Compared to top notes, they are less volatile and might take some time to become noticeable, usually 30-60 minutes after application. These notes tend to expand over time, rising to the surface as the top notes fade. This is why they can impart a warm and delicate aroma to the composition. Some of the common essential oils used for middle notes are black pepper, cardamom, cypress, sweet fennel, juniper berry, geranium, Melissa, oregano, roman chamomile, rosemary, thyme, and Siberian fir.
Base Notes
Base notes account for no more than 10-20% of the mix. Base notes have the most potent scents among all the notes. The fragrance of these notes will be noticeable for a long time after application. Base notes even help inhibit the evaporation of the other two notes. Base notes have a rich aroma, such as Blue tansy, cedarwood, clove bud, Jasmine, Myrrh, Rose, Sandalwood, and Vetiver.
Allow Your Blends to Mature
After mixing different essential oils, allow them to sit for a few days to help them combine and develop well. This will also give you some sense of how the scent will change over time. You may need to make specific changes to the blend to get the scent just right.
Maintain a Record of Your Blends
Ensure you maintain a record of the blends you create as you experiment with them. This will help you reconstruct them in the future. Labelling each mix and the ratio of oils used in them will be a good idea.
Conclusion
By now, you must have realized that blending different essential oils is an interesting activity. Creating your own aromas for use in aromatherapy, perfumery, and other cosmetic applications can be very satisfying. It is possible to create memorable scents by learning the principles of mixing different fragrances and selecting desired oils. All it takes is experimenting with different ratios of oils and choosing the suitable oils to blend them correctly.