Essential oils have been with us since the early Egyptians. From the earliest recorded texts, fragrant oils and potions have adorned the wealthy and non-wealthy alike. Today, essential oils have enjoyed a boom and we find them in such places as doctor's offices and on grocery store shelves. Customers are now taking to creating their own blends at home. Blending your own essential oils takes a bit of practice, but with the following information you should be well on your way to creating customized blends that are helpful and effective.
The first step is to determine the overall scent you want to create. Do you want your scent to be citrusy or woodsy? Herbal or floral? Each scent family will have different properties and create different moods. A citrusy or minty scent will perk up the senses while a woodsy or herbal would calm and balance the system. Your choice of scent family will determine the next step. The second step is to determine the top, middle, and bottom notes of your blend.
Essential oils are divided into top, middle, and bottom notes. Every good fragrance will have a combination of all three notes.
Bottom Notes: Bottom notes provide the foundation for your blend and anchors them to the other two notes. They are also known as earthy or woody notes. Bottom notes are the last to develop in the blend and stay the longest on the skin. Common bottom notes are: myrrh, pine, and cedarwood.
Middle Notes: Middle notes are the most dominant of your blend. Middle notes tend to last longer than top notes and have to work well with both top and bottom notes. Common middle notes are clary sage, cinnamon, lavender.
Top Notes: Top notes are the first thing you smell when creating a custom blend. These smells are usually sharper than middle or bottom notes and fade fairly quickly. Common top notes are peppermint, lemon and orange.
Let's use an example:
You would like to create a room spray. You want it to be citrusy and a little woody. So, you would begin with a base note. Since we want a bit of woodiness in the blend, we'll add cedarwood. Next, we need a bridge or middle note. Let's go with Clary Sage. It's heavier than other middle notes, but still blends well with the top and bottom notes. Our final note will be a bright citrus, so we'll add tangerine.
So, our final blend is:
- Tangerine
- Clary Sage
- Cedarwood
Try out a few combinations yourself and have fun!
