I am often asked questions about how to create essential oil blends. With regard to our signature scents at Kuva, I used my memories of different scents and natural ingredients I associated with my childhood, growing up in Goa. I played around with different ingredients and made my own blends that spoke to me.
Blending aromas is a rewarding and relaxing experience that can be done in minutes or can be stretched out for a luxurious day of crafting. Really you just follow your nose; there are no right or wrong oils to blend together. I have found that the satisfaction of creating personalized scent combinations are endless. I hope this beginner’s guide to essential oil blending inspires you! Experimenting with different essential oil combinations can lead to surprising and delightful results. Don't be afraid to mix and match oils to create your own unique scents.
ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDING TOOLS
- Essential Oils: You'll need a nice selection of essential oils including staple oils, top, middle and base scent notes (explained below). Blends don't need to be overly complicated. Often, you'll find that a simple, well-proportioned mix of just two oils is enough to create a brand-new type of plant magic.
- Gloves: Keep in mind that you are working with potent undiluted essential oils so you'll want to avoid getting any on your hands.
- Droppers, Pipettes
- Small Glass Storage or Blending Bottles: Glass bottles in sizes 10 ml, 25 ml and 50 ml work well for small batch blending, as the glass won't react with these volatile oils.
- Perfume Blotters or Cotton Balls: Smell and observe how your creations transform as they evaporate; different aroma notes will come to the fore in different stages as the blend diffuses into the air.
- Pen and Paper: Write down the amounts of each oil used. You don't want to spend all that time crafting your perfect new blend, only to forget the proportion the next morning!
The Basics of Blending Essential Oils
Essential oils are classified into top notes (light & fleeting), middle notes (the body of the blend) and base notes (the fixatives that last).
Top Notes – (5% to 20% of the blend)
Top notes are sharp, penetrating, highly volatile and the fastest acting. Top notes will hit you first in a blend. They do not last very long, but there are especially important in a blend as they give you the first impression of the blend. Top notes are usually uplifting and refreshing like most citrus oils, lemongrass, sweet orange, bergamot, fresh ginger.
Middle Notes – (50% to 80%)
Middle notes give body to blends; they smooth the sharp edges. They include oils such as geranium, lavender, rosemary and marjoram. They are warm, round and soft. They primarily affect functions of the body, e.g. digestion and the general metabolism of the body.
Base Notes – (5% to 20%)
Base notes, also known as fixatives, deepen the blend and draw it into the skin, giving it permanence. Typical base notes are sandalwood, patchouli, myrrh, frankincense, cedar wood and vetiver. When smelled form the bottle, base notes may appear faint, but when applied to the skin, they strongly react and release their power, which last for several hours. Base notes have sedative and relaxing effect. They are deep, intense and profound. Base notes slow down the evaporation of the more volatile essential oils, making their fragrance last longer.
Method
Use a carrier or base oil to mix your essential oils into. This helps keep them from evaporating too fast and also dilutes the blend so you can apply it to the body. 2% dilution is a safe percentage to use. So in a 50ml bottle, I would use about 20 drops of essential oils totally. Use a neutral smelling, high quality carrier oil like grapeseed oil or jojoba oil, which are also light enough to massage into the skin. Measure out your carrier oil first and add it to your glass bottle, then add your essential oils drop by drop. When done, shake the bottle well and apply a little to your cotton ball to smell, your first whiff will be the top notes, smell it after a few minutes to appreciate the middle notes and after an hour to smell the base notes.
