Essential Oils that Complement Each Other

It can be fun making your own essential oil blends. However, it can be a bit difficult deciding which ones to blend together. Every once in a while, you might get a combination that is a bit less than perfect. While there isn’t technically a wrong way to blend oils, you may find a combo that just doesn’t work for you. But if you know the types of oils to start experimenting with and a few basic blending guidelines you can save yourself some trouble and come up with your new favorite EO blend. Here are some tips for how to blend essential oils that complement each other.

Essentials for Blending EOs

You can skip a lot of headaches and mistakes by following a few guidelines. The first question you will need to ask is what you hope to achieve. How will you use the blend? Do you hope to reduce stress or help increase focus? Do you have seasonal allergies or chronic pain you want to relieve? Think about what types of issues you want to address with your blend. This is the best place to start building your own EO blends.

The next step is to find the essential oils with the properties you need. It’s pretty easy to find the general benefits and properties of specific oils with just a little searching. You may notice there are certain classifications of the oils. There are floral scents like lavender and jasmine. The citrus oils are generally uplifting so you’ll look for oils like lemon, grapefruit, sage, basil, and bergamot. Minty oils include cypress, rosemary, peppermint, and eucalyptus. Each essential oil has unique qualities and can offer a different effect. That’s the benefit of creating your own essential oil blends.

Blending Essential Oils Based on Properties and Qualities

For many, blending oils based on properties can be the most difficult part. But once you learn to identify them by key factors like properties, it gets much easier. EOs are categorized by their scent and chemical make-up. Just a few of the categories include:

Citrusy Essential Oils: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange

Earthy Essential Oils: vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli

Floral Essential Oils: jasmine, lavender, neroli, ylang-ylang

Herbaceous Essential Oils: basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme

Camphorous (or Medicinal): cajuput, eucalyptus, tea tree oil

Minty Essential Oils: peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen

Spicy Essential Oils: cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg

Woodsy Essential Oils: cedarwood, cypress, juniper berry, pine

As a general rule, EOs from the same category will blend well. But they can also blend well with essential oils in other categories too. Some examples of cross-category blends include:

• Woodsy EOs blend well with almost all other categories.
• Floral EOs blend well with citrusy, woodsy, and spicy essential oils.
• Spicy EOs blend well with citrusy and floral oils.
• Minty EOs blend well with herbaceous, citrusy, woodsy, and earthy oils.

Using Scent Notes for Blending Essential Oils

Scents are separated into three specific classes called notes. There are base notes, middle notes, and top notes. How oil is categorized is determined by the oil’s volatility. This has to do with how quickly or slowly the molecules evaporate. Heavier notes take longer to dissipate while lighter ones evaporate fast. To create a balanced fragrance by blending essential oils, you’ll want to combine oils from all three notes.

• Top Notes are the fragrance’s first impression. They last for an hour, maybe two and they are typically fresh and light. They also evaporate the fastest. Examples of EOs with top notes include eucalyptus, basil, lemon, lime, peppermint, and bergamot.
• Middle notes are realized once the top note dissipates. Since these notes last two to four hours, they are often referred to as the heart of a fragrance. The middle notes have a strong influence on base notes. Some oils considered middle notes include chamomile, rose, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, clary sage, tea tree, and jasmine.
• Base notes appear after middle and top notes are totally dissipated. Base notes are the longest impression of a blend. They are heavy and rich and can take up to a few days to dissolve completely. Examples of base notes include ginger, oakmoss, vanilla, patchouli, and sandalwood.

Getting Started Blending Essential Oils that Complement Each Other

Once you are ready to start creating your own blends, it’s smart to start small. Try using just three oils for starters. Try using a top, middle and a base note. Once you get the hang of it, then you can experiment with more complex fragrances.  Start by using just 10 drops in all for your first blend. This keeps you from wasting oils if you were to create a blend you don’t care for. If it’s a blend you like well, the 10 drops are easier to convert to larger batches. Make sure to write down the exact amounts you used.

A good way to start is by following the 30-50-20 rule. Prepare oils using 30% top note oil, 50% middle note oil, and 20% base note oil. Since you are starting your experiment with just 10 drops, you’ll want to use three drops of a top note, five drops of a middle note, and two drops of the base note. Once you’ve created your first blend, let it sit for a day or maybe two. This allows the EOs to harmonize and combine well with each other.

Basic Blends Using Essential Oils

One of the best things about making your own blends is that you can start with some of your favorite oils. In case you are unsure of where to start, here are a few simple blends you can use.

Mood-Boosting Blend:6 drops of bergamot EO, 2 drops of grapefruit EO, and 2 drops of ylang-ylang EO

Stress Reliever:4 drops of lavender EO, 2 drops of vetiver EO, and 4 drops of Roman chamomile EO

Energizing Blend:4 drops of peppermint EO, 2 drops of frankincense EO, and 4 drops of lemon EO