Aromatherapy Blending - Homemade Aromatic Oils

When you start trying out various essential oils, you will no doubt be interested in aromatic blending. Aromatherapy blending, quite simply put, is the mixing and combining various essential oils, carrier oils, CO2, absolutes, herbs and water to find a scent that you like.

Blending essential oils ;is not always an exact science where you carefully mix ingredients together to come up with the perfect blend. Instead, many times, you will find the scent that you love by simple trial and error.

It is important to remember that there are two different types of blending and they are not the same. You should not confuse aromatic blending with therapeutic blending.

Therapeutic blending involves creating a certain mix of essential oils and carriers to alleviate an ache, pain or illness. The scent is only a small consideration. You can certainly create a not so nice smelling blend that works great on muscle aches.

Aromatic blending is when you mix the essential oils to create a fragrance that is pleasing to you, similar to creating your very own perfume or cologne. That is the goal of aromatherapy blending - the scent of your personal creation.

When you begin experimenting with aromatic blends, you will find that not all of the fragrances that you create are very pleasing to you, even if you do follow another person’s “recipe” or mixture. The reason for this is that just like perfume or cologne, scents work differently on different people. You might have to add or take away some essential oils or add more or less to get just the right scent.

Another consideration in aromatic blending is that you need to know a bit about how the oils work together. The last thing you want to do is to start mixing essential oils together only to find that they smell good alone, but do not work very well together.

To get started, you will want to do a little research into the various essential oils that are available to you. Oils are pricey and you do not want a drop wasted.

Make sure you are buying good quality oils that are stored properly. Remember that when you buy essential oils, you will want to purchase them in dark amber, or cobalt bottles. Avoid essential oil bottles that have plastic droppers in them. This can ruin your expensive oil. When storing your oils, keep them away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

In addition, you will need do your homework on the various carrier oils and creams that are available as these are important. With the exception of lavendar and tea tree oils, you should never rub undiluted oils onto your skin. Instead, you will want to add these oils to a carrier. Sometimes you can use plain or distilled water or even rubbing alcohol, but for most purposes, the best carrier is an oil that you can buy.

Carriers also come in creams for making scented lotions. You will want to find a good quality kind that is light and has no fragrance on its own. If you are having trouble finding carriers, there are many reputable online suppliers.

Once you are ready to blend your oils, there are a few tips to remember. Firstly, remember to document what you are adding and how much of each oil you are using. If you hit on the perfect scent, you want to make sure you can replicate it again.

Never shake your bottles of essential oil. Instead, roll the bottle gently in your hand. Store your aromatherapy blending creations properly, away from pets and children, and remember that if you are pregnant or nursing, there are certain oils you should avoid.