1
Q
Tips for Blending and Formulating
A
- Know your oils individually first.
- While a master blender may know hundreds of oils, you can start with a basic list of 15 to 20 and add more oils to your repertoire as you become familiar with them. Take your time and evaluate each essential oil. Place a few drops on a blotter and evaluate the aroma over several days (or until it completely evaporates). Note how the aroma of the oil changes as it evaporates and write down your impressions of both the aroma and how you feel about it. If blending for a health-enhancing effect, look up the oil in a good aromatherapy book after you complete your evaluation and add notes on the oils listed benefits.
- Oil Volatility (rate of evaporation).
- Essential oils evaporate at different rates depending on their chemical components. The lighter oils (such as eucalyptus and the citrus oils) evaporate quickly, while the heavier oils (such as patchouli and myrrh) evaporate more slowly. A good blend of oils will use a combination of high, medium and low volatility oils in order to create a balanced fragrance from start to finish. The really slow evaporating oils can also be used as fixatives—that means they help fix, or hold, the scent (slow the evaporation) of the other oils in the blend and keep the fragrance from changing too much as it evaporates. Sandalwood is one of the best fixatives because it blends well with so many other scents. Other good fixative oils are patchouli, vetiver, myrrh and cedarwood.
- Aroma notes.
- The fragrance of each essential oil is characterized by a top note, middle note and base or dry-out note. Essential oils are sometimes designated as top note oils, middle note oils and base note oils on the basis of their volatility rates. A good blend must have a balanced top, middle and bottom note. When blending, it’s important to consider how well notes of different oils interact with each other.
- Keep it simple.
- When starting out use no more than three to five essential oils per blend. Use one or two drops of each essential oil, that way if your blend doesn’t come out the way you want, you can start over with very little expense. As a rule of thumb, use one to two drops of low volatility oils, two to four drops medium and 5 to 6 drops of high.
2
Q
Essential Oil Volatility
A
- Essential oils are sometimes characterized by their volatility or how quickly they evaporate. Those oils that evaporate the quickest are call top notes. The medium evaporating oils are called middle notes and slowest evaporating oils are called bottom notes or base notes. Note also refers to the aroma profile of an essential oil as it evaporates over time.
- Top Note Oils: Basil, Bay, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Coriander, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Myrtle, Orange, Oregano, Palmarosa, Petigrain, Tea Tree, Thyme
- Middle Note Oils: Chamomile, Cypress, Fennel, Fir Needle, Geranium, Hyssop, Juniper, Lavender, Marjoram, Pepper, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Rosewood
- Base Note Oils: Benzoin, Cedar, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Frankincense, Ginger, Myrrh, Neroli, Nutmeg, Rose, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver.
3
Q
Other Ingredients in Aromatherapy Blends
A
- For lotions and massage blends use expeller pressed vegetable oils such as olive, apricot and avocado without chemical preservatives such as BHA and BHT that are added to most “mass grocery store” oils.
- For bath salts, unrefined, natural, Dead Sea and sea salts are a good choice. Salt should be free of chemical free-flowing agents.
- To make body sprays, poultices or steams, use natural spring water.
- For salves or lotions, natural beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter or soy wax make good thickeners.
- When making natural aromatherapy cosmetics, massage oils and spritzers for more than a single use, store the leftovers in the refrigerator. Adding natural vitamin E or using vegetable oils such as wheat germ that are high in vitamin E can extend shelf life.
4
Q
Carrier Oils
A
- Expeller pressed (cold-pressed) vegetable oils are an excellent vehicle for diluting essential oils before applying them to the skin—they help soothe, soften and nourish the skin at the same time. Avoid using solvent extracted oils (except grapeseed, see below) or oils with preservatives such as BHA and BHT
- Sweet almond oil is one of the most popular skin care carrier oils because it can be used on all types of skin and is very economical.
- When choosing carrier oils, you can match the properties of the carrier oil to your skin type benefits of the essential oil to be applied.
- For example, when making massage oil for dry skin, you might choose frankincense or carrot seed essential oil in a base of avocado and olive oils. For oily skin, it would be better to choose grapeseed or jojoba as carrier oils.
- Other factors to consider when choosing carrier oils for a particular application are the color and the aroma. To make a soothing foot balm, the rich green color and distinctive aroma of an unrefined olive oil might be acceptable but for making a blend for cosmetic use, lighter, odorless oils such as almond or grapeseed are better.
5
Q
Sweet Almond Oil
A
- is cold-pressed from the same almonds we eat.
- It is neutral in color and aroma and is economical.
- It is also good for all skin types, rich in protein and very soothing and lubricating on dry, irritated or itchy skin.
- Massage therapists like it because it provides just the right amount of glide.
6
Q
Apricot Kernel Oil
A
- pressed from the pits of apricots
- It is pale yellow in color and has a faint aroma
- This nourishing oil is especially good for prematurely aged, sensitive or inflamed skin
- Because it is a lighter oil than sweet almond, it is often used in body oils and lotions
7
Q
Avocado Oil
A
- a thick, luscious, penetrating oil, rich in vitamins and pressed from the avocado fruit
- It is dark green in color, has a pleasant aroma and is used on all types of skin.
- It is best when blended at 10 to 20% with lighter oils.
8
Q
Cocoa Butter
A
- made from the roasted cocoa bean and is solid at room temperature
- It is used in cosmetics and body lotions as a thickener
- It is skin softening and lubricating and melts on contact with skin, making it ideal for use in salves and balms.
9
Q
Coconut Oil
A
- high in saturated fats and closely resembles the fat found under human skin
- It is solid at room temperature so it’s usually warmed on low heat until it melts and then blended with other oils at 10 to 50% concentration
- Especially good on damaged, dry, itchy or sensitive skin
10
Q
Grapeseed Oil
A
- solvent extracted from the seed of grapes
- Since this is one oil that is not available expeller pressed, some people may prefer to avoid using it. However, it is preferred by a number of massage therapists because it is a light, odorless oil and works well for all skin types. It is very penetrating, and its slight astringency helps to tighten and tone the skin.
11
Q
Jojoba Oil
A
- Jojoba Oil is actually a liquid wax rather than a fatty oil and is similar to the skin’s own sebum
- It forms a very thin, non-greasy protective layer upon application that rapidly penetrates the skin (without blocking pores), making it useful in nourishing formulas—but not by itself for massage.
- Jojoba is very healing and soothing when used on inflamed or irritated skin, and helpful in all sorts skin conditions.
- It is generally blended at levels of 10 to 20% with other oils.
- Because it’s a wax, it is very stable when blended with other oils and helps extend their shelf life.
12
Q
Olive Oil
A
- a wonderfully soothing oil—great for dry or inflamed skin.
- Olive oil is often blended with other oils at 10 to 50%.
- It’s also a great oil to use as a base for making herb-infused oils for use in salves or medicinal oils.
- Olive oil is loaded with vitamin E, and it has the longest shelf life of any of the natural vegetable oils.
13
Q
Rosehip Seed Oil
A
- very rich and often used on dry, scaly, burned or scarred skin.
- It should not be used on blemished, oily or acne-prone skin.
- Because of its high cost, it’s generally blended with other oils at a rate of 10 to 20%.
14
Q
Sesame Seed Oil
A
- a thick oil used for softening and rejuvenating all types of skin.
- It’s often blended with other oils at 10 to 20%.
- Long used in Ayurveda as a base for medicinal preparations, sesame seed oil contains a natural preservative that helps prevent rancidity.
15
Q
Shea Butter
A
- a semi-solid fat obtained from the seed of the fruit of the karate tree that grows in Western Africa.
- It’s used as a cosmetic on ageing, sensitive and damaged skin.
16
Q
Vitamin E
A
- is a natural anti-oxidant
- It’s added to natural skin care products (1 to 2%) to help extend their shelf life and for its beneficial anti-oxidant effects on the skin
- Vitamin E can be natural or synthetic. The natural forms are those that use a “d” as their prefix (as in d-alpha tocopherol), while the synthetic forms use a “dl” (dl-alpha tocopherol).
