Blending essential oils for beginners

Hello everyone!

Last Sunday I posted An introduction to aromatherapy and I told you that I was planning to post more on this subject.  In this post, I will give you a basic guide to blending essential oils.  Have you ever wanted to make your own essential oil blend but felt totally lost on where to begin?  Perhaps you want to make a solid perfume or a diffuser blend with an appealing smell. 

Essential oils are often grouped together based on their aromas, and these groups are called categories.  Some oils fit into more than one category.  Here are some examples of specific essential oils and the categories they fall into...

Essential oil categories

• Floral: Chamomile, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Neroli, Rose, Violet
• Exotic: Palmarosa, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang
• Resinous: Benzoin, Camphor, Fir Needle, Frankincense, Galbanum, Myrrh, Vanilla Absolute
• Spicy: Aniseed, Bay, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Ginger, Nutmeg
• Woody: Cedarwood, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Myrtle, Pine, Rosewood, Tea Tree
• Herbal: Angelica, Basil, Carrot Seed, Celery, Clary Sage, Dill, Fennel, Marjoram, Peppermint, Rosemary, Thyme
• Citrus: Citronella, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Mandarin, Orange, Tangerine, Verbena

Generally, oils within the same category blend well together.  Floral oils typically mix well with exotic, citrus, or spicy scents, while citrus blends nicely with spicy, floral and herbal oils.  Woody oils usually blend well with every fragrance category.

Feel free to experiment with your own cross-category blends, you never know what fragrances you may discover!

Related posts:

An introduction to aromatherapy

DIY: Solid perfume

DIY: Vegan solid perfume