If you’ve ever tried to mix a few of your essential oils together to create a blend, then you know how important it is to understand how much of each product you should use. When I first started blending with essential oils, I would get so excited about formulation. I would purchase my apothecary amber glass bottle to create my mixture and then I would carefully fill the bottle with a jojoba carrier oil. I would then guess how many drops of my favorite essential oils to use. The result was terrible. It was either so strong that I felt like If I applied the mix I was going to stink up the room, or so light that I would continue to add more drops into my creation using most of the essential oil bottle. Since I was also interested in the therapeutic benefit and not just the scent, I knew I had to be wasting the essential oil or perhaps causing a safety concern.

I began to learn the Aromatic Strength of a particular essential oil and the concept of the top, middle, and bottom notes which is how the scent may change over time due to air exposure. Many experts talk about Blending Weights or Blending Factors and how to use this formula as you create your aromatic products for both therapeutic benefits and aroma. It requires simple math but the end result is worth it.  

For the beginner, it can be as simple as selecting 2-3 essential oils and sniff each one individually with your nose. Which smells the most potent? Which has the lightest scent? How many drops do you want to use of each essential oil? Where on your body do you plan on using the blend? How big is the bottle you are using? What therapeutic benefit are you seeking? These questions help us figure out how much to use based on the intended purpose.

If you are interested in learning more about blending, I am teaching an upcoming class on Introduction to Blending with Essential Oils Saturday, June 22 from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Amityville Apothecary. In this class, we will go deeper into understanding how to blend for your goal. Space is limited, registering in advance at http://bit.ly/2QkWBM5

Here’s a recipe I created that showcases the importance of Blending Factor. This recipe takes into consideration the top, middle, and base note and the therapeutic benefits of the essential oils. In this recipe I formulated for relaxation and sleep.

Sleep Body Oil Recipe:

Equipment

• Medium size glass Pyrex Cup
• Metal spoon or glass stirring rod
• 1-ounce glass dropper bottle
• Small Pipette or funnel for ease of transferring body oil into glass dropper bottle

Carrier oil:  about .80 of an of Jojoba carrier oil (about 1.5 Tablespoons)

Essential oils:

Vetiver (base note) 4 drops

Lavender (mid-note) 6 drops

Orange (top-note) 8 drops

Instructions:

• Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon.
• Pour into a sterile dropper bottle/s, if properly stored this body oil will last up to 6 months or longer.
• Make sure to write date and ingredients on a label to attach to a dropper bottle.
• With clean fingertips, gently massage on oil on the neck, arms, stomach or chest. Avoid mouth, eyes, and open wounds.
• Recommended for nighttime use only. Do not use in the daytime if you have used orange essential oil. 

Jill Griffin-Hughes, founder of FlourishAromatherapy.com is a Clinical Aromatherapist and Certified Aromatherapy Teacher through the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. She attended the Life Coach School, the Health Coach Institute, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, is a certified meditation instructor and received her health practitioner certification (CHP) through SUNY Purchase. She teaches natural beauty product formulation, aromatherapy, and corporate wellness workshops at New York School for Aromatic Studies and at the Amityville Apothecary, in Amityville, NY. Jill also consults to wellness, essential oil, and natural beauty companies, aiding them in the creation of their product formulations.