Aromatherapy blending essential oil

Guide to aromatherapy blending

How to Blend Oils

An oil blend is made by mixing a few drops of essential oil with one of the carrier oils opposite. We all like different scents, and it is essential that the aroma of the blend appeals to you, or to the person you are going to massage. First, decide what effect you hope to achieve: do you want the aroma to sedate or revive, to energize or to calm? Do you want to use oils for their therapeutic properties or simply to pamper? Make a list of essential oils suited to your requirements. Select two or three from your list - good blends usually combine all three notes: top (gives the initial scent), middle (adds body to the blend), and base (released last, this gives the lingering scent). The general rule is that a little is best: a weak blend of oils often smells better and is therefore more effective than a stronger blend.

Choose a combination of essential oils. (You can also try this with simple fragrance oils.) You can choose based on having at least one top note, middle note, and base note, or just choose several oils that you think will go well together. This is all about experimentation.
Open the oils and the small glass jar. You may be able to get a preview of your scent blend merely by having the three bottles open at the same time. One at a time, dip the tip of a clean cotton swab into the fragrance or essential oil. Squeeze any excess oil from the swab on the lip of the bottle. Place the swab in the glass jar.
Repeat for each of the essential oils you want to add to the blend.
Make sure to write down each essential oil you include in the blend.
Walk away from the jar and wait a few minutes.
Come back to the jar and gently sniff the air above the jar. This will be the scent blend in its early stage of development. Take notes on your thoughts about it. Is one oil overpowering the others? Do two of them seem too similar to tell apart?
Put the lid on the jar and leave it in a cool, dark place. After a few hours, open the jar and smell the blend again. The scent should have mixed further and "matured" a bit. Take further notes on your thoughts about the blend.
Put the lid back on the jar and leave it again in a cool, dark place. After about 48 hours, open the jar and smell it again. The scent blend should be fully mixed and "matured" by now. Take further notes about the blend.
Make corrections to your blend. Perhaps try two parts of oil A and one part of oil B. Or add some oil D to your blend of A, B, and C. Try the blend again until you find the perfect combination. Last, but not least, try the blend in a candle or soap, or with an oil carrier and take notes on how it works in them.

Tips: Try to get equal amounts of fragrance or essential oil on each cotton swab, and make sure your they are completely clean - or else you'll risk contaminating your essential oils.

Instead of cotton swabs, you can use an eye dropper or disposable pipette and a paper towel, but you must use a fresh dropper or pipette for each essential oil. Don't stick your nose into the jar to smell the blend. Let the scent rise from out of the jar.

Sniffing coffee beans or ground coffee will cleanse your scent receptors. (Yes, just like cleansing your palate.) Sniff some coffee beans in between tests and you'll get a more accurate reading on the scents.

Experiment, experiment, experiment! Don't be afraid to try odd combinations, or combinations that don't adhere to the top-middle-base note ideal. Above all, be sure to take good notes!

What You Need: An assortment of essential or fragrance oils
A small jar with an airtight lid
At least one clean cotton swab for each scent oil in the blend
A notebook to record your results

Aromatherapy Essential Oils An Inheritance Well Acclaimed

Title: Aromatherapy Essential Oils - An Inheritance Well Acclaimed

Author: Bryan Josling

Article :
The use of essential oils, which is derived from the pure essence of a plant, is not new. Though the term aromatherapy was coined only in the 1920s (by Gattefossé in 1928), people knew of aromatherapy essential oils from the prehistoric times. Starting from the Chinese to Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Persian and Indian civilizations, each have added to the science of essential oils and to aromatherapy as a whole.

Research still continues in the field of aromatherapy essential oils, with new developments being made in the field. Aromatherapy and essential oils are no longer limited to cosmetic or aromatic uses only. Many of the essential oils have been proved to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits too. Take lavender oil for instance. French chemist Gattefossé would have been unaware of the properties of lavender oil to give instant relief without any scar in cases of burn, until he burnt his hand and accidentally put his hand in the jar full of the essence of lavender. Similarly, there are a large number of essential oils that have medicinal properties. The 'tulsi' plant or Indian basil, distinct through its strong aroma and taste, is considered "the elixir of life" since it is thought to bring longevity. The use of the plant's extracts is made to treat illnesses like headaches, inflammation, heart disease, and malaria. The essential oils derived from 'karpoora tulsi' have found use in the manufacture of herbal toiletry.

Essential oils are derived from almost every part of the plant. Leaves, stems, flowers, roots, etc are distilled through steam or water to result into essential oils. Consequently, aromatherapy essential oils contain the true essence of the plant. In its purest form, a few drops of essential oil can give the same results that loads of that plant would have given. This is because essential oils are available in concentrated form.

Though referred to as oil, essential oils in aromatherapy do not give that oily feeing. Except for a few oils such as patchouli, orange and lemongrass, most oils are clear and see-through.

Aromatherapy essential oils must be differentiated from the perfume or fragrance oils. While essential oils contain the purest essence of the plant, fragrance oils are made of artificially created substances as a whole or a part of it. Fragrance oils may cause allergies or other skin reaction because of the use of artificial substances; but the use of essential oils brings upon no such allergic reaction.

Aromatherapy essential oils can be used by people either through inhalation or by applying them on skin in a diluted form. When essential oils are inhaled, they enter the bloodstream and lungs directly, thus producing an instant effect on the ailment.

Applying aromatherapy essential oils on the body is good for absorption. Since essential oils are available in a concentrated form, they need to be diluted using carrier oil. Sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, grape seed oil, etc are blended with the essential oil; and the mixture is used on the body or the part that is afflicted. One needs to be very careful while purchasing an essential oil. Though readily available, people are not well equipped to differentiate between the good quality and poor quality essential oil. The following checklist might be helpful to all those people who are on their way shopping for aromatherapy essential oils:

* A vendor who allows you to check the essential oil is preferred more. * If the bottle containing essential oils has terms such as fragrance oils, nature identical oils; they are not essential oils. * Never buy a bottle of essential oil that seems old. It might be adulterated or just might not produce the medicinal benefits. * A clear glass bottle of essential oils allows light to come in, thus reducing its aroma therapeutic benefits. Avoid buying essential oils that are sold in clear glass bottles. * Essential oils sold in plastic bottles too must be avoided as it dissolves plastic and becomes contaminated for use.

About the author:

Bryan Josling is working with the Horticultural Research Station in Adelaide. He has also been involved with research on plants. To find Aromatherapy essential oils, essential massage oils, essential oils wholesale visit http://www.ndaroma.com

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Guide to aromatherapy blending

Aromatherapy Essential Oils An Inheritance Well Acclaimed