Aromatherapy Guide to Essential Oils - Simplers Botanicals

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22 BlEndinG Basics Creating your own fragrances is a playful art requiring little more than intuition, imagination, a passion for aroma, and attention to a few simple guidelines. There are no real rules as to which oils blend well together, so feel free to experiment! But remember, your blend will be greatly enhanced by using the highest quality pure plant essential oils you can find. Start small, mixing no more than 2 to 5 oils per blend and blending drop by drop. To get a feel for particular combinations of oils, put the bottle caps together and smell them, or use small strips of coffee filter or blotter paper. Working in a warm room will enhance the aromatic qualities of the oils. If your oil bottles are not equipped with dropper tops, measure oils with a glass dropper, rinsing it in grain alcohol or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and wiping it off between each oil. Extremely thick oils, such as benzoin and vetiver, may need to be diluted with a little grain alcohol, such as Everclear, before blending. Scents are categorized as top, middle, or base notes. These categories are based on oil evaporation rates and some essential oils can fit into more than one. Most professional fragrance blends are composed of a balance of oils from these three different categories. Again, there are no rules about which oils belong in which category or how much of each to use, so it is up to your nose and your intuition! This is the art of blending fragrant oils. top notes (5% to 20% of the blend) have the fastest evaporation rates. These are sharp, penetrating scents that you notice first when you smell a blend, and include citrus, needle oils, lemongrass, palmarosa, eucalyptus and mints. In general, top notes are considered stimulating, light, and refreshing. middle notes (50% to 80%) are soft and balanced and usually make up the majority of a blend. They include oils like roman chamomile, lavender, geranium, coriander, neroli, pepper, clary sage, rose and petitgrain. Middle notes are considered harmonizing. Base notes (5% to 20%) Having the lowest evaporation rates, base notes are deep and heavy and are used in blends as fixatives (see glossary). Many are resins, gums or woods and may be quite viscous (thick). Base notes, which are considered relaxing, include cedar, benzoin, balsam peru, myrrh, spikenard, sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine and ylang. Allow blends to age a week or more before adding them to carrier oils. If you don’t immediately love your creation, be patient. Blends undergo great transformations as they age, and over time your ‘mistake’ could evolve into an aromatic treasure. Store your finished blend in as small a bottle as possible, preferably amber or cobalt blue glass. Blends, and all essential oils, should be kept in a cool place away from direct sun. To make a perfume, mix the blend with a small amount of vegetable oil (jojoba is ideal), distilled grain or grape alcohol. Be sure to keep detailed notes and label all of your blends so you can reproduce your successes or adjust blends that do not satisfy you. Keep in mind that essential oils tend to vary somewhat from crop to crop, so a reproduced blend may differ slightly from your original.
Glossary of tErms adaptogenic: Helps skin and body cope with stress. analgesic: Reduces or eliminates pain. anaphrodisiac: Lessens or mellows erotic feelings. antibacterial: Assists the body in resisting or destroying infectious bacteria. antidepressant: Helps uplift mood. antifungal: Assists the body in resisting or destroying fungal organisms, such as yeast. antineuralgic: Helps soothe nerve pain (neuralgia). anti-inflammatory: Reduces heat, redness, and swelling associated with inflammation. antirheumatic: A general term for an agent that helps ease arthritic symptoms, such as musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. antiseptic: Inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. All essential oils show some degree of antiseptic action. antispasmodic: Eases muscular spasms or cramps. antiviral: Assists the body in resisting invasion of viruses or relieving accompanying symptoms. aphrodisiac: Enhances or stimulates erotic feelings. astringent: Contracts, firms, and strengthens skin and other tissue; reduces secretions. carminative: Promotes digestion and peristalsis; assists in expulsion of intestinal gas. couperose: Red, ‘spider-veined’ skin due to weakened or broken capillaries. Emollient: Softens, soothes and protects especially dry or chapped skin. Euphoric: Promotes a sense of well-being. Expectorant: Promotes elimination of excess respiratory mucous. fixative: A viscous (thick) oil with a very low evaporation rate; used in perfumery to stabilize and increase the ‘staying power’ of a blend. humectant: Helps skin retain moisture mucolytic: Helps fluidify (dissolve) mucous. neat: To apply undiluted, directly on skin nervine: Having an effect on the nervous system (for example, a sedative or stimulant). photosensitizing, phototoxic: May cause a skin reaction such as burning, irritation, or pigment change upon exposure to ultra-violet light (sunlight, tanning lights). regulating: Helps balance and normalize body functions. sedative: Relaxing, calming, soothing effects. sensitizing: Capable of producing an irritation or allergic reaction. stimulant: Invigorating, stimulating, energizing effects. tonic: Increases tone and vitality of skin, other organs or body systems. vulnerary: Affects wound healing, skin regenerative. 23
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Page 4 and 5: 4 how arE EssEntial oils madE? Esse
Page 6 and 7: 6 practical applications of EssEnti
Page 8 and 9: 8 rose hydrosol skin types: dry, no
Page 10 and 11: 10 calEndula co2 Calendula officina
Page 12 and 13: 12 Eucalyptus E. globulus Penetrat
Page 14 and 15: 14 lEmon Citrus x limon ! Light,
Page 16 and 17: 16 pEppEr, BlacK Piper nigrum Fre
Page 18 and 19: 18 thymE, linalol Thymus vulgaris l
Page 20 and 21: 20 couGhs Simplers Sinus Oil, Inula
Page 24 and 25: 24 suGGEstEd rEadinG list Aromather
Page 26: PO Box 2534, Sebastopol, CA 95473 1

Aromatherapy Guide to Essential Oils - Simplers Botanicals

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