Basic Blending & Dilution
Once you become more familiar with the properties of various essential oils, you may decide to start blending your favorites and experimenting with different scent and therapeutic combination.
Remember that when you blend essential oils, you create a completely new compound with a new set of properties. Pay careful attention to how essential oils influence your body and each other.
Some essential oils intensify the others properties. For example, when you blend chamomile with lavender, you actually intensify chamomile’s anti-inflammatory power. This is called a synergistic blend.
Other essential oils, adaptogens, are particularly balancing. They are great at bringing the body back to a healthy state. For instance, peppermint essential oil can work as both a stimulant and a relaxant, while Hyssop can normalize both high and low blood pressure.
As you learn more about essential oils and their properties, experiment by blending them together and noticing their effect on each other and on your body. If you’re using them in a bath, foot soak, or for steam inhalation, just be sure you adhere to these general dosage guidelines:
- For a bath, use six to eight drops of essential oil
- For a foot or hand soak, use two to three drops of essential oil
- For steam inhalation, add two to three drops of essential oil to a bowl of hot water
Remember; don’t apply a pure essential oil directly to skin. If you want to create a special blend for a massage, you’ll first need to dilute the essential oils in a base, or carrier oil. Just remember that the pure essential oils should only comprise 1.5%-3% of the total; the rest of the dilution should be comprised of the carrier oil. If you are elderly, pregnant, or very sensitive, stay at the lower end of that range.
In order to preserve quality, use cold-pressed vegetable oil as your carrier oil whenever possible. (Many found at the grocery store have been chemically processed.) Some excellent choices for carrier oils include:
- Sweet almond oil
- Apricot kernel oil
- Corn oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Hazelnut Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Soya Bean Oil
- Sunflower Oil
All are excellent for any skin type, and apricot kernel oil in particular is good for sensitive, dry, or inflamed skin.
Other carrier oils, including avocado pear, borage seed, carrot, evening primrose, jojoba, olive, sesame, and wheatgerm oil should not be used as 100% base oils. They need to be blended as a 10% dilution in other base oils.
We hope this gives you a basic overview of essential oil blends and dilutions and provides you with a useful foundation as you begin experimenting with your own concoctions!