How to Blend Your Own Essential Oil Formulas
Blending your own essential oil formulas can be very rewarding. By following a few basic rules and having the correct equipment on hand, you can save money and be assured your essential oil formula blends are 100% pure.
Rule number one is to buy only 100% pure essential oils from a reputable source. Although it never hurts to compare price, high quality essential oils tend to be on the pricier side, and the quality is well worth it. Over time you will develop an instinct for what is a high quality oil and what isn’t, but until you can judge for yourself, be scrupulous about your sources.
Never use essential oils directly on the skin. Essential oils are highly concentrated and should always be diluted in a carrier oil, alcohol, or distilled water. There are exceptions, such as lavender oil and vanilla absolute, but as a rule of thumb, dilute essential oils before using them directly on the skin.
Basic Blending Equipment
- Blending surface that is not wood: a synthetic cutting board works best
- Small, dark, glass bottles to hold formula blends
- Glass eyedroppers
- Small bottle of grain alcohol (Everclear) to clean eyedroppers between dispensing
Follow essential oil formula blends carefully; never use more than the recommended number of drops. When the essential oil formula is to be used on children, infants, pets, or the elderly, dilute them even more.
Most essential oils come in containers with a built in dropper for your convenience. However, there are many oils that do not flow easily, and you may want to remove the built in dropper and use your eyedropper. Make sure you purchase glass eyedroppers meant for use with essential oils.
Clean your glass eyedroppers with grain alcohol (not rubbing alcohol). Do not use soap and water to clean your eyedroppers. Essential oils, by their very nature, are oily and somewhat resinous in consistency. I use grain alcohol to clean my glass aromatherapy equipment, than follow up with soap and a long water rinse. I allow them to air dry on a clean surface before storing for later use.
Do not shake essential oils or essential oil blends. Gently roll the bottle between your hands for a few moments. Your essential oil blend should be allowed to “marry” for several days to allow the formula to truly blend before you dilute it. Roll the formula between your fingers and make sure it’s well blended after its cured.
Essential oils and blends should be stored in dark colored bottles with a tight seal. Most places that sell essential oils also sell bottles and other supplies, such as eyedroppers. I store all my aromatherapy supplies in a cool, dark place as a general rule.
Happy blending!
