aromatherapy

Does anyone mix their own essential oils to make aromatherapy?
I am thinking of giving a try but so confused. There are so many scents. One site mentioned having a base,middle and top note in a recipe but all the recipes I am reading don't have all three. I am looking at buying a few bottles and trying to figure out what scents I need which means looking at recipes. ahh my head is spinning.

I used to have a home business where I made bath and skin care products (including soaps) and gift baskets.

Scent blending is not something you learn overnight and the learning process is ongoing. It also requires a very good sense of smell.

I did a google search that might help you understand what scents are considered top, middle and base.

Top

Middle

Base

Here is another link which I think you might find interesting. It talks about what makes a good perfumer.

http://www.perfumes.com/eng/perfumes.htm

Now I am more confused. I have see vanilla in all 3 notes now. haha

Vanilla is typically a base note. Its scent is long lasting and tends to linger.

As I said, perfuming is a complicated endeavour

Try this link
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/fragrance-notes.htm

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Vanilla is typically a base note. Its scent is long lasting and tends to linger.

As I said, perfuming is a complicated endeavour

Try this link
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/fragrance-notes.htm

Click to expand...

ahh I was there already. lol It's the picking 6 scents that's killing me. The one person I am gifting to has cancer. This will be for a diffuser not skin treatment but some are Carcinogenic oils which is making this more complicated. Or at least I am making it more complicated.

Here are some air freshener recipes.

http://www.aromaweb.com/recipes/rafresh.asp

Part 2

http://www.aromaweb.com/recipes/aromatherapy-diffuser-recipes.asp

Good quality essential oils are expensive. If all you are interested in making is a diffuser, there are oodles of choices for ready made ones that can be found, and they are much, much, much cheaper in the long run.

You mentioned that you want something for someone with cancer. Don't make the "cancer" the focus. Give her a scent that she likes, but keep in mind that if she is in the hospital, any scents are obnoxious to the person in the next bed, and the staff. As well, if she is undergoing chemo, the scent could very well be nauseating to her.

I still have to figure out if you need all three notes in a recipe. That's the most confusing part. I ordered:
allspice
bergamot
lemon
blood orange
vanilla
lavender
jojoba carrier oil

I forgot eye droppers. I ordered from two sites and one doesn't come with a dropper. The other site where I ordered 2 items comes with an Euro dropped cap. lol

No, you don't need all 3 notes in your fragrance. However, you should have at least 2. For example, if you make a perfume out of all top notes, which are very fleeting, your nose will be assaulted with everything at once, and the scent won't be long lasting. Meaning you have to reapply it often.

The idea behind the different notes is so that the nose smells one thing initially, something else a little while later, and finally that long lingering scent in the end that gives the fragrance staying power.

However, if you are only wanting to make a diffuser, the reeds will continually renew the scent, so it doesn't matter if you use only a single frangrance, or a combination from each note, or even all from one note. It just depends on what you want to achieve.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

No, you don't need all 3 notes in your fragrance. However, you should have at least 2. For example, if you make a perfume out of all top notes, which are very fleeting, your nose will be assaulted with everything at once, and the scent won't be long lasting. Meaning you have to reapply it often.

The idea behind the different notes is so that the nose smells one thing initially, something else a little while later, and finally that long lingering scent in the end that gives the fragrance staying power.

However, if you are only wanting to make a diffuser, the reeds will continually renew the scent, so it doesn't matter if you use only a single frangrance, or a combination from each note, or even all from one note. It just depends on what you want to achieve.

Click to expand...

Sweet Thanks!

There are some great books out on aromatherapy. We worked a little with essential oils in my massage therapy course. One in particular is The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless.
You should be able to get droppers at a pharmacy or where you purchase your oils. It is good if you have a local place where you can get your oils, they should be able to offer some good tips.
My personal blend is 4 oz carrier oil
10 drops peppermint
10 drops clary sage
10 drops lavender
5 drops patchouli
5 drops rosemary
This was for massage oil, but I still use it in a diffuser, sometimes even a drop or two for cologne, or even to make my cab smell good. My teacher liked, she gave me an "A."
I hope you enjoy your working with oils, I love it, even though I have occasionally come up with something that did not smell good at all.