No matter how you choose to use aromatherapy, there are two basic techniques you should know:
- Dilution. Dilution is vital if you plan to apply essential oils to the skin or use them in the bath or shower. Most essential oils should not be used “neat,” or applied directly to the skin. They need to be diluted in a carrier oil or judiciously added to bathwater.
- Blending. As you get to know the different essential oils, you’ll want to start blending favorites to create new combinations. For example, ylang ylang is lovely on its own – but blend it with sweet orange and patchouli, and it becomes downright seductive.
Below, we’ll give you a primer on both blending and dilution. Remember that the information we share is a basic starting point for working with aromatherapy. There is always more to learn, refine, and master.
Dilution
Most essential oils have to be diluted before use. Except in rare cases, you shouldn’t apply a pure essential oil directly to skin. If you learn how to correctly dilute essential oils, you shouldn’t have a problem.
The basics of dilution:
- Essential oils can be diluted in a variety of carrier oils (we’ve listed some good options below). The best choices are cold-pressed vegetable oils. Be careful, since many of the oils found at grocery stores have been chemically processed and are not suitable for use in aromatherapy.
- Essential oils can also be diluted in water for an aromatic bath, foot soak, or steam inhalation. For a bath, use 6-8 drops of essential oil in the tub. For a foot soak, hand soak, or steam inhalation, use 2-3 drops of essential oil in the bowl.
- When diluting, remember that the pure essential oil should only make up 1.5%-3% of the dilution, which typically means just a few drops of an essential oil to an entire bowl of a carrier oil or tub of bathwater. If you’re elderly, pregnant, or very sensitive, stay at the bottom of that range.
Excellent choices for carrier oils:
- Sweet almond oil
- Apricot kernel oil (particularly good for sensitive, dry, or inflamed skin)
- Corn oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Hazelnut Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Soya Bean Oil
- Sunflower Oil
Other carrier oils, including borage seed, carrot, evening primrose, jojoba, olive, sesame, and wheatgerm oil should not be used pure. Instead, use them as a 10% dilution with other carrier oils.
Blending
When you blend essential oils, you create a completely new compound with a new set of properties.
Some essential oils intensify the therapeutic properties of other oils. For example, when you blend chamomile with lavender, you actually intensify chamomile’s anti-inflammatory power. This is called a synergistic blend.
You can find many examples of synergistic blends online, but part of the fun is in experimenting and creating your own. As you learn more about essential oils and their properties, start blending them and noting their effect on each other and on your body.
The basics of blending:
- Start small. Use only a few drops of each essential oil you plan to blend, to reduce waste.
- Dilute last. Combine the essential oils first, and, if you come up with a pleasing blend, add them to a carrier oil last.
- Take note. Because blending is a process of trial and error, you’ll want to keep detailed notes on the blends you create: how much of each essential oil you used, how you diluted the oils, when you created the blend, what the final outcomes was.
We hope this gives you a basic overview of essential oils blending and dilution. You should now have a useful foundation as you begin to experiment with your own concoctions!