Mixing Essential Oils for Magic: Aromatic Alchemy for Personal Blends (6 page)

4%

Begin mixing your essential and carrier oils at a 2% dilution by putting 10 ml (milliliters) of carrier oil in a clean bottle and then adding 4 drops of your blend. Take another clean bottle and try a 3% dilution with 10 ml of carrier oil and 6 drops of your blend. Take a whiff of each dilution and then take notes. Experiment with varying amounts and dilution ratios, and keep in mind the specific use of the oil especially if it is to be used on the body.

Table 2.4 Quick Guide for Dilution Ratios in10 ml of Carrier Oil

Ratio

.5%

1%

1.5%

2%

2.5%

3%

Essential Oil

1 drop

2 drops

3 drops

4 drops

5 drops

6 drops

Hydrosols can also be blended together, but unlike essential oils they do not require a carrier oil. Simply mix and they are ready to go. Because they are less concentrated than essential oils and less expensive, it’s common to work in larger quantities measuring them in milliliters instead of drops. As with the oils, use separate droppers to avoid inadvertent mixing. Hydrosols are water based and must be kept in air-tight bottles to prevent air-born contamination just like any type of water. Even when stored in the fridge, if they don’t look or smell good and fresh, throw them away.

Here’s an easy way to make your own flower water with a single oil or a blend: Put

100ml (about 3 ½ ounces) of spring water in a bottle and then add 20 to 30 drops of essential oil. Give it a few days before using. Even though the essential oil won’t dissolve, it will impart fragrance to the water.

Once you have created several blends you might want to start a recipe box just like the good old-fashioned ones for kitchen recipes. Refer back to your notes and then write out a card for each blend. You could also create blend charts on your computer and print them out. Include the name of your blend and perhaps the date you created it, the amount of 32 Getting Started

and type of carrier oil you used, and then list each essential oil and the number of drops for each. Over time you will find that this not only saves you time, but it will also become a source of inspiration when you are thinking of creating another blend.

Before moving on I want to explain my notations. In some cases, more than one oil is produced from a plant. For example, oil is extracted from the bark of cinnamon trees as well as its leaves. Where it is important to make a distinction I have noted cinnamon (
bark
oil
) or cinnamon (
leaf oil
). Otherwise, just cinnamon refers to both oils. Likewise for other oils where more than one species, such as chamomile, is represented in this book. When a specific one is referenced, it is noted as chamomile (
German
) or chamomile (
Roman
).

Where a reference is made to both, just chamomile will appear.

Safety Guidelines

Before starting our in-depth study of blending methods, let’s talk about safety. Essential oils, like plants, may be dangerous and harmful if used improperly. This is why it is important to store them out of reach of children. Pregnant women should take extra care, read and heed warning information. Avoid rubbing your eyes or handling your contact

lens if you have oil on your fingers as some oils may irritate eyes and damage contacts.

If you get essential oil in your eye, flush it with cold milk to dilute the oil. As previously mentioned, the fatty lipids in milk act the same as carrier oils. Since essential oils are not water soluble, water would only spread the oil around. Also, avoid getting oil vapors in your eyes as that can also cause irritation.

Also as previously mentioned, do not add essential oils directly to bath water as they can irritate the skin. This can happen because essential oils will float, undiluted, on top of the water. Essential oils should not be taken internally without the advice of a physician or trained health care provider.

As I have stressed, essential oils must be diluted before use. This is especially true for use on the body with lavender being the only exception. Sandalwood and ylang-ylang are considered very gentle and often used neat for perfume, however, it is important to do a patch test on the skin first and check any other warning information before doing so.

To do a patch test, put a couple of drops of essential oil on your wrist and then cover it loosely with an adhesive bandage. After a couple of hours remove the bandage and check for any redness or signs of irritation. If these occur, rinse the area with cold milk. You may try the test again at another time or on the other wrist with the essential oil diluted in a carrier oil. If you have sensitive skin, it is advisable to do a patch test with all diluted Getting Started 33

oils, especially for those listed in the safety guidelines section below. As previously noted, hydrosols should not be used in place of flower essence remedies as they are not processed or prepared for internal use.

The following table lists the general warnings and safety issues of some essential oils.

While there are exceptions and each person may react differently to various oils, it is best to err on the side of caution. Read manufacturers’ labels and when in doubt, don’t use a particular oil. People with epilepsy or other seizure disorders and those with high blood pressure should consult their doctors before using essential oils. You may also want to consult your pediatrician before using essential oils on children.

Table 2.5 Safety Guidelines

Dermal/Skin Irritation
—These allspice, anise, basil, birch, cajeput, caraway, oils may cause irritation to the cedarwood, chamomile, cinnamon, citronella, clove, skin especially if used in high

eucalyptus, ginger, juniper, lemon, lemon balm,

concentrations.

lemongrass, orange, parsley, pepper, peppermint,

pine, tagetes, thyme, turmeric

Diabetes
—Avoid use of this oil angelica

Epilepsy or Seizure Disorders
—

basil, camphor, fennel, hyssop, lavender (
spike
),

These oils should be avoided.

rosemary, sage (
common
)

Hazardous
—These oils should cassia, cinnamon (
bark oil
), fennel (
bitter
), mugwort, not be used on the skin.

oregano, sage (
common
), savory

High Blood Pressure
—Avoid

hyssop, peppermint, pine, rosemary, sage (
common
),

these oils

thyme

Homeopathy
—These oils

camphor, eucalyptus, pepper, peppermint

should not be used when

undergoing homeopathic

treatment

Moderation
—Use these oils in

anise, basil, bay, camphor, cedarwood (
Virginia
),

moderation

cinnamon (
leaf
), clove, coriander, eucalyptus, fennel

(
sweet
), hops, hyssop, juniper, marjoram, nutmeg,

parsley, pepper, peppermint, sage (
common, Spanish
),

star anise, tagetes, tarragon, thyme, turmeric,

valerian

34 Getting Started

Table 2.5 Safety Guidelines (continued)

Orally Toxic

eucalyptus, mugwort, sage (
common
), tarragon

Photosensitivity
—These oils

angelica (
root oil
), bergamot, cumin, ginger, lemon,

may cause a rash or dark

lime, lovage, mandarin, orange (
bitter
)

pigmentation on skin exposed

to sunlight within a few days

after application

Pregnancy
—The following

angelica, anise, basil, bay, camphor, cassia,

oils should be avoided during

cedarwood, celery, cinnamon, citronella, clary sage,

pregnancy

clove, cumin, fennel, hyssop, juniper, labdanum,

lovage, marjoram, myrrh, nutmeg, oregano,

parsley, peppermint, rose, rosemary, snakeroot,

sage (
Spanish
), savory, star anise, tarragon, thyme,

turmeric

Abortifacient
: mugwort, sage (
common
)

Sensitization
—In addition to

bay, benzoin, cananga, celery, fennel, geranium,

the listing for dermal/skin

ginger, hops, jasmine, lemon balm, litsea, lovage,

irritation, these oils may cause storax, tea tree, thyme, turmeric, valerian, yarrow, irritation for people with

ylang-ylang

sensitive skin

Sample Blend

This is an example of blending by botanical family. Members of the citrus family work so well together that it’s hard to go wrong with them.

Prosperity and Well-Being Blend

Sweet orange: 12 drops

Grapefruit: 12 drops

Mandarin: 11 drops

Bergamot: 7 drops

Lemon: 4 drops

I like to use this blend as a house blessing and since I usually have a seasonal wreath on the front door that is where I place it. All five oils are associated with well-being and Getting Started 35

strength. Grapefruit, lemon, and orange are associated with abundance, and bergamot

and mandarin with prosperity. I also like to use this blend indoors with a tea light diffuser, especially during the winter, to freshen the house and get energy moving. Bergamot,

grapefruit, lemon, and orange are associated with energy and mandarin with happiness.

Now that you know how to mix oils and have had a sneak peek at a botanical family

blend, let’s move on and explore this method first.

C H A P T E R 3

Blending by Botanical Family

Now that you know the basics of mixing, let’s begin our exploration into how to choose oils that go together. Most books, including this one, provide lists of intentions and powers along with their corresponding essential oils. However, just because oils are listed together does not mean that they will necessarily mix and smell good together. This is where understanding the fundamental methods of selection and blending can be enormously helpful to avoid hit or miss experimentation.

Similarity and compatibility in chemical makeup accounts for oils blending well. As

mentioned in the previous chapter, the maturing process of a blend involves the breaking up of some molecules and re-forming of new ones. When this works in harmony it’s

called a synergy. However, chemical compounds can also inhibit each other, which is why some basic knowledge can go a long way.

Blending according to botanical family is an approach used in food preparation for

combing herbs or spices that create well-rounded flavors. A simple example of this is the combination of the popular pizza herbs basil, oregano, and thyme, which are all from the
Lamiaceae
(mint) family. This approach works for fragrances, too, and it is the first one we will explore.

Botanical Families and Names

Botanical families are based on the physiological characteristics of a plant’s development and structure. Originally plants were classified into simple intuitive categories. Later, classifications were based on scientific study, but for several centuries plants were named by different botanists without a logical standard. That began to change when Swedish naturalist, Carl Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linné, (1707–1778) developed a system that 37

38 Blending by Botanical Family

became the foundation for the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Over time as new knowledge about plants emerged, their names were changed to reflect the new

data. This is one reason why we find synonyms in botanical names as the antiquated ones were kept to aid in identification. Another reason is scientific disagreement.

In addition to changes due to updated information, the logical rules for naming plants is periodically revised. For example, the ending “aceae” was added to family names, with a few exceptions, to distinguish them from orders, classes, and other levels within the naming structure. And if you’ve wondered why these names are in Latin, it’s because during Linnaeus’ time Latin was a common language that people doing this work could share.

Table 3.1 The Basic Hierarchy of Plants

Kingdom

Phylum/Division

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

While Table 3.1 illustrates the basic 7-level hierarchy of plant classification, the full modern taxonomy has at least 16 levels, which includes super- divisions and orders, sub-classes and families, and more. For simplicity, we will deal mostly with family, genus, and species for identifying oils. Because of the confusion, overlap, and regional use of common names. Of course, the Latin names can be confusing, too, but if we break down the information we can demystify and understand them.

The two-word plant names that we find at garden centers and in books are the genus

and species of the plant. As you can see from Table 3.1, these are classifications within botanical families. The first of the two words is the genus name, which is a proper noun and always capitalized. The genus for yarrow is
Achillea
in honor of the Greek hero Achilles. The second word is the species and it is an adjective that provides a little description about the plant. For example in a type of yarrow,
Achillea millefolium,
the word
millefolium
indicates a leaf of many parts (
mille
meaning thousands and
folium
foliage). Also, an “x” in a name indicates that the plant is a hybrid. For example,
Achillea
x
taygetea
.

Blending by Botanical Family 39

Occasionally you may see a third word in a name preceded with “var” indicating that

it is a variety of that species. For example,
Achillea millefolium
var
pacifica
is a variety that grows on the Northwest coast of North America. Sometimes a variety is called a subspe-cies, however, this term is often regarded as a gray area. In addition, you may see a third word written in single quotes, such as
Achillea millefolium “
Red Beauty,” which indicates that it is a cultivar created in the garden and not found in the wild. The more modern cultivar names are written in English instead of Latin. Following the two or three word name you may also see a letter or sometimes a person’s last name, which identifies the individual who named the plant. For example, an L following a plant name means that the plant name was bestowed by Linneaus himself.