Guest guest Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 In a message dated 4/20/2004 9:44:49 AM Pacific Standard Time, sunlvnbabe writes: > What I was wondering is how do you > know how many drops per each oil to add? Do you just do it based on > the top notes, etc., or based on properties of each oil? Hi and welcome to the list Blending is part art and part science. In order to know how much to add, you have to know your oils. I mean, you HAVE to KNOW your oils. Once you have played with them, smelled them, learned about them, it becomes pretty easy to figure out how much to use. In the meantime, here is a short outline... in one tablespoon of a carrier soloution, use a maximum of 10 drops of essential oils... that's a TOTAL of a combination... If it's a " hot " oil such as Black pepper, Ginger, clove bud etc... don't use more than a couple of drops. If it is a dazzling but light oil, such as the citrus' it can go up to 7to8 drops per tablespoon. If it is a sticky, resiny type oil, 4 to 6 drops maximum If it's a REALLY expensive oil, such as rose, helichrysum or Neroli, you don't need more than a drop (and thank goodness for that) If it's a " Heavy, musky " type oil, you wanna keep it down towards three to 5 drops per tablespoon and if you are combining them you want to make the total of the combination no more than 10 drops.... This is JUST a bare basic outline, but it will give you some idea. However, you REALLY need to get a good safety guideline to know which ones are MORE likely to cause your skin to burn or to cause an allergic reaction. Not having/knowing this information is playing with fire. Merrie Merrily Yours, Merriebell http://www.CandlesbyMerriebell.com Now pouring under the Waxing Moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 I go by a system called blending factors. Mind you this is for scent only not for dermal application. You can mix up a blend and then place a safe amount of a blend in a cream, bath salt etc though. Blending factors work like this ... Start with a maximum number of drops being 15 or 16 in your total blend. The blending FACTOR is determined as follows: strong/powerful/high character oils have low numbers i.e. Rose is a blending factor of 1 meaning you would use 1 drop of rose in a 15 drop blend. Remember this is just a guide. Personal preference ends up winning over all. Neroli 1 Jasmine 1 Lemongrass 1 Angelica 1 Peppermint 1 Roman and German Chamomile 1 In these oils 1 drop goes a VERY long way especially when you're trying to achieve a balance. Very soft/subtle oils have a higher number to them, meaning it takes more drops for them to stand up to other oils. Examples would be Bergamot 7-10 Cedarwood 7-8 Mandarin 7 Middle range scent would be: Frankincense 3-4 Geranium 3 Juniper 4 Lemon 4 Sandalwood 6 Petitgrain 6 Ylang 4 Keep in mind the balance can be as little as a one drop difference. Also, determining your blending factors can be a bit subjective. Some may not feel Ylang is a 4 and that it should be a 3-4 or a 3 drop max. The more you get to know your oils the better an idea you will get of how many drops can play nicely in a blend or take over the blend. Play with your blends and most importantly keep notes!!! This is the manner of blending that works best for me. It may not work best for you. The note system may work better in your perception. I hope this helps. If you want a bit more detail feel free to drop me a line and I'll be happy to answer your questions. Bill Seraphim's Touch http://store.seraphimstouch.com Essential Oils, Carrier Oils, Lotions, Body Butters and Bath Salts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Cheryl and all, I'm a novice too, and at this time not ready to purchase both those great books. Is there some info you can send us here on list (regarding what you are talkin about) ? Oh! Gosh, every body...please forgive us kindergarteners for not paying attention to previous posts...I bet you've been over this how many times? I promise to sit up and take note...or just tell me to shut up and buy the books. Thanks, Diana of Dewberry Hill Many times these aromatherapy novelists have taken the properties of the herb and applied it to the essential oil and this just is not the case. Cheryl Smith Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Thank you both, Merrie and Butch. I will look into Martin Watt's Plant Aromatics. I have heard a lot about it, and would love to get it right now, but I have to wait until the 15th of next month. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 On Apr 20, 2004, at 1:34 PM, seraphimstouch wrote: > I go by a system called blending factors. Mind you this is for scent > only > not for dermal application. You can mix up a blend and then place a > safe amount > of a blend in a cream, bath salt etc though. > > Blending factors work like this ... > > Start with a maximum number of drops being 15 or 16 in your total > blend. > > The blending FACTOR is determined as follows: > > strong/powerful/high character oils have low numbers i.e. > Rose is a blending factor of 1 meaning you would use 1 drop of rose in > a 15 > drop blend. Remember this is just a guide. Personal preference ends > up > winning over all. > Neroli 1 > Jasmine 1 > Lemongrass 1 > Angelica 1 > Peppermint 1 > Roman and German Chamomile 1 > > In these oils 1 drop goes a VERY long way especially when you're > trying to > achieve a balance. > > Very soft/subtle oils have a higher number to them, meaning it takes > more > drops for them to stand up to other oils. > > Examples would be > Bergamot 7-10 > Cedarwood 7-8 > Mandarin 7 > > Middle range scent would be: > Frankincense 3-4 > Geranium 3 > Juniper 4 > Lemon 4 > Sandalwood 6 > Petitgrain 6 > Ylang 4 > > Keep in mind the balance can be as little as a one drop difference. > Also, > determining your blending factors can be a bit subjective. Some may > not feel > Ylang is a 4 and that it should be a 3-4 or a 3 drop max. The more > you get to > know your oils the better an idea you will get of how many drops can > play > nicely in a blend or take over the blend. Play with your blends and > most > importantly keep notes!!! > > This is the manner of blending that works best for me. It may > not > work best for you. The note system may work better in your > perception. I hope > this helps. If you want a bit more detail feel free to drop me a line > and I'll > be happy to answer your questions. > > Bill > Seraphim's Touch > http://store.seraphimstouch.com > Essential Oils, Carrier Oils, Lotions, Body Butters and Bath Salts. > > > Bill, this was really fun and informative. It sort of reminds me of Marcel Lavabre's blending system. Yours is very simple and makes a lot of sense (is that I pun?). Anyhow, thanks for sharing. Sandi Thompson Force of Nature Aromatherapy Custom Blends for Your Well Being www.forceofnaturearomatherapy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Hi Justine, > Thanks Cheryl--I was beginning to think that my questions were just > too dumb to answer! LOL! ;-) What I was wondering is how do you > know how many drops per each oil to add? Do you just do it based on > the top notes, etc., or based on properties of each oil? Like if I > were going to make a blend with lavender and Roman chamomille, how > do I know how much of each to add? You can either guess .. or you can be safe by using Plant Aromatics http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html This concerns safety only .. its not about olfactory appreciation. Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com >>I mix my essential oils up in 5 or 10 ml bottles >>then use 2% or less in a blend that is going on >>the skin. I hope this helps a bit. >> >>===== >>Cheryl Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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