I love to experiment in the kitchen but when it comes to blending essential oils and creating my own beauty treatments it is a case of safety first and then tried and tested second.

Before you get started it is important to consider how you intend to use the blend. Will you be using neat on your skin? Or in a diffuser? Or perhaps further diluting in a carrier oil to apply to your skin and or face?

Whatever the purpose there are some fairly basic principles that will ensure your safety but also save you precious oils.

In addition to considering the purpose of your blend It is also important to consider the age of the user and any medical issues. For children, pregnant women and the elderly you really must take extra precaution with the oils you use in your blend and the dilution rate in any carrier oil if it is to be applied to the skin.

To help you I have compiled a general list of blending rules that I have found most useful when blending oils for various uses.

BASIC BLEND RULES

Blend Type	Top	Middle	Base
Balance Blend – Single Oil Blend	1:1 ratio meaning 1 drop each of your top notes	1:1 ratio meaning 1 drop each of your middle notes	1:1 ratio meaning 1 drop each of your base notes
Basic Synergy Blend	3 drops	5 drops	2 drops
Basic 1,2,3 Rule	3 drops	2 drops	1 drop

BASIC DILUTION RATES OF ESSENTIAL OILS IN CARRIER OIL BY AGE

Purpose	Face %	Bath %	Massage %
Adults	1%	up tp 4%	2%
Children	0.25%	up tp 2%	1%
Baby	Not Recommended	0.5%	0.25%

PREPARING BLENDS IN CARRIER OILS – DILUTION RATES

The table below provides a guide for how many drops of essential oil you will need to make up an exact dilution factor. Be sure to use a standard pippette and or check to make sure your drops do in fact match up with the standard measurement being 20 drops = 1ml.

Where there is a fraction drop rate such as 0.75 drops in 5ml of carrier oil you could either round it up for 1 drop for a dilution rate of 0.75 or multiply the carrier oil so that the quantity equals 1 drop.

	Quantity of Carrier Oil
	5ml	10ml	15ml	20ml	25ml	30ml	50ml	100ml
0.5%	0.75	1.5	2.25	3	3.75	4.5	7.5	15
1%	1.5	3	4.5	6	7.5	9	15	30
1.5%	2.25	4.5	6.75	9	11.25	13.5	22.5	45
2%	3	6	9	12	15	18	30	60
2.5%	3.75	7.5	11.25	15	18.75	22.5	37.5	75
3%	4.5	9	15.75	18	22.5	27	45	90
3.5%	5.25	10.5	18	21	26.25	31.5	52.5	105
4%	6	12	20.25	24	30	36	60	120
4.5%	6.75	13.5	22.5	27	33.75	40.5	67.5	135
5%	7.5	15	22.5	30	37.5	45	75	150
	Number of Drops of Essential Oil Required to Make Up Exact Dilution

BLENDING BY SCENT CATEGORY

The table below is a good reference for what kinds of scents blend well together. Of course it is always a good idea to start with single drops and to build your blend from there.