The Allure of Scent - Perfume Blending

Making your own personal blends for a signature perfume is a fascinating hobby. The possibilities are only limited by your creative limitations. Today, the perfume industry relies mainly on synthetic chemicals in “fragrance oils” to make the perfumes that you finds on the store shelves. Those perfumes have no therapeutic value because the life force of any plant cannot be reproduced in a lab. It happens quite often that the synthetic cause produces sensitivities for people who use them.

Creating your own perfumes from only pure, natural essential oils is a great pleasure. We are working with materials rich in therapeutic value, depth, beauty, character and elegance. The perfumes that you will make take their unique appeal from the natural complexity of the essential oils that we blend.

SAFETY!!!! Please remember that the essential oils still have the same properties and contra indications. Just because you are blending them for a perfume, the oils do not know that! The citrus oils are still photosensitive, toxic oils are still toxic and the contra indications still hold for pregnancies, epilepsy, high/low blood pressure and allergies.

Perfume making is very similar to the world of music because, perfumes, like music, evolve with time. The Notes are the volatile aromatic elements of the oils that react to each other and to our body chemistries in different ways and over different time. Perfumers usually try to blend a harmonious combination of notes (oils) that contribute to the whole composition.


There are three basic types of perfume blends:

1. Therapeutic
2. Environmental
3. Perfumery

You will need to decide which of the three basic types you want to blend.

You will need to determine what base you need. For perfumery, you might use a carrier oil like Jojoba.

You will need to decide whom the blend is for. Men and women tend to like different aromas. Young teenagers prefer something different than that of middle aged and/or older people. The reason for this is our changing body chemistry.

A well-balanced blend is composed of Top notes, Middle notes and Base notes, as in music.

The TOP NOTES are highly volatile, evaporate quickly and do not last very long (about 2 to 4 hours and include essential oils such as Citrus and Coriander). Top Notes are to be added LAST.

The MIDDLE NOTES last a little longer (about 4 to 6 hours) and include essential oils such as Lavender and Rosemary.

The BASE NOTES have a profound influence on the blend. They are very long lasting (come out 20 minutes to 2 hours later) and at the same time, fix other essences. This means they slow down the volatility rate of the Top and Middle Notes thus improving on the staying power of the blend. A good example of a Base Note essential oil is Sandalwood as it is regarded as a good fixative because it harmonizes well as a background to a wide variety of blends.

TOP NOTES
This note gives the initial impression of the blend·Scent is fresh, light, sharp
Invigorating effect on the mind and body·Notes are very volatile, evaporating quickly
Add last to blend
Examples of Top Notes include Citrus, mints, basil, clary sage, bergamot, lemon, orange, ginger, eucalyptus, tea tree essential oils

MIDDLE NOTES
Constitutes bulk of blend (50 – 60%)
Scent emerges some time after first impression wars off
Tends to smooth off any sharp edges
Scent is more mellow and softer
Examples of Middle Notes include Black pepper, cypress, chamomiles, geranium, juniper, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, pine essential oils

BASE NOTES
Adds depth to a blend
In perfumery, used as a fixative to hold lighter scents
Rich, deep, intense scent
Aroma initially faint, tends to release power over time
Use sparingly to avoid overpowering blend after Top Notes evaporate
Powerful effect on emotional and spiritual levels
Examples of Base Notes include Benzoin, jasmine, frankincense, myrrh, neroli, Vetiver, patchouli, rose, sandalwood, ylang ylang essential oils

It is important to any blend to achieve a balance. To achieve this, the oils are divided into three categories, TOP or Head Notes, MIDDLE or Heart Notes and BASE or Tail Notes

Measurements
(For your information and common knowledge)
1 ml = 20 drops
2 ml = 40 drops
5 ml = 100 drops
15 ml = 300 drops

1 teaspoon = 5 ml
1 dessert spoon = 10 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml


Although these guidelines help when you are first beginning, if you are adventurous with an artistic flair, you can prepare pleasant blends as you become more confident to experiment.

Learn Your Materials

Each oil has its own character and behavior, its own subtleties and complexities. Getting to know them is an endless process that will underlie all your blending adventures. The way an oil smells when you sniff the bottle is usually only the tip of the iceberg. How each oil performs in a blend is different over time in dilutions or on your skin. Be prepared for delightful surprises!

Write Down Everything You Do While You Are Blending

Blending is exciting, especially when it is going well. The wave of inspiration rushes in and you are an artist! You know just what to add and it is beautiful. Stop and make notes of everything you are doing. Record every drop of every oil you add to make that perfect blend while you are doing it. If you don’t, you may be sorry later when you want to duplicate the blend.

Take Breaks

Regular breaks are important for safety reasons and your mental health. Essential oils are very powerful and concentrated. Working with them for long periods of time in a closed area can be overwhelming or can make you ill.

Breaks will help in the creative process due to olfactory fatigue. Your nose can go blind and a brisk walk will do you the world of good. Each person’s nose is highly individualistic in this way and you have to learn which types of aroma you personally get immune to quickly and how often you need to take breaks from your blending.

Tricks of the trade include:

a. Taking a walk in fresh air
b. Running up and down the stairs, this heavy breathing will clear the nose
c. Sniffing your armpit or elbow
d. Sniffing coffee beans

Jojoba oil is an excellent carrier for a perfume blend since it has such a long shelf life and no aroma of its own. You can also use it immediately with no need to “age” it. The proportions you use depend on three things – how strong you want your perfume or blend to be, how you plan to use it and basic safety precautions.

The following mixtures are meant to guide your first steps into the fragrant world of perfume making. All are based on 1/3 oz. of Jojoba oil.

Woody
15 drops Cedarwood
5 drops Sandalwood
5 drops Rosewood
2 drops Lemongrass

Sweet
4 drops Neroli
4 drops Rose
4 drops Rosewood
4 drops Cedarwood

Sweet, slight aphrodisiac
4 drops Jasmine
4 drops Ylang Ylang
8 drops Rosewood
1 drop Vanilla
4 drops Neroli

Refreshing, not aphrodisiac
10 drops Bergamot
5 drops Melissa
10 drops Petitgrain
5 drops Verbena

Heavy, Exotic, Aphrodisiac
10 drops Patchouli
8 drops Frankincense
6 drops Ylang Ylang
4 drops Jasmine

Characteristic Fragrances of Essential Oils

Please note that not all Essential Oils smell like the flowers, herbs or plants from which they are extracted.

Basil: penetrating, sweet, spicy, fresh, anise-like
Benzoin: sweet, balsamy, warm
Bergamot: fresh, clear, fruity-sweet
Cedarwood: harmonious, soft wood fragrance, sweet and sour
Chamomile, blue: very sweet, herbal
Chamomile, Roman: fresh, sweet, herbal, tea-like
Clary Sage: light, slightly hay-like, spicy, similar to Bergamot
Clove: strong, warm, spicy-sweet
Cypress: fresh, spicy, lemony-fruity
Eucalyptus globulis: camphor-like
Frankincense: balsamy, spicy, lemony
Geranium: leafy, rosy, minty-fruity
Ginger: spicy-woodsy, warm
Grapefruit: light, fresh, bitter
Jasmine: honey-sweet, intensively flowery
Juniper: strong, herbal, scent of pine needles and gin
Lavender: sweet, balsamy, flowery
Lemon: fresh, bright
Lemongrass: fresh, similar to Lemon and Verbena, slightly bitter
Lime: intensive, sparkling-sweet, lemony
Marjoram: typical scent of the kitchen herb
Neroli: sweet, spicy-bitter
Orange, Sweet: bright, fruity, clear, sweet
Patchouli: strongly woody-balsamy-sweet, woodsy, earthy
Peppermint: minty-fresh, grass-like, balsamy sweet
Rose: sweet, rosy
Rosewood: flowery, slightly rosy, spicy-sweet
Sandalwood: balsamy-sweet, velvety-warm
Tea Tree: strong, camphor-like, spicy
Vanilla: Sweet, warm, balsamy
Verbena: fresh, fruity, citrus-like
Ylang Ylang: narcotic-sweet, strong, Jasminey