There are nearly 100 different essential oils for you to choose from, however, so it can be a bit overwhelming when you begin. Which ones should you buy? Which ones should you blend together? What will the resulting combination do for you?
Our guide has all the answers and we hope it encourages you to start experimenting as soon as possible!
The basics of essential oils
The ingredients in these essential oil recipes are volatile organic compounds extracted from plants that both give the plants their signature aromas and offer therapeutic benefits. They're made from the bark, flowers, fruit, stems or leaves of plants and are extracted through cold pressing, steam distillation and other methods to capture the fragrance-emitting and therapeutic compounds.
All of Volant’s essential oils are 100% pure and organic, so you can rest assured that there are no chemicals and no unnatural additives.
Aromatherapy explained
These essential oil blend recipes will fragrantly introduce you to the world of aromatherapy. In a nutshell, aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils for their therapeutic benefits. When you inhale them, the scent molecules in these oils travel via your olfactory nerves directly to your brain, impacting the amygdala, your brain's emotional center.
Smells are linked to memories, and they can make us feel emotions tied to certain memories or you can use scents to create new memories and thought patterns.
You can also use these essential oil recipes to create blends that can be absorbed by your skin. You can do this by combining them with your bath water, a lotion you love, or by applying them to your body once they’ve been diluted with a carrier oil.
Essential oils can also have direct physiological effects when absorbed into your bloodstream through your skin or by being inhaled, so topical use of essential oils can benefit you in multiple ways at once.
20 essential oil recipes anyone can make
Don’t fret if you don’t have all the exact ingredients when you make these essential oil blend recipes. There are many substitutions available for each oil, depending on its intended purpose, and you can let your own nose guide you too.
If you are making essential oil diffuser recipes, start with the amounts below as a foundation and increase proportionately according to your preference. You can add up to 10-15 drops of essential oil in your diffuser at a time, but start small as a little goes a long way.
If you are making essential oil recipes for topical use, perform a patch test first to be sure your skin won’t react to it. If you’re good to go and you don’t have overly sensitive skin, about 4 drops of essential oil per tablespoon (15 ml) of carrier oil should be sufficient.
With that said, let’s look at our top 20 essential oil recipes!
1. Get into focus
Combine 2 drops each of rosemary essential oil and peppermint essential oil when you need to increase your alertness and improve your focus.
These oils improve memory, alertness and mental function to help you study, stay focused or just get things done.
2. Clean up your act
This essential oil blend recipe will give your home a healthy, fresh scent that welcomes all who enter it. Mix 2 drops each of lavender essential oil, lemon essential oil and sweet orange essential oil to make this blend.
Lavender has antiseptic and relaxing properties, lemon fights exhaustion and deep cleans, and sweet orange helps purify the air and brightens up your space.
3. Remember to breathe
Looking for an essential oil blend recipe to support your respiratory function? This is it! Mix 1 drop each of eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary essential oil with 2 drops of peppermint. It can be a great help over the winter or when you just need to breathe.
4. Smell good, feel good
Freshen up the air of any room by combining 2 drops of lemon essential oil with 1 drop each of eucalyptus essential oil, tea tree oil and peppermint oil.
This blend helps purify the air, making it smell fresh while helping to disinfect your home. (Note that this blend is not suitable for use if you have pets in the house! For oils safe for pets, see our complete guide on everything you need to know about essential oils and pets.)
5. All the support you need
Blending 2 drops each of lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oil together is a wonderful way to boost your immune system and maintain clear breathing.
This essential oil recipe is a particularly great option during the spring and summer months when seasonal allergies are at their height.
6. Get happy
Combine 1 drop each of grapefruit essential oil, lavender and lemon with 2 drops of sweet orange. Put this blend in your diffuser when you need a mood booster or when you’re expecting company. It will make your home smell clean, happy and energized.
Those who believe in the spiritual aspects of aromatherapy also believe that grapefruit essential oil can encourage us to love and honor ourselves more.
7. Unwind & relax
A very popular essential oil diffuser recipe for high-energy folks, blending 1 drop each of bergamot essential oil, lemongrass essential oil and ylang ylang essential oil together will help you wind down.
Bergamot alleviates moodiness, lemongrass lowers stress levels and ylang ylang curbs anxiety.
8. Get your garden inside
Do you want your home to smell like a flower garden in the height of spring? Blend 1 drop of geranium essential oil with 2 drops each of lavender and Roman chamomile essential oil.
Geranium essential oil can combat sadness with its sharp, herbaceous scent, lavender’s soft, floral scent helps you relax and Roman chamomile oil’s delicate, sweet aroma can lower anxiety levels.
9. Something for the gentlemen
But ladies may love it too! Get a masculine, woodsy aroma when you combine 2 drops each of eucalyptus, lemon, frankincense and peppermint essential oils.
The invigorating scent of eucalyptus blends very well with the sharp citrus scent of lemon and peppermint. Lemon will lift your spirits and peppermint will combat depression. Frankincense provides the musky base note that men and women both love.
10. Bugs be gone
This essential oil recipe isn’t recommended if you’re looking for a new perfume, but we urge you to try it if creepy crawlies or bugs are driving you crazy. Mix 1 drop each of tea tree, rosemary, eucalyptus and lemongrass essential oil together and revel in an insect-free environment.
These essential oils are all made from plants that repel bugs due to one property or another. And, as unpleasant as the smell is for the insects, they're very pleasant for us.
11. Spice things up
Try this essential oil diffuser recipe when you want to revitalize your body and mind. You’ll need 3 drops of bergamot oil, 2 drops each of cedarwood essential oil and tea tree oil, and 1 drop of peppermint essential oil.
The cedrol that cedarwood oil contains is powerfully beneficial for lowering anxiety and stress.
