Top 20 Essential Oil Recipes
A good essential oil recipe does a lot more than just make your house smell wonderful and inviting. Each recipe has its own set of other benefits that can improve your mental, physical and emotional well-being.
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!
Content/Quick links
- The basics of essential oils
- Aromatherapy explained
- 20 essential oil recipes anyone can make
- Get into focus
- Clean up your act
- Remember to breathe
- Smell good, feel good
- All the support you need
- Get happy
- Unwind & relax
- Get your garden inside
- Something for the gentlemen
- Bugs be gone
- Spice things up
- Walk in the woods
- Boost your immunity
- Don’t stress out
- Get some sleep
- Something for your sweet tooth
- Need some energy?
- Stay grounded
- Happy holidays
- Autumn any time of year
- The importance of using a good carrier oil in your recipes
- Blueberry Seed Oil
- Jojoba Carrier Oil
- Plum Carrier Oil
- Rosehip Carrier Oil
- General Guidelines for Using Essential Oils
- Aromatherapy as an art form
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.
12. Walk in the woods
Do you long for a leisurely forest walk but can’t get out of the house? This essential oil blend recipe may be a great substitute. You’ll need 3 drops of frankincense essential oil, 2 drops of eucalyptus and 1 drop of cedarwood oil.
Frankincense has a comforting, sedative fragrance that can invigorate and strengthen your respiratory system. It may also reduce anxiety and stimulate your immune system, the same way getting out in the great outdoors does.
13. Boost your immunity
This is one of those essential oil recipes that is particularly helpful during the colder autumn and winter months. Mix 1 drop each of eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, sweet orange and tea tree essential oil together.
The particular properties of these essential oils can fight viruses, alleviate cold and flu symptoms, reduce discomfort when you’re sick and speed up your recovery. Their physiological effects can also give your immune system a much-needed boost so you don’t get under the weather in the first place.
14. Don’t stress out
If you’ve been feeling frazzled, then 2 drops of frankincense and two drops of bergamot essential oil can reinvigorate you. The combination of these two oils does amazing things for anxiety, irritation and stress.
15. Get some sleep
An essential oil diffuser recipe perfect for when you need to lay down and rest, combining 2 drops of chamomile, lavender and ylang ylang essential oil will bring your mind some peace and quiet and enhance the quality of your sleep.
16. Something for your sweet tooth
Blending 2 drops each of sweet orange and peppermint essential oil will turn your space into one that smells like the inside of a sweet shop.
Sweet orange will uplift your mood, and peppermint can help fight depression.
17. Need some energy?
This essential oil blend is perfect when you need to get your day started off on the right note. Blend 2 drops each of grapefruit, sweet orange and bergamot essential oils and let the uplifting scent energize you and help you start the day on the right foot.
18. Stay grounded
When you need everyone to relax and kick back, nothing will do it quicker than this essential oil recipe. Combine 2 drops of cedarwood with 2 drops of frankincense oil and 2 drops of lavender essential oil and you’ll have the chilled out ambience you’ve been craving.
19. Happy holidays
Get everyone into the right state of mind when December rolls around by combining 2 drops each of sweet orange and frankincense essential oils with a drop of eucalyptus. The joyous, earthy, fresh scent will put everyone in a great mood.
20. Autumn any time of year
You don’t have to wait until September to enjoy the scent of autumn or wave it goodbye when December arrives. Blend 2 drops of sweet orange with 1 drop each of cedarwood, eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils. You’ll be able to see piles of leaves in your mind’s eye when this scent envelops you!
The importance of using a good carrier oil in your recipes
Carrier oils are made from plants in a similar way that essential oils are, although they contain fatty acids while essential oils do not. They're used to “carry” essential oils to your skin. Even the purest organic essential oils are too potent on their own and can cause irritation when applied directly to the skin. Most carrier oils are very lightly scented so that they don’t interfere with the oils they need to blend with. They can also be used on their own since they each have their own unique benefits to offer.
Although there’s no need to add a carrier oil to your diffuser, you will need to use them on your skin and in the bathtub. Consider these options when you’re creating your essential oil blend recipes:
Blueberry Seed Oil
Blueberry Seed Carrier Oil is rich in phytonutrients and essential fatty acids and is an excellent option when you want to moisturize more effectively. It’s amazing for hair growth and skin health, with anti-aging and acne-fighting properties.
Jojoba Carrier Oil
Loaded with antioxidants like vitamins A and E, as well as omega-6 fatty acids, Jojoba Carrier Oil is excellent for improving the skin’s barriers. Use it for dry skin, wound healing, wrinkle reduction and as an all-purpose moisturizer.
Plum Carrier Oil
Rich in essential fatty acids like linoleic and oleic, Plum Carrier Oil also has high levels of vitamins A, E, and K. Plum oil is great for your hair and nails, as a makeup primer, ideal for oily skin and offers your skin a youthful radiance.
Rosehip Carrier Oil
The essential fatty acids and antioxidants in Rosehip Carrier Oil make it the perfect product for people interested in cell and tissue regeneration. It’s ideal for scar healing and arthritis sufferers while being a great moisturizer for your face, nails and skin overall.
General Guidelines for Using Essential Oils
Whether you’re making your own essential oil blend recipes or just using a single type of essential oil, there are a few guidelines you should always follow:
- Don’t ingest essential oils. Essential oils are meant to be inhaled or absorbed via the skin after they’ve been properly diluted.
- It’s thought that absorption rates can be improved if particular oils are applied to specific areas of the body or combined with heat. Do some research about whichever oil interests you to find out if this is the case.
- Because the aroma of essential oils can stimulate areas of the limbic system - a part of the brain that plays a role in behavior, emotions, smell and long-term memory - certain essential oils can evoke strong memories and emotions. Keep this in mind when you’re using them.
- The correct essential oil blends can trigger the physical, emotional and mental states you’re looking for, but they are not an instant cure-all. Instead, they’re a wonderful holistic approach to whatever you’re trying to manage.
- Don’t just apply oils anywhere. Avoid applying oils to sensitive areas. Oils that are fine for use on the arms and legs may not be safe to use on other areas of your body. Be sure you know why you’re using certain oils and how they’re most suitably used.
- When you start using oils and experimenting with essential oil recipes, always ensure that you purchase your oils from a trusted supplier like Volant. You need to use pure oils that don’t have anything added to them, as any added extras or even pesticide residues are what are most likely to trigger adverse reactions.
- Just because essential oils are created from plants doesn’t mean that your skin can handle them in their purest form or in a large amount. There are many natural substances that are quite toxic to humans. But, if you use these oils correctly, they can offer powerful benefits, in part because they're not synthetic.
Aromatherapy as an art form
In much the same way that combining different ingredients in the kitchen can be a simple task, aromatherapy can also elevate to an art form. Compare heating up a can of beans for dinner to the same meal à la Gordon Ramsay.
Essential oil diffuser recipes and essential oil blend recipes for topical use like those you’ve seen here - and the ones you’re yet to create - are all about the way they make you feel. Start with the scents you love and go from there. Wherever you begin, there’s nothing to stop you from becoming a true artist in creating essential oil blends.
