My Own Experimenting

Up until now, I haven't done much experimenting with recipes and essential oil blends. It's not because I don't want to, but because lack confidence in my abilities. Then, one afternoon as I was perusing the interwebs reading blogs, I came across a post by Humblebee & Me, titled DIY For Beginners. Her post made experimenting sound doable and I thought, "I can do that". After reading the post, I shared it on my Facebook page with a comment about being nervous to try to make my own recipes. A family friend commented that I should give my own DIY a try because it was such a creative and rewarding experience. 

That was that, I decided to give it a go...Sometimes you just need a nudge. 

I decided to start small with a few experiments here and there. After the first round, I wanted to share with you what I had done! I've decided that creating and blending my own potions is a very rewarding experience! Plus, I wanted to put it out into the world that I'm going to try to do more - experiment with other recipes, substitute different carrier oils and try my hand at some more complex recipes (like emulsifying wax and lotion).

For my initial batch, I decide to make a few essential oils blends. As I combined oils, I was focused on creating something with an appealing smell, that could be used in a perfume or hand wash. Note: I was not blending oils for therapeutic benefits rather, I focused solely on desired aroma. no

To begin, I got out some essential oils that I thought would work well together. I began blending oils, working in small batches. I did this because I was unsure if the blends would turn out and I want to waste any of my precious essential oils. 

Once I completed my desired blends,  I wrote down my formula followed by the date each was created. For my final step, I let them sit out for a few weeks, swirling them occasionally to let the essential oils meld together in a more cohesive state. Here is what I came up with:

Blend #1 - date 3/31 - orange tree
3 drops neroli, 7 drops green mandarin, 6 drops bergamot 

Blend #2 - date 3/31 - vanilla rose
5 drops rose blend, 10 drops vanilla blend

Blend #3 - date 3/31 - vanilla orange
15 drops vanilla blend, 5 drops wild orange

The results: 
Blend #1 smelled like all the great parts of an orange tree. The mandarin was a bit overpowering in this blend. It was very cheery.  I added this to my bathroom foaming hand soap and love it!

Blend #2 is a very light blend. It smells just slightly like rose, reminding me of an old fashion perfume. I added this to my kitchen foaming hand soap. 

Blend #3 had a very strong orange smell. Despite adding the vanilla in a 3:1 ration, it was all orange. I would consider this a "fail," since I didn't create a "new" scent. I added it to my vinegar/water kitchen cleaning spray. It's subtly citrus, but does block out a lot of the vinegar smell.

Tell me, what have you experimented with? I'd love to hear your successes and your failures. 

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