How To ... Mixing Essential Oils with Base Oils

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A Question from Marian Pritchad (Facebook)

“Neem or in fact any product you can add oils to which will support, compliment or better still enhance the oil or mix of oils. I'd like to know of the type of base that doesn't mean that the oil floats on top when rested if that's possible? Be nice if smells didn't collide to become overpowering!”

This is quite a broad topic to answer so I’m going to break it down a little bit. Would be good if we ask Marian about the benefits she wants the blend to have to give us somewhere to start from!

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Creating a Successful Massage Oil Blend

When using your own essential oils to create a body massage oil blend, there are a few basics to keep in mind. Firstly it is important not to exceed the recommended maximum volume of essential oils you add. For a body oil you should use no more than 4% essential oil, and only 2% for a facial oil. The conversions below will help you to decide the right amount to add:

There are around 20 drops of essential oil per 1ml

4% Essential Oil Blend

1 Teaspoon Base oil add 4 Drops or Essential Oil

100ml Base Oil add 4ml (or 80 drops) of Essential Oil

2% Essential Oil Blend

1 Teaspoon Base oil add 2 Drops or Essential Oil

100ml Base Oil add 2ml (or 40 drops) of Essential Oil

Adding too much essential oil can not only cause irritation to the skin, but it can also result in the essential oil ‘splitting’ from the base and sitting on top of it instead of blending in. Don’t forget that in aromatherapy, less is very often more!

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The next thing to do is to choose the right base for you. This really depends on what you want your oil to do for you. Sweet Almond is a really good all-rounder, suitable for all skin types and does not leave an oily residue. For dry skin types you might like to try Apricot or Avocado which are more nourishing and for oilier skin types a lighter oil like Fractionated Coconut would be a good choice.

There are also other oil which are normally added at 10% to give added benefits to your blend. Here are a few suggestions:

Argan – Anti-Aging

Rosehip – To improve the appearance of scars and blemishes

Wheatgerm – For very dry and mature skin types

Calendula – For irritated skin conditions like eczema

Jojoba – To deeply moisturise and nourish

Neem – For itching and psoriasis (be warned, this one has a very strong smell that does not appeal to everyone!)

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Once you have the perfect base it is time to look at which essential oils to add to make sure your oil smells fabulous. To begin with I would recommend choosing only 3 oils and always make a small amount of your blend up to begin with. Using more than 3 oils can result in a blend that is too overpowering in the beginning, but as you become more accomplished you will learn to create more complex mixes. It’s a good idea to keep a notebook with the blends you have tried and what you thought about them to help you perfect the blend next time.

When choosing your three oils there are four main things to consider:

1 Making sure you have a mix of Top, Middle and Base note oils

2 Making sure that the oils you choose have the properties you are looking for, for example lemon would be a poor choice for dry skin types but great for oilier skin.

3 Make sure that the individual oils compliment each other – if you take a look at our data sheets, this will give you some suggestions for each individual oil.

4 Most importantly of all, make sure that you like the smell!

Once you have created a blend you are happy with, be sure to mix the oils well and then do a test patch on a small area of your inner arm. If there is no reaction after 24 hours then you are safe to continue using the oil on the rest of your body.

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How To ... Use Four Thieves Essential Oil

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Mother Natures Goodies
Four Thieves Blend

13th century medieval France saw the height of the plague commonly know as the Black Death. The highly infectious disease was brutal killing within a week and infecting those who cam into contact with the bodies wiping our large swathes of the population.

In Marseilles, a group of four thieves were able to make a living by robbing the dead bodies of the infected and yet did not fall prey to the disease themselves.

When the were finally apprehended it is said that they were offered pardons in return for revealing the secret of their survival. They had used a mixture of herbal extracts including cloves and rosemary which was applied to the ears, hands and temples to prevent them from contracting the disease.

The blend was recreated in Young Living's Thieves® blend. In university testing the blend was found to kill 99.96% of airbourne bacteria.



Our Four Thieves Blend Information:

The blend is a combination of Clove, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary and Cinnamon oil.

The oil can be vaporised using an oil burner, radiator fragrancer or diffuser to kill airbourne germs and fight off coughs and colds in the home or workspace.

The oil can be applied to the skin but must be done so with care. We recommend using a dilution of 1% (up to 5 drops per 25ml carrier) in milk or a base oil such as sweet almond. This blend can then be applied to the soles of the feet, or used for a stimulating massage of the arms, chest and back of neck.

We do not recommend using this oil on the skin for children or those with sensitive skin.

As always please do a patch test before using any product extensively.

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