Blending various essential oils increases their ability to calm and heal body and soul. Before you start using essential oils, especially in blends, it is necessary to purchase equipment and to prepare a work place.
Equipment:
1. Clean bottles made of dark glass. Commonly used are bottles of brown or indigo glass so that sunlight does not impair the quality of the essential oil or blend. Do not use plastic bottles as essential oils penetrate through the pores and evaporate. Size of bottles should be from ~ 4 ml (1/6 oz) to 240 ml (~ 8 ounces). Commonly used are bottles with a dispenser or dropper which is important for dispensing essential oils or blends.
2. Bottles for fragrance. Collect bottles for spray perfumes which are from 30 to 240 ml. It is better if they are also made of dark glass.
3. Labels. Any mixture or separate oil should have a label with the ingredients and the proportions, creation date, and instructions for use. Be creative and try different designs. It is possible to draw on the computer or by hand; to use gold or silver ink; use a stamp and then attach a beautifully designed label to the bottle with the blend of its ingredients. The process of creating labels can be fun and fulfilling, especially if it is a small gift for family or friends.
4. The mixing vessel. The mixing container must be glass or ceramic. Some people use a bowl made from clay. The use of plastic containers is not recommended, as some oils corrode and react with plastic surfaces. It is also good if the container has a groove or spout for easy transfusion of liquids into bottles.
5. Beakers and measuring cups. To follow recipes and maintain the proportion of ingredients recommend, it is important to use beakers or measuring cups. Depending on the country in which you live, try to buy them with standard measurements and the typical units for your country. For example, I have a measuring cup in ml and oz, the measure of English-speaking countries. The use of beakers required will depend on the degree of passion you have for aromatherapy and the number of blends you are interested in making. For example, beakers in 5, 10 and 100 ml units are used the most often to measure the desired amount of water and basic cosmetic or household vegetable oils needed for a blend. Beakers and measuring cups can be purchased in medical and chemical equipment stores. If you do not do aromatherapy professionally, in the beginning you will only need to do a measure of the amounts of 5, 10 and 15 ml using tsp or tbsp, respectively (See information on measures below).
6. Pipette. Don’t forget that at the first stage of mixing in small quantities, it is better to measure the amount of essential oils to be used in dispenser bottles. If the feeder is empty, you can use the usual glass eye dropper. There are volumetric pipettes that can be used that will hold, for example, 1 ml. It is recommended that these be washed in hot soapy water when you have finished using them.
7. Stick for stirring. Oil mixtures are very well mixed. It is better to use glass, ceramic or stone sticks. A wooden stirrer can be used but it must be frequently changed for a fresh one as wood it absorbs oil. Plastic sticks are not recommended as they can enter into the reaction with some essential oils, so it is better not to use them.
8. Funnel. Transfusion oils or compositions in the bottles using funnels.
9. A special plate or towel. So not to spoil the surface on which you prepare a blend, purchase a special plate or towel and use it on the surface on which you are working.
Measurements:
In aromatherapy recipes amounts are measured using milliliters or ounces. Some essential oils, especially for home use, are measured in drops. Below are the equivalents used in aromatherapy measurements (approximate ratios):
1 ml ~ 20 drops ~ about 1 g
5 ml ~ 1 teaspoon ~ 100 drops
10 ml ~ 2 teaspoons ~ 200 drops
15 ml ~ 1 tablespoon ~ 300 drops ~ 0.5 oz
For blending use the following information:
0.5% solution of a mixture of ~ 1 drop essential oil to 10 ml of basis
1% solution of a mixture of ~ 1 drop of oil per 5 ml of bases ~ 3 drops of oil in 15 ml of basis
2% solution of a mixture of ~ 2 drops of oil per 5 ml of bases ~ 6 drops of oil in 15 ml of basis
3% solution of a mixture of ~ 3 drops of oil per 5 ml of bases ~ 9 drops of oil in 15 ml of basis