Making the Perfect Massage Oil Blend

Blending your own massage oil requires a little trial and error and a bit of a sense of adventure, but it can be very rewarding and you may even find a blend you will absolutely love and use for years to come. Making your own massage oil blend from carrier oils and essential oils is really quite simple. You will need a measuring tool like a flask or a glass, some carrier oil, and a combination of essential oils. 

The first step in making your own massage blend is to determine what type of blend you want to create. Blends can be healing, calming, invigorating or uplifting, to name a few. Each carrier oil and essential oil has its own properties and when mixed together the oils can create a synergistic blend that is stronger than its individual parts.

Once you determine what type of effect you want your blend to have, it’s time to grab the ingredients. First, choose a carrier oil. Carrier oils are derived from the seed or kernel of particular plant and include, but are not limited to: sweet almond, apricot kernel, olive, sesame and grapeseed oil. Each carrier oil has specific properties which you can learn more from our previous article - Getting to Know Carrier Oils

Next, it is time to select the essential oils for your blend. Again, keep in mind what effect you want your massage blend to have. Each essential oil has unique assets that can heal many ailments, but likewise be dangerous for some people. Research each essential oil before adding it to your blend. 

If you simply want to experiment when making your blend and are unsure how to proceed, keep in mind that “like works best with like” when blending essential oils. In other words, choose essential oils that have similar scent properties. Woodsy oils go best with other woodsy oil, florals go with florals, citrus goes with citrus…you get the picture. 

It’s also important to recognize the “notes” of a particular essential oil. These notes, deemed top, middle and base, refer to how quickly a particular oil evaporates. The top note essential oils usually evaporate the quickest and are followed by the middle, and then finally the base. That is why essential oil blends as well as other perfumes can smell different at various times after applied. When creating your blend, a good rule of thumb is to keep the ratio of 3:2:1which translates into three parts top note essential oils to two part middle note essential oils to one part base note essential oils. This will create harmony in your blend.

So now you have your carrier oil and your essential oils.  How much do you mix of each? A good standard is to have the essential oils make up only two percent of your total mixture, which translates into twelve drops of essential oil to every one fluid ounce or 30mL of carrier oil. You can use a one percent mixture for the very young and very old as well as people who have particularly sensitive skin. Measure out your carrier oil in flask and then proceed to add in the essential oils. Add the essential oils in slowly…you don’t want to risk adding too much all at once or you’ll ruin your whole blend.

Once you have added in your essential oils, gently swirl the concoction in the glass or flask to thoroughly combine.  Just like cooking, you may have to add a little more of a particular oil or oils to get it just right. One suggestion is to keep a notebook close at hand to record exactly how much of each oil you used in case you want to create that perfect blend at another time.

Now you can enjoy your new concoction!  Just remember to do a skin patch test to make sure the blend is acceptable before using it on the entire body. Once you find your perfect blend, feel free to name it and distribute the recipe!

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