How to blend the perfect diffuser scents

A good understanding of which essential oils smell great together can be the difference between setting the mood and turning it sour. There are three really effective ways to group your essential oils - by effect, by scent, and by note. If you’re looking for a way to blend the dreamiest diffuser combinations, try some of the methods below - and let us know what your heavenly concoctions are!

By effect

Some essential oils can make you feel uplifted and energised. Others can help to calm nerves and promote relaxation. One trick for creating harmonious diffuser blends is by grouping your oils into the effect they give. Everyone responds to essential oils differently, but as a general rule most of them fall into stimulating or relaxing categories.

If you’re not too sure whether an oil has a distinct effect for you, it’s a good idea to take note of your mood while you diffuse it. As an example, scents such as lavender and chamomile are calming, and citric oils such as lemon, and grapefruit, combined with peppermint or eucalyptus have a more invigorating effect.

By scent

By far the easiest way to create diffuser blends is by combining oils from the same scent groups. You can work out which scent group an essential oil is part of by picking up on the main aroma. Is it floral? Earthy? Citrus? For the most harmonious fusions, try combining multiple oils from the same scent group.

If you’re looking for something floral, try rose, lavender and jasmine oil. For something woody, combine sandalwood, juniper and fir. Again, how an essential oil smells and blends is different for everyone, and a combination that smells great to one person, may not have the same effect on others. So take some time to experiment with combinations, testing two oils together, adding in a third, and maybe a fourth if you’re feeling bold!

By note

You’ve probably noticed that some essential oils lose their scent faster than others while diffusing. Oils can be divided into three different categories; base notes, middle notes and top notes, depending on how quickly they evaporate. Base notes can last anywhere between a few hours to a few days, middle notes tend to fade at two hours, and top notes often last up to 30 minutes. It’s worth researching where all of your essential oils fall on this spectrum.

Base - vanilla, rose, patchouli and jasmine.

Middle - chamomile, geranium, juniper and lavender.

Top - bergamot, grapefruit, lime, and tea tree.

A scent made up of the same note group should diffuse at a more consistent rate, so the aroma won’t suddenly change after half an hour. An example blend which smells the same throughout diffusing would be vanilla, patchouli and jasmine (three different middle notes).