ESSENTIAL OILS SHOULD NOT BE USED AT HOME TO TREAT SERIOUS MEDICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS.
Therapeutic and Aesthetic Properties
Essential oils are blended principally for two reasons: for their medical effects or to create a perfume. When we are using pure essential oils, these are not two different categories but rather two ends of a scale. At one end of the scale we are dealing with the therapeutic; action on a purely physical condition such as backache – at the other end, with an emotional or aesthetic response to a particular odour. But, of course, the individual who is suffering from lumbago also has a psychic or emotional disposition of which they may or may not be aware, which will naturally respond in a more subtle way to a particular blend of oils. Similarly, when we create a personal perfume which expresses the unique personality of an individual through fragrance, it has a generally remedial effect on the person as a whole.
An engraving showing sixteenth-century perfumers at work, with their chemical apparatus; from Brunschwig’s Liber de Arte Distillandi de Compositis, 1512
Therefore, when we are blending oils, even if it is principally for their medicinal properties, it is always worth keeping the fragrance in mind. It is more pleasing to use a remedy that smells attractive to the individual concerned. Some scents can be quite incompatible – a predominantly floral blend, for example, would be unacceptable to the majority of men. How to choose the oils and combine them is very much a matter of personal choice, but there are some useful guidelines to keep in mind.
For therapeutic purposes, essential oils are usually diluted before being applied to the skin. To make a massage or body oil the essential oil or oils should first be mixed with a light base oil such as grapeseed or sweet almond oil. (See also Chapter 4, How to Use Essential Oils at Home.) Other oils that could be used for the base include sunflower, hazelnut, safflower, peanut, soya or corn oil – mineral oils, however, are best avoided. The more nourishing and generally thicker oils which include jojoba, avocado, peach or apricot kernel, borage, olive, sesame, evening primrose and also some infused oils such as calendula or St John’s wort can also be included (up to about 10 per cent) in the treatment of specific conditions. A small quantity of wheatgerm oil (about 5 per cent) added to the blend will help to preserve it.
The essential oil content in a blend should usually be between 1 per cent and 3 per cent depending on the type of disorder; as a general rule, physical ailments demand a stronger concentration than the more emotional or nervous conditions. Some oils, such as the high-quality florals including rose and jasmine, have more diffusive power than most other essences – this means that a very small percentage is all that is needed to have a powerful effect, or to influence the character of an entire blend.
The proportions of each essential oil in a blend can also be vital to the effectiveness of the remedy as a whole (many aromatherapy books contain exact recipes for specific disorders). Some oils blended together have a mutually enhancing effect upon one another, so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts: for example, the anti-inflammatory action of chamomile is supported by being mixed with lavender. When the blended oils are working harmoniously together, then the combination is called a ‘synergy’. ‘In order to create a good synergy, you must take into account not only the symptom to be treated but also the underlying cause of the disorder, the biological terrain, and the psychological or emotional factors involved.’17
This is very much the conclusion that Madame Maury reached when she prescribed an IP (or Individual Prescription) for her patients, in which the blended essences were matched not only to their physical requirements, but also to their circumstances and temperament.
In general, oils of the same botanical family blend well together. Also those which share common constituents usually mix well, such as the camphoraceous oils containing a good percentage of cineol, which includes all the members of the Myrtaceae group (eucalyptus, tea tree, cajeput, myrtle, etc.) but also many herbs including spike lavender, rosemary and Spanish sage. Most floral fragrances blend well together, as do the woods, balsams, citrus oils and spices, etc. Rosewood and linaloe combine well together, although they belong to different botanical families, since they both contain a high proportion of linalol and linalyl acetate.
Some oils such as rose, jasmine, oakmoss and lavender seem to enhance just about any blend, and can be found (mainly in an adulterated form) amongst the ingredients of most commercial perfumes – ‘no perfume without rose’.
Some combinations, on the other hand, have an inhibiting power over one another. Essences with a predominance of aldehydes (such as citronella oil containing citronella!), those with mainly ketones (such as sage containing thujone) and those with high amounts of phenols (such as clove oil containing eugenol), when combined with each other tend to ‘pull’ in different directions. However, knowing the precise chemical make-up of each oil is not necessary for creating a good synergy; it is also a matter of getting to know the ‘character’ of each essential oil and trusting the intuition.
In the nineteenth century, a Frenchman called Piesse instigated a new approach to perfumery work by classifying odours according to the notes in a musical scale. He transposed the idea of musical harmony into the realm of fragrances where the corresponding notes to each scent formed perfectly balanced chords or harmonics when they were combined together.
The purist vision of Piesse has long since been discarded but continues to provide inspiration in perfumery work today since the oils are still divided into ‘top’, ‘middle’ and ‘base’ notes.
The top note has a fresh, light quality which is immediately apparent, due to the fast evaporation rate.
The middle note is the heart of the fragrance, which usually forms the bulk of the blend, whose scent emerges some time after the first impression.
The base note is a rich, heavy scent that emerges slowly and lingers. It also acts as a fixative to stop the lighter oils from dispersing too quickly.
Ylang ylang is said to be a well-balanced perfume oil in its own right. It could be described as having a very powerful sweet floral top note, a creamy-rich middle note, and a soft floral, slightly spicy base note.
For the sake of simplicity, each essential oil is also classified in this way according to its dominant character – although there are many different opinions on the matter! The following list provides nothing more than a general idea:
Top notes tea tree, eucalyptus, mandarin, lemon, basil
Middle notes geranium,