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A bit of EO information, and contributions by other FReepers. Check out Chuckster’s and Unwashedpeasant’s posts.

Blending Essential Oils
One of the most common ways of blending essential oils in aromatherapy is based on evaporation rates. All oils are divided into top, middle and bass notes, according to their rate of evaporation.

Top notes are EOs with fast evaporation rates – more volatile – with scents that come to your nose very quickly. They are what you first smell with an EO and are often the strongest, but the evaporate most quickly. Top notes are usually 10-15% of the blend. Grapefruit, orange, lemon, petitgrain (orange or other citrus leaf ), peppermint and other strong, sharp EOs are examples of top notes.

Middle notes are usually the second aroma that comes to your nose, they form the body of the blend. They are usually 40-80% of the blend. They harmonize and moderate the sharp smell of the top notes and the deepness of the base notes.
These EOs are usually based on herbs such as rosewood, lavender, geranium, chamomile and palmarosa are some examples. They are warm, soft, mellow balancers and equalizers.

Bass notes are known as fixatives, they fix or hold the smell and slow down or draw out the evaporative rates of the top notes. They are often thick, heavy and have “dark” or woody aroma. Typical bass notes are vetiver (aka as kusha), patchouli, cedarwood, and sandalwood. Sometimes they do not smell very strong initially, but the heat of the body diffuses them and the aroma is very tenacious and long lasting. They typically comprise no more than 5-10% of the blend.

Some EOs are hard to pin down and have characteristics of top, middle and/or bass notes all at once. Rose, for instance, has all three qualities. Rose absolute is really the only Rose EO available and it is quite expensive, about $34 for 2/3 oz, wholesale.

There are many ways to blend EOs and when using for therapy and health, not just as a nice perfume, there other properties to take into considering. For instance, my blend called “Breathe Well” is 50% eucalyptus which is the prime EO for opening the lungs, with smaller amounts of supportive oils – more or less in descending proportions: fir, spruce, pine, basil, peppermint, thyme and tea tree. I didn’t make it with top/middle/bass notes in mind, but therapeutic value. It smells awesome and lasts a long longer than plain eucalyptus which is very volatile.