Signature Scents, Part Two: Creating Your Own
by Devon Ellington

How do you create a signature scent? It’s not difficult, but it does take time and patience. This is not something you want to do when you’re in a rush.

Essential oils can be pricey — especially an oil like jasmine — so make sure that you’re buying an actual ESSENTIAL oil, which is different from a FRAGRANCE oil. Fragrance oils can be lovely, but they’re different than essentials, and sometimes don’t mix well with them. Also note that some of the spicier oils, such as cinnamon, can burn your skin if you place them directly on it (the jojoba or almond oil and other ingredients in a blend will dilute it) and DON’T pour something like undiluted cinnamon oil directly into the bath — you’ll burn in places you never knew you could burn. Purchase your oils from a reputable herbalist or health food store.

Essential oils can turn rancid quickly, so you want to create small batches. You will need several glass eyedroppers, and small GLASS vials out of dark glass. If you use a rubber-topped bottle, you’ll wind up with holes in the rubber where the oil eats it away.
it’s easier to work with multiple eyedroppers when you blend oils. Using a different eyedropper for each oil and then washing them thoroughly at the end of the session is easier than washing a single eyedropper between each use.

Also, any bowls, glasses, beakers, etc. that you use for oils cannot then be used again for food. You want to keep the containers for oil use completely separate from any other use. Essential oils should not be ingested.

What do you need to start?

–beaker or glass (beaker makes it easier to pour the finished oil into the vial)
–small funnel
–dark glass vials for finished oils
–eyedroppers
–essential oils of your choice
–jojoba or almond or olive oil as the base. (My personal preference is almond oil, but jojoba lasts longer. I rarely use olive oil, unless I’ve run out of jojoba oil).
–a small bowl of coffee, to cleanse your palate between scents
–pen and paper
–plain white paper towels or plain white dishtowels

How do you choose which oils to use? First of all, choose what you like, what scents you find pleasant and attractive. Second, read up on what the various scents mean. For instance, rosemary encompasses love, prosperity, and protection. Rose is associated with love, citrus is a mood elevator, and cinnamon is associated with prosperity.

Also remember that oils can smell good individually and smell awful when blended.

If you’re just starting out, you may want to use other people’s recipes. I list some good books below. As you feel more comfortable blending, you can start working on your own. That’s why the pen and paper are so important — you need to notate as you work. You won’t remember.

I make a relaxation blend using rosemary, lavender, and jasmine. I add it to bath salts, or just use it as an oil. To start, take the eyedropper, and fill it with one of the oils (for the example, say rosemary). When the dropper is full, hold it over the beaker and figure out how many drops you want to put in. For a start, let’s say 13. You count 13 drops from the dropper into the beaker. Set the eyedropper down in front of the bottle of rosemary oil so you don’t get your droppers mixed up. Working on paper towels or plain white dish cloths will prevent the oils from staining countertops. Essential oils will stain metal, wood, plastic, or any porous surface.

Write down how many drops and which oil you used.

Have a whiff of coffee. Now you’ve cleaned your palate.

Pick up the second dropper. Fill it with the next oil. Decide how many drops you want to put in. I usually add two or three drops at a time and take a whiff, slowing down to a drop at a time when I feel as though I’m getting close. Use coffee in between sniffs.

Place the second dropper in front of the bottle you used. Write down how many drops you used. Swirl the beaker, so the oils mix. You can also use something like a barbecue skewer or a coffee stirrer – remember not to use it for food again; in fact, toss it after use.

Repeat with the third oil.

Take a good long whiff and decide if you want one of the scents to be predominant. Add drop by drop, accordingly, until you have what you think you want. Stir it well. Let it sit for a few minutes, and take another whiff.

Once you have what you want — and you’ve written it down — pour it into the vial. Then add your jojoba (or whatever your base oil is) until the vial is close to full. Cap it shake it well. Give this mixture and name and LABEL THE BOTTLE. Place tape over the label. Chances are you will have to replace the label at some point, because it will smear, even if you’re careful.

Some people use the base oil first and then add the scents. I prefer the other way around. The base oil does not change the scent. Some people warm the oil first and let it cool down before bottling. I prefer not to. Play and see what works for you. And, once you’re done, wash everything thoroughly and keep it separate.

Dab a little bit on your pressure points. You’ve created your own scent!

What happens when you make a mistake? When you add something, and it smells vile? You pour it out, wash out your containers, and start over. It will happen. It’s part of the fun. Make sure you carefully notate what doesn’t work as well as what does work.

When I first started, I kept the recipes in a journal book. Now, I prefer to notate on loose paper, then type it up, put it in a sheet protector, and keep the recipes in a three-ring binder. That way, when you go back to make a batch of something you like, you don’t have to worry about smearing the recipe.

You can add these blends into a base for bath salts, into potpourri, into sachets. Those last about three months, and then have to be refreshed. Some oils will last quite a long time, if stored in a cool, dark place. Some will turn. Always take a whiff of the oil when you open the bottle.

Starting to create our own scents can seem a little intimidating, but once you get into the swing of it, it’s a great way to relax and create something that’s entirely unique. It’s a way to make your own fashion statement!

Some of my favorite suppliers (they ship, so you don’t have to live near them):
Aphrodesia Herb Shoppe
264 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10012
212-989-6440

Morgana’s Chamber
242 W. 10th St.
New York, NY 10014
212-243-3415

Earth Spirits Herbal Apothecary
407 Main St. (Route 20)
Sturbridge, MA 01566
508-347-1180

The Sandwich Village Herb Shoppe
126 Rt. 6A
Sandwich, MA 02563
508-833-1933

The Laughing Moon
1 Court St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-746-0288
(web link not available)

Magic Moon
15 Phila St
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-583-2488
(web link not available)

Favorite “Starter” Books for Oil Blends:
The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews by Scott Cunningham. Llewellyn Worldwide.

The Fragrant Veil by Elisabeth Millar. Llewellyn Worldwide.

–Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. She worked in the wardrobe departments on and off Broadway and in film and television for over twenty years. As Cerridwen Iris Shea, she’s written for Llewellyn Worldwide’s calendars and almanacs for 15 years and has created several “signature scents.” as well as a variety of custom-blended oils, bath salts, etc.. Visit her blog on the writing life, Ink in My Coffee, and her websites, www.devonellingtonwork.com and www.cerridwenscottage.com.