# what is the best way to smell an essential oil?



## GingerSue (May 6, 2010)

Essential oils in the bottle smell too harsh to get an idea of what it will smell like in a product.   What is the best way to smell them, either individually or when creating my own blends, so that I can get the true diluted scent?  Should I blend with a carrier oil or in something like cellulose fiber?

thanks


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## carebear (May 6, 2010)

your best bet is to dilute it in the appropriate material, then dip it onto a blotter strip and sniff carefully.

but since most don't have those, you can try dipping a toothpick or even a bit of paper towel and dropping into a jar.  the issue with the jar being that it will, of course, pick up some scent.


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## Chay (May 7, 2010)

If I'm in a store and I'm ivestigating the different EO's I wave the lid under my nose about 6".


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## Healinya (May 8, 2010)

I usually hold the open bottle in front of me and wave the air above the bottle with my hand to get some scent up in the air.


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## CherryGardenGirl (May 11, 2010)

Healinya said:
			
		

> I usually hold the open bottle in front of me and wave the air above the bottle with my hand to get some scent up in the air.



That's what I do too!  I guess H.S. Chemistry got in my head after all   Then again, I don't exactly want to burn out my nose either . . .


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## mariflo (May 14, 2010)

This is what I do when I mix my scents ... and I must say I absolutely adore it:

- I gather up quite a few jars and bottles (thoroughly cleaned and carefully dried)
- I spread out my essential oils (which unfortunately are not enough at the moment)
- I dip a cotton swab in an essential oil and drop it in the jar.
- I try to pair up scents I think might go well together till all my jars are full. I usually don't go over 3 scents in a single jar. Personal preference. I feel the individual scents lose their character if overblended. If I want one scent to be stronger I drop more cotton swabs in the same jar of that particular oil instead of just one.
- I close the jars well and store them away from sunlight
- I check the scents after a couple of weeks after they've blended properly. I try to keep the jar away from my nose when I open it and just as mentioned above, I wave the scented air from above the jar towards my face.

I am always surprised by how the scents change in combination. There are blends that make me gag just after I put them in the jars but that absolutely surprise me in a couple of weeks. After a month, it gets even better ...

mari


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