what is the best way to smell an essential oil?

[GingerSue]

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

 

[carebear]

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.

 

[Chay]

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

 

[Healinya]

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.

 

[CherryGardenGirl]

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 . . .

 

[mariflo]

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