What Are The Best Combinations Of Essential Oils For Candles?
Essential oils can add wonderful benefits and aroma to candle making. When pure essential oils are used, candles can provide aromatherapy uses like freshening the air, promoting relaxation, energizing a space, and more (source). Popular essential oil combinations for candles include energizing citrus blends, relaxing lavender or chamomile, calming jasmine and ylang ylang, and seasonal blends like pine in winter. The key is finding the right balance of top, middle, and base note oils. Top note oils like citrus provide an initial burst of aroma. Middle notes like lavender last a bit longer. Finally, base notes like sandalwood and cedarwood anchor the scent. With hundreds of pure essential oils to choose from, the options are endless for creating custom candles with therapeutic benefits.
Top Note Essential Oils
Top note essential oils bring freshness and alertness with lighter scents that are noticed immediately. They are the first scents perceived when a candle is lit. Common types of top note oils include citrus, herbaceous, and floral oils such as:1
- Lemon
- Orange
- Grapefruit
- Lime
- Bergamot
- Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
These immediately brighten a candle’s scent. Top notes create an initial burst of aroma but fade quickly as the candle burns down. They are best combined with middle and base notes for a well-rounded blend.
Middle Note Essential Oils
Middle note essential oils make up the main heart of an oil blend. They emerge once the light top notes evaporate and last longer than both top and base notes with their richer, deep aromas. Common middle notes include floral oils like lavender and geranium as well as herbal oils like pine and thyme. Middle note oils promote relaxation and harmony in a blend and are often used in aromatherapy for their soothing, comforting properties.
Lavender is one of the most popular middle note oils and has a fresh, floral, sweet scent that calms the mind and relieves stress. Geranium also has a lovely floral aroma that uplifts mood and helps restore emotional balance. Herbal middle notes like pine provide an energizing, cleansing effect that can improve focus and concentration. When formulating essential oil candles, using predominantly middle note oils will result in a candle with a well-rounded, harmonious scent.
Base Note Essential Oils
Base note essential oils, also known as base notes, provide a strong foundation for candle blends. These oils are characterized by their rich, deep aromas that emerge slowly and last a long time. Some common base note essential oils for candles include:
Sandalwood – Known for its rich, woody, and slightly sweet aroma, sandalwood is a popular base note in candles. It helps provide a grounding, sensual fragrance.[1]
Cedarwood – With its warm, woodsy scent, cedarwood makes an excellent base note. It has a calming, reassuring aroma.[2]
Vanilla – Known universally for its warm, sweet, comforting fragrance, vanilla is a common base in candles. It provides a familiar, pleasant aroma.
In general, base note oils are often added to provide comfort and reassurance. Their rich scents emerge slowly and mingle with middle and top notes to create a harmonious, well-rounded fragrance. Used skillfully in candle making, base notes form the foundation of a memorable scent experience.
Blending by Scent Family
When creating candle blends, it’s helpful to combine essential oils from the same scent family or complementary aromas. Some common essential oil scent families include:
Floral – Floral oils like lavender, geranium, rose, and ylang ylang create soothing, romantic candles. Blend multiple florals together or add a citrus top note.
Citrus – Citrus essential oils like lemon, grapefruit, orange, and bergamot provide an energizing, uplifting aroma. Combine multiple citruses or add an herbaceous middle note.
Herbaceous – Herbaceous oils such as rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage offer an earthy, aromatic scent. Pair with woodsy or citrus oils.
Spicy – Cinnamon, clove, black pepper add warmth. Mix with citrus or herbaceous scents.
Woody – Sandalwood, cedarwood and pine provide grounding, masculine scents. Blend with herbaceous or citrus oils.
Earthy – Vetiver, patchouli, oakmoss create rich, exotic candle scents. Combine with florals and spice oils.
Focus on blending complementary scent families like floral-citrus, woody-citrus, or spicy-floral to create complex, alluring candle fragrances.
Energizing Blends
Energizing essential oil blends contain uplifting scents like citrus, mint, and rosemary to invigorate and stimulate. Some popular energizing blends include:
Minty Energy Blend – Contains peppermint, spearmint, grapefruit, lemon, and cinnamon to boost energy and alertness (source).
Morning Motivation – Blend of bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, rosemary, and cinnamon to wake up and feel motivated (source).
Focus Fusion – Eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemon sharpen focus and concentration (source).
The citrus oils provide an energizing and uplifting aroma, while the mint and rosemary have stimulating properties. When choosing energizing essential oils, opt for 100% pure therapeutic-grade oils and blend in a carrier oil before using.
Calming Blends
Soothing scents like lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood are ideal for crafting calming candles. These essential oils promote relaxation and can help you unwind after a long day. Some popular calming essential oil blends for candles include:
- Lavender + Bergamot – This blend pairs the sweet floral aroma of lavender with the citrusy scent of bergamot. Together they create a soothing and stress-relieving candle.
- Lavender + Ylang Ylang + Sandalwood – Ylang ylang adds a touch of the tropics to this relaxing blend, while sandalwood provides a rich, woody base note.
- Chamomile + Lavender + Bergamot – With calming chamomile and lavender, plus bright bergamot, this blend is both soothing and uplifting.
When making a relaxing candle, keep the blends simple with just 2-3 complementary scents. Apply light to medium scent strength so the aroma is calming rather than overpowering. Use these candles during meditation, yoga, or just when you need to unwind.
Seasonal Blends
Certain essential oil combinations beautifully capture the essence of each season. Here are some of the best seasonal blends:
Spring: Uplifting citrus oils like lemon, orange, and grapefruit pair well with floral scents like lavender and geranium for a bright, refreshing spring blend. According to Season EssentialsTM essential oil blend – Young Living, mixing citrus and floral notes evokes the sense of new beginnings and renewal that comes with spring.
Summer: For an energetic summer blend, try mixing refreshing mint and invigorating rosemary. The crispness of these scents conjures up imagery of summer’s long, carefree days. As recommended by Best Essential Oil Blends for Every Season – Edens Garden, adding lime, lemongrass or bergamot adds a splash of sunshine.
Fall: Warm, spicy oils like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg are quintessential components of an autumnal blend. As shared by Essential Oils – Seasons Life, pairing these with woodsy scents like cedarwood or pine needles calls to mind cozy sweaters and crisp fall air.
Winter: For a wintry blend, vanilla, pine and frankincense are ideal base notes. As explained by Best Essential Oil Blends for Every Season – Edens Garden, accenting these rich scents with touches of ginger, orange and cinnamon adds a sense of warmth and comfort perfect for the colder months.
Choosing Carrier Oils
When making candles with essential oils, it’s important to use a carrier oil to properly dilute the essential oils and allow them to burn safely and evenly. Some common carrier oils used in candle making include:
- Soybean oil – A versatile, affordable option that blends well with many scents. Soy wax candles tend to have a smooth burn and medium hot throw.[1]
- Coconut oil – Provides an excellent hot throw and clean burn. Coconut wax candles release fragrance strongly when lit.
- Beeswax – A natural wax with a lovely honey aroma. Beeswax candles have a long burn time and act as a fixative, making scents last longer.
When selecting a carrier oil, consider the properties you want in your finished candle. Soybean, coconut, and beeswax have different melt points, hardness, and aroma profiles that impact the candle’s burn and scent diffusion. Testing different carrier oil blends will help determine the right base for your essential oil candle recipes.
Safety Tips
When using essential oils in candles, it’s important to keep safety in mind. Here are some tips:
Proper usage and storage: Follow usage guidelines and start with lower concentrations of essential oils when making your own candles. Store finished candles out of reach of children and pets. Keep wicks trimmed to 1⁄4 inch to prevent triggering the release of more scent and soot (1).
Non-toxic wicks: Use cotton or paper wicks instead of metal-core wicks, which can release more soot. Make sure wicks are wide enough for the candle diameter to prevent tunneling (2).
Test burns: Do test burns in well-ventilated areas to assess scent throw and check that the candle burns evenly without excessive dripping, smoking, or sooting.
Child/pet safety: Never leave burning candles unattended. Place candles out of reach of children and pets to prevent accidental tipping or singeing of fingers, paws, or tails.
(1) https://soycandlemakingtime.com/can-i-use-essential-oils-in-soy-candles/
