Lasting Essential Oil Base Notes – Match Your Mood!

By Caryn Gehlmann

During the summer, we tend towards lighter aromas, but as autumn and the dark days of winter approach, we may want something warmer, earthier, or more grounding to make us feel cozy, safe, or even sexy! That’s when essential oil base notes can play a role.

Base notes add depth and longevity to our essential blends so they are worth getting to know! While you may already have a feel for which essential oils you like or dislike, you may not have an awareness of the different scent notes each essential oil has and how they work together.

Before we dive into some fun DIY blends that harness the power of base notes, make sure you’ve downloaded our free guide with step-by-step instructions and helpful worksheets: The Art & Science of Blending Essential Oils.

To understand essential oil base notes, let’s explore how volatility affects your DIY essential oil blends.

An essential oil’s rate of evaporation is defined as the volatility rate. This influences and reflects the aroma tenacity. Keep in mind that many essential oils have a mixture of molecules with different volatilities. As a result, the aroma of the oil changes considerably when exposed to air. Even your climate affects the longevity of the aroma — dry climates evaporate it faster than humid ones.

Essential Oil Base Notes a.k.a. soul, fond, or dry notes

Essential oil base notes are deep, warm, and help make the blends last longer by adding a fixative quality. Most come from woods, resins, and gums with properties that are sedating and used to promote relaxation.

Blends with base notes often smell sweeter over time. It takes the proper proportion of a base note to give a blend its depth and intensity. Some base notes

Some of the more pleasant base or mid-base notes, such as Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Jasmine, can be used in larger amounts.

However, other essential oils with base notes or mid-base notes are so strong they make up only 5% of a total blend, like Myrrh, Patchouli, Rose Absolute, Vetiver, and Ylang Ylang.

Fixatives have the ability to carry lighter scents and keep them from evaporating too quickly, so the entire blend lingers longer. Even though most are more expensive, your investment will increase with time as the fragrance improves.

Fixative essential oils: Benzoin, Balsam of Peru, Copaiba Balsam, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Frankincense, Oakmoss*

*e3 carries a selection of essential oils we consider our non-standards. Please contact us for price and availability.

Before you get started on a blend, it’s a good idea to consider the intended purpose of the blend. Are you blending for the scent or the therapeutic uses, or both? You don’t have to go for an either/or. You can have it all, with a little experimentation! Just do your research — each essential oil e3 sells has a page with its therapeutic uses listed. And listen to your nose!

A good blend of essential oils adheres roughly to a 30:50:20 ratio of ‘top’, ‘middle’, and ‘base’ notes. Top notes, often sweet or citrusy, disappear rapidly in the air; middle notes are the stable warmth of the aroma; and base notes linger longest, and so need to be used cautiously.

Here’s a good DIY rule to follow: Add one drop of your essential oil base note at a time, swirl, let it blend for a moment, and sniff.

We wear so many hats during our lives. Why not create a signature scent that supports each one of your personas, whether it be Supermom, The Executive, or The Caregiver? 

Science is proving there’s a definite link between essential oil chemical components and our psychophysiological functions (how we think, feel and behave). So if you’re ready to become “more adventurous, more alluring, or even more capable, you’ll find some DIY recipes below that will help you create what we’re calling your “Persona in a Bottle”.

Directions: Mix the oils together and store in a small, glass bottle with a cap. Apply a drop to pulse points, such as the inner elbows, behind the knees, behind the ears, or on the underside of your wrists.

Looking for a musk fragrance that makes you feel like a sultry film star? Then try…

The Diva

10 – 12 drops Ylang Ylang (Mid-Base Note)

8 – 10 drops Palmarosa (Mid-Base Note)

6 – 8 drops Patchouli (Base Note)

2 – 5 drop Myrrh (Base Note)

2 – 3 drops Clove  (Base Note)

If you’re more of the spice-n-nice type, this one will make you anything but boring!

The Girl Next Door

10 – 15 drops Tangerine (Top Note)

8 – 10 drops Cinnamon Leaf (Middle Note)

2 – 5 drops Clove (Base Note)

5 – 8 drops Cedarwood USA (Base Note)

If you’re an adventurer who loves wandering the globe, then an earthy, outdoorsy essential oil blend is for you…

The Adventuress

5 – 10 drops Lime (Top Note)

5 – 7 drops Pine Needle (Middle Note)

5 – 8 drops Copaiba Balsam (Base Note)

4 – 6 drops Vetiver (Base Note)

Feeling romantic? Then try…

The Flirt 

8 – 12 drops Mandarin Nova (Top Note)

7 – 10 drops Ylang Ylang (Base Note)

2 – 5 drops Nutmeg (Mid-Base Note)

6 –  9 drops Sandalwood (Base Note)

If having fun and hanging out with friends is your thing, you might love this one…

The Party Girl

10 – 13 drops Lemon (Top Note)

8 – 12 drops Bergamot FCF (Top Note)

5 – drops Neroli (Top-Mid Note)

5 – drops Rosemary (Mid-Base Note)

Calm, peace, and quiet are what you prefer, then this one for you…

The Zen Master

10 – 13 drops of Sweet Orange (Top Note)

5 – 8 drops of Tangerine (Top Note)

9 – 13 drops of Lavender (Middle Note)

3 – 5 drops of Ylang Ylang (Mid-Base Note)

3 – 6 drops of Patchouli (Base Note)

How would you describe your persona(s)?  The bookworm? The executive? The caregiver? The daredevil? The artist? Do you have a signature scent for each one? Start with one drop of your favorite essential oil base note and build your personalized scent(s) from there. We’d love for you to share your persona on our Facebook Page. Let’s have some fun!

Thank you for the photos Jonathan Borba, Chris K, Michael Dam, Aziz Acharki, Kareya Saleh, and Jan Kopřiva.