We've all probably experienced the disappointment of blending a perfume or bath blend that smelled delightful, and disappeared as soon as we put it on.
The best way to insure that scent blends will have staying power is to blend the essential oils the way a musical chord is composed, with high, middle and low notes that compliment each other.
The weight or depth of a specific Essential Oil's aroma is based on the oil's volatility, how fast it disappears, relative to other oils. A fast way to experiment with this yourself is to take some blotting paper, coffee filters, soft papertowels, some very absorbent paper, and drop two or three drops of different Essential Oils on each blotter. Try a choice of oils, one or two citrus oils, a "wood" oil like cedarwood, rosewood, or, best of all, Patchouli or Vetiver; and something in the middle, perhaps lavender or geranium. Take the blotters away for a few hours, and then smell them. While the deeper base notes should be unchanged, the citrus oils are apt have almost disappeared. Make sure after 24 hours, 48 hours, etc.
The easiest explanation of the terms "top", "middle" and "base" notes is directly how tenaciously its scent lingers.
- Blending a small quantity of a middle note will make a top note last longer.
- Rounding the blend off with just a single drop or so of a base note anchors it still more. So, normally speaking, the lower notes will dominate a blend, if used in equal amounts. For having a rough starting note, try blending three drops of your chosen top note, two drops of a middle note, and a single drop of a base note.
Pay attention! We don't know of anyone who hasn't created a scent that they loved, but couldn't reproduce since they didn't have a record of the proportions.
If you are fond of the 3 2 1 blend you just created (with a total of six drops of essential oils) put a 30-20-10 drop duplication of it away for a few day or a week.
Then let the scents meld together, and get comfortable. Occasionally they change, in ways you like. But sometimes one note has become too strong and you want to add a few drops of the others, or make a note to add less of that, the next time.
Lastly, if you need to mix your blend in bulk, you can mix by the teaspoon or tablespoon; or by the milliliter.
Perfumers Kits
Aromatic oils and absolutes ready for blending:
Skin safe 5% dilutions of Rose Absolute, Beeswax (Honey oil), Jasmine Grandiflora, Linden Blossom, and Mandarin for a touch of citrus sunlight, Neroli, Sandalwood and Vanilla Bourbon. They are ready to be wearied as single notes, or to be blended together for your own special blend.
You can also choose Sandalwood as the "base note" for its almost universal popularity and its ability to blend well with almost any other aromatic.
A more exotic collection, also in 5% dilutions in Jojoba: Jasmine Sambac, exotic Osmanthus, rare Rosa Alba, mysterious Tobacco Leaf, voluptuous Tuberose, the clear green of Violet Leaf, grounding Vetiver, and the extraordinary fixative power of Zdravetz, again, five ml of each, ready to wear as single notes, or to blend together for your own special blend. | 
