Varieties of Essential Oils

Aroma of the essential oils have the ability to enhance the mind, body & atmosphere, improves sleep quality, uplifts mood & precise ambience. Essential oils have limitless benefits & it is very confusing to select essential oil uses. You can choose the oils based on the characteristics of their ‘aroma families’. Every essential oil has aroma by which these can be easily identified (citrus, floral, minty, etc.) & corresponding effect (calm, grounding, cool, etc.) these help to identify the ideal application of the oils.

Here, we will highlight the core aroma families. Essential oils are described as soft, sweet, earthy & warm aroma with spicy undertones. The aroma of the oil can change from one batch to another; this can happen according to the growing conditions of the tree. We will focus on aroma families of the oils.

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3 Essential Oil Aroma Notes:

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You can distinguish the aroma families on the basis of the primary notes. It is the feature that differentiate on how long the scent lasts. These can be categorized as top, middle & base notes. Some oils can have multiple notes that give them luxurious quality.

Oil blends can change over the time because essential oils have different degrees of volatility meaning that they all have diverse rates of evaporation & every oil has its own causes.

1. The oils that have small molecules are used in essential oil blends; most volatile oils evaporate first. These are known top notes; these disappear first & there scent are also detected first.
2. Base notes are oils with large & heavy molecules, these are slow & last to evaporate that’s why they are long lasting scents.
3. Middle notes are those which reveal their scents gradually & help to combine the top & base notes for peaceful fragrance.

Notes	Category
Top	Bay, Cardamom, Citrus oils, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Mint oils, Pine, Rosemary, Sage
Middle	Black pepper, Cajeput, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Clove Bud, Geranium, Jasmine, Juniper Berry, Myrtle, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Palmarosa, Rose Absolute
Base	Frankincense, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Valerian, Vetiver

Which Oils Blend Well Together?

An individual’s preference can decide what smells good together. When you combine oils from the same family they blend well but this is not the rule. You can easily make blends when you know the choice of the person or purpose. The best combination of oils is when you mix all 3 notes that create a balanced & harmonious aroma.  

Aroma Family	Blends well with
Citrus	Floral, Minty, Spicy, Woody
Floral	Citrus, Spicy, Woody
Herbaceous	Minty, Woody
Camphoraceous	Citrus, Spicy, Woody/Earthy, Herbaceous
Minty/Spicy	Citrus, Woody, Herbaceous, Earthy, Floral
Resinous/musky	Citrus, Floral
Earthy	Woody, Minty
Woody	Floral, Herbaceous, Minty, Spicy, Citrus

8 Families of Essential Oil:

Many oils can have more than one aroma so don’t get confused. Let’s check out the table given below:

Aroma Family	Essential Oils	Benefits
Citrus	Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lime, Citronella, Lemongrass, Mandarin	Energizing, Uplifting, Emotionally balancing to reduce feelings of stress, and anxiety, Deodorizing, popular addition to antibacterial oil, blends, Refreshing, Stimulating for mental and spiritual vigor
Herbaceous	Chamomile, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Marjoram Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Bay Laurel, Tea Tree	Calming, Promotes positivity, Encouraging Emotionally, balancing Grounding
Camphoraceous	Camphor, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Lavandin	Stimulating, Refreshing, Focus-enhancing
Minty	Spearmint, Wintergreen, Peppermint	Motivating, Cooling, Invigorating, Mentally clarifying
Spicy Resinous/musky Woody/earthy	Aniseed, Basil, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cassia, Clove Bud, Frankincense, Myrrh, Peru Balsam, Cypress, Juniper Berry, Pine, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Rosewood, Patchouli, Vetiver, Valerian, Carrot Seed	Bracing, Rousing, Crisp and penetrating, Lively, Grounding, Promotes relaxation and a sense of inner calm, Emotionally balancing, Uplifting, Known to be commonly used for intimacy enhancement, Tend to be associated with a casual feeling, Grounding, Uplifting, Emotionally balancing, Promote feelings of comfort, security, and, well-being, Often considered to be aphrodisiacs

Plant Parts:

Essential oils are derived from different plant parts. Let’s have a look: 

Plant Parts	Oils Derived
Grasses	Lemongrass, Citronella and Palmarosa
Leaves and Twigs	Cajeput, Cedar Leaf, Cinnamon Leaf, Eucalyptus, Laurel Leaf, Tea Tree, Sage, and White Sage
Needles, Twigs, and Branches	Cypress & Balsam Fir
Roots and Rhizomes	Angelica Root, Ginger, Ginger Lily, Garlic, Spikenard, Vetiver, and Valerian Root
Seeds, Berries, and Beans	Argan Oil (Moroccan Oil), Cardamon Seed, Carrot Seed, Celery Seed, Coffee, Coriander Seed, Cucumber Seed, Cumin Seed, Dill Seed, Grape Seed Oil, Sweet Fennel, Juniper Berry, Juniper Berry, Rose Hip Seed, Nutmeg, Sugandhakokila, and Vanilla
Tree Trunks	Wood, Bark and Heartwood, myris, Cade (Prickly Juniper), Balsam gurjun, Peru Balsam, Cedarwood, Cinnamon Bark, and Blue Cypress & Sandalwood.

Uses of Essential Oil in Different Fields:

Aromatherapy:

• Relaxes & makes mind peaceful
• Improves the health of the body, mind, and spirit
• Enhances both physical and emotional health

Pharmaceutics:

• Aids in digestion, disorders in the nervous system, bronchial complaints, rheumatism, and other ailments
• Treats rheumatism, relieves pain, flu, colds, and chills
• Helps in the circulation, muscle pains, emotional and physical coldness

Cosmetics:

• Natural preserving agents
• Positive effect on the human organism
• Promote the renewal of cells 

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Side Effects:

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1. These can irritate if used without dilution.
2. Consult doctor before use if pregnant or breastfeeding.
3. These can cause redness, rash, hives, burning, bleeding disorders, decreased speed of healing & low blood pressure.