Dropsmith subscribers include excellent formulators, respected educators, and clinical aromatherapists. However, we all have similar questions. The top topic is essential oil synergy.
Mastering synergy guarantees quality products, services and expertise. Dr. E. Joy Bowles (the world’s leading expert on essential oil chemistry) and I are discussing burning questions on this topic. ?
Join us in this fun and friendly series of short video interviews and upgrade the value of your Dropsmith experience.
Hello Melani,
Thank you for having Dr Joy; as you may know I am in her Journal Club, and we have started the synergy discussion. I so appreciate your taking on the significant % question. I thoroughly enjoyed the comparison between Lavender and Bergamot and find myself wondering, besides fragrance, what bergapten itself brings to the equation?
This discussion is esp pertinent as I finally have gone through all my older oils and creams and am discarding them, sigh….necessary but true. I did send some to Julia by the way….
Anyway I have behind me now the new palette of essential oil choices for formulating this month and so am ready for you.
I work with formulating a bit differently as I usually mix the oils right into the finished 100 gr of unscented cream I make up for my base. I figure since you add the eo to the cool down phase anyway why not just add them to the saved bases I have on supply?
When I mentioned this to the Tisserands I think they were both a bit bemused at my technique. I find the little bottles of blends a source of clutter. I have made them up, and I did for the course, but I have not had time to use them all, so I return to my orig method of blending right as I prepare the finished product. Also I find calculating the % of a % tiring as in a blend you only have a % of a certain oil present.
As to the synergy discussion the most imp element is its effectiveness. My husband had some new onset tendon pain with his Lupus and I pulled out a cream I made for him which worked like a dream. That is my own benchmark for the synergy or in my eyes, “effectiveness” of the blend….Does It Work?
The next part of that comment is biochemic individuality, so just because it worked for one person, would it work for someone else? These are the questions I live with quite comfortably.
Dropsmith has been quite helpful to compare the oils that are available. There have only been a few where either they have not been included yet or there is just not enough research done. When that happens I just turn to my other sources like J.P Rhind’s latest book on essential oils which is very comprehensive. I assume you have seen it; she is my fall back resource of late.
Thank you so much for taking on this vital question. Vital because we want to know where to put our creative efforts most effectively. I look forward to the next one…
Warmly,
Elana
Dear Melanie, It was great! These are the questions and answers that make the fine tuning!! And for me it made a huge impact on the deeper understanding of the importance of the minor constituents’s effects.
thank you!
Anna