Essential Oil Blends for Masculine Scents
When you hear masculine essential oil blends, it's easy to think of dark, heavy combinations filled with patchouli, vetiver, cedarwood, and spice. I like those scents, but I also really like softer masculine blends.
A masculine scent can be warm and woody, but it can also be clean, fresh, subtle, or have a hint of citrus. Sandalwood can soften cedarwood, bergamot can brighten a heavier blend, and even lavender can work nicely when it's paired with the right oils.
Masculine Essential Oil Blends
For these blends, I wanted a little of everything. Some are deeper and earthier, while others are softer and lighter. I've also included several different ways to use them, including a massage oil, room spray, body oil, beard oil, and personal cologne style oils.
Soft Woods Massage Oil
This is a softer blend using sandalwood and cedarwood to give this massage oil a woody base, and then mandarin adds a little brightness. Frankincense brings it all together without making the scent too heavy.
For a 2-ounce bottle:
- 6 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 5 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 3 drops frankincense essential oil
- 2 drops mandarin essential oil
- 2 ounces jojoba, fractionated coconut oil, or another carrier oil
Add the essential oils to the bottle, then add the carrier oil. Close the bottle and gently roll it between your hands to combine.
How to Use the Massage Oil
Pour a small amount into your hand and use as you would a massage oil. This blend can also be used as a light body oil.
The scent is warm and woody, but sandalwood keeps it smooth and subtle. Mandarin gives it just enough freshness to keep the woods from taking over.
Fresh Woods Room Spray
This goes in a different direction. Cypress gives it a fresh, green scent, while bergamot adds citrus and cedarwood brings in the woodiness. A small amount of black pepper adds warmth without making the room smell spicy.
For a 4-ounce spray bottle:
- 12 drops cypress essential oil
- 10 drops bergamot essential oil
- 7 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 3 drops black pepper essential oil
- Polysorbate 20 or another suitable solubilizer
- Distilled water
Combine the essential oils with the amount of solubilizer recommended by its manufacturer and mix thoroughly. Add the distilled water and transfer the mixture to your spray bottle.
How to Use the Room Spray
Mist a few sprays into the air whenever you want a fresh, clean scent with a little woodiness.
My husband likes this as a car spray but it can work in the office, bedroom or mudroom.
Because it contains water and no preservative, smaller amounts are better so they’re not being stored for a long time.
Soft Woods Cologne Oil
The sweet orange brightens this blend a little, while sandalwood, ho wood, and cedarwood keep the scent soft and woody.
For a 10 mL roller bottle:
- 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 2 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 1 drop ho wood essential oil
- 1 drop cedarwood essential oil
- Jojoba oil to fill the bottle
Add the essential oils to the roller bottle and fill the remainder with jojoba oil. Replace the roller top and gently turn the bottle several times to mix.
How to Use the Cologne Oil
Roll a small amount onto the wrists or other pulse points.
Jojoba is a nice choice because it has very little scent of its own, so it doesn't interfere with the essential oils.
Woodland Beard Oil
Beard oil is another easy way to use essential oils, but I wouldn't make the scent very strong since it's applied close to the nose - a little goes a long way.
For a 1-ounce bottle:
- 3 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 2 drops frankincense essential oil
- 1 drop sweet orange essential oil
- 1 ounce jojoba oil or your preferred beard oil base
Add the essential oils to the bottle and fill with the carrier oil. Gently turn or roll the bottle to mix.
How to Use the Beard Oil
Place a few drops into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, and work the oil through the beard and into the skin underneath.
The scent is woody, fresh, and light.
Clean Woods Body Oil
Lavender may not be the first oil that comes to mind when you're making a masculine blend, but it changes completely when you pair it with woodsy essential oils.
For a 2-ounce bottle:
- 5 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 4 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops bergamot essential oil
- 2 ounces jojoba, fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or another carrier oil
Add the essential oils to the bottle, fill with your carrier oil, and gently mix.
How to Use the Body Oil
Apply a small amount to slightly damp skin after a shower. The lavender softens the woods rather than becoming the main scent. It's clean, subtle, and woody without being heavy.
Earth & Woods Personal Oil
This is one of the earthier blends, combining patchouli and vetiver with cedarwood and a little sweet orange to lighten the scent.
For a 10 mL roller bottle:
- 2 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 1 drop patchouli essential oil
- 1 drop vetiver essential oil
- 2 drops sweet orange essential oil
- Jojoba oil to fill the bottle
Add the essential oils to the roller bottle, then fill it with jojoba oil. Replace the roller top and gently mix.
How to Use the Personal Body Oil
Use a small amount on the wrists or pulse points as an oil based personal scent.
Patchouli and vetiver are earthy, cedarwood adds a woody scent, and sweet orange adds some freshness.
If you like this combination, you may also like the Masculine Patchouli Diffuser Blends, where I use patchouli in several different diffuser recipes.
What Makes a Blend Smell Masculine?
There really isn't an essential oil that's only for men or only for women. These masculine essential oil blends are the overall scent not about who can use them.
Woody oils are a good place to start when putting together a masculine blend. Cedarwood has that familiar woodsy scent, and sandalwood is softer and warmer. Ho wood is another good choice when you want something a little more subtle.
For a more earthy scent, patchouli and vetiver work well, although a little of either one can go a long way. Cypress has a fresher, outdoorsy scent, and frankincense blends nicely with many of these oils.
Citrus oils can completely change the feel of a blend. Sweet orange, mandarin, grapefruit, and bergamot add freshness and can lighten up some of the heavier woody and earthy oils.
Lavender is worth trying too. Paired with oils like cedarwood or sandalwood, it can add a softer, cleaner scent without making the blend smell overly floral.
There are plenty of combinations to experiment with, depending on whether you prefer something soft and subtle, fresh and clean, or a little more earthy and woodsy.
Choosing a Carrier Oil
You don't need a special carrier oil just because you're making a masculine essential oil blend. Choose one based on how you're going to use the finished product.
Jojoba oil is one is nice for personal scents and beard oils. It has very little scent of its own and doesn't interfere much with the essential oil blend.
Fractionated coconut oil is another good choice. It stays liquid, feels fairly light, and doesn't have the strong coconut scent you might expect from regular coconut oil.
Grapeseed oil is lighter and works well in body and massage oils, although it generally has a shorter shelf life than jojoba.
Sweet almond oil is another common choice for massage and body oils, as long as nut allergies aren't an issue.
If you already have a carrier oil that works well for your skin, there's usually no reason you can't use it instead of what’s listed.
Adjusting the Masculine Essential Oil Blends
One of the nice things about making your own blends is that you can experiment and adjust where you like.
If you like softer masculine scents, sandalwood, ho wood, bergamot, mandarin, frankincense, and lavender are good oils to experiment with.
You can also make small changes without completely changing a recipe. One less drop of vetiver can make a big difference. Adding another drop of bergamot or mandarin can brighten a blend that seems too heavy.
Just remember that changing the number of essential oil drops in something you're putting on your skin also changes its dilution.
Essential Oil Safety Notes
Essential oils should always be diluted with a carrier oil before using them on your skin. The recipes here already include a carrier oil, but it's still a good idea to test a small amount first, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Keep the oils away from your eyes and other sensitive areas, and stop using a blend if you notice redness, itching, burning, coughing, a headache, or any other irritation.
Some citrus essential oils can also make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so always check the directions and safety information for the particular oil you're using.
And remember, you don't need a lot of essential oil to get a nice scent. Starting with less also gives you a chance to see how you like the blend before making it stronger.
