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Learn how to make the best essential oil blends for men with these masculine scents of tried and approved recipes.

Essential oil bottles on cardboard box with rosemary sprig behind them.
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I love making DIY products for gifts. From Christmas to Mother’s Day, homemade presents make the best gifts! For the past 3 years, I have made my husband a Father’s Day gift basket with homemade goods.

I fill it with aftershave, beard oil, beard conditioning balm, and cologne. All of these products are things he uses every single day. When it comes to scenting them, I want to use essential oils that smell “manly.”

I have come up with blends that are tried and true that I know your man will love too! This post is filled with masculine scents using essential oils.

MASCULINE SCENTS ESSENTIAL OILS

When it comes to masculine scents, I stick to mostly woodsy and earthy essential oils. These oils pair well with spicy, minty, and citrus oils.

So depending on what kind of scent you are going for, you can pair them accordingly.

WOODSY ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

  • Arborvitae
  • Black spruce
  • Cedarwood
  • Copaiba
  • Cypress
  • Douglas fir
  • Myrrh
  • Sandalwood
  • Siberian Fir (Douglas fir, White fir)
  • Vetiver

EARTHY ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

  • Citronella
  • Eucalyptus
  • Frankincense
  • Spikenard
  • Tea tree (Melaleuca)

SPICY ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

  • Black pepper
  • Cardamon
  • Cassia
  • Celery seed
  • Cinnamon bark
  • Clove
  • Coriander
  • Ginger

MINTY ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Wintergreen

CITRUS ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

  • Bergamot
  • Grapefruit
  • Green mandarin
  • Juniper berry
  • Lemon
  • Lemongrass
  • Lime
  • Petitgrain
  • Tangerine
  • Wild orange

ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS FOR MEN

Amber roller bottle standing on box with cinnamon sticks and rosemary behind it.

Blending essential oils is so fun! You can make any combination that you wish and customize it for your preference. When blending essential oils, it is best to start with a base and then add to it.

For example, if you want to make a woodsy blend, pick an essential oil from the woodsy category that you like.

Then pick an essential oil from a category that blends well with woodsy oils, such as earthy, minty, spicy, or citrus.

Add in one drop of essential oil at a time and smell it until you get the scent you are going for. Other essential oil groups to try are herbal and floral oils.

MANLY ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS

*Note, for tips on properly diluting, see the “how many drops of essential oils” section below.

CITRUS SPICE

  • Bergamot
  • Siberian fir
  • Clove lemon

FOR THE OFFICE 

  • Sandalwood 
  • Frankincense 
  • Wild Orange 

NIGHTLIFE  

  • Cardamon 
  • Ylang ylang 
  • Vetiver 
  • Lemon 

OUTDOOR 

  • Basil 
  • Cedarwood 
  • Lemongrass 
  • Helichrysum 

LEMON CEDAR

  • Cedarwood
  • Lemongrass

FLORAL MINT

  • Rosemary
  • Lavender
  • Thyme
  • Peppermint

FRESH AND CLEAN

  • Eucalyptus
  • Sandalwood
  • Tea tree (or melaleuca)

CITRUS BLEND

  • Wild orange 
  • Lemon 
  • Bergamot 

EARTHY BLEND

  • Frankincense 
  • Sandalwood 
  • Vetiver 

WOODSY BLEND

  • Cedarwood 
  • Lemongrass 
  • Sandalwood

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.

Find any of the oils for these blends HERE.

BLENDING ESSENTIAL OILS FOR MEN

Dropper bottle with essential oils in it on wood board with bread brush and comb behind it.

When blending essential oils, it is important to note that essential oils are very concentrated. It won’t take a lot of oil to get a certain scent, and quickly, it can become overpowering.

If you ever need to get less than a drop into a blend, you can use the toothpick drop. Do this by putting the tip of a toothpick into an essential oil bottle, just enough to get it wet, and then swirl it into the blend you are creating.

This is a great trick if you are trying to get a hint of a scent into a particular blend.

HOW MANY DROPS OF ESSENTIAL OILS SHOULD I USE?

As mentioned above, essential oils are very concentrated, and you don’t need a lot of drops to get the benefits from the oils. It is important to dilute essential oils before using them.

  • For a 2 oz spray bottle: 15-20 drops
  • For a 10 mL roller bottle: 12-15 Drops
  • For a 2 oz dropper bottle: 10 drops
  • For a diffuser: 6-8 drops

It depends on what you are making to determine how many drops of essential oils you will need. Below are links to exact recipes that include the number of essential oil drops you will need:

Men’s Cologne

Aftershave

Beard Oil

Beard Conditioning Balm

ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS FOR MEN’S SKINCARE

I love making my own skincare to cut down on toxins in my home. It is so simple to make lotions, body washes, and scrubs. And the best part, you can customize and scent them however you want!

For my husband, I like to stick to woodsy and earthy aromas. He likes the way they smell and I love that he isn’t putting harmful ingredients full of synthetics on his body.

Essential oils such as frankincense, sandalwood, and tea tree have wonderful benefits for the skin and have a great aroma for men.

  • Frankincense: clears skin from skin imperfections and may reduce signs of anti-aging
  • Sandalwood: Sooth irritated skin and reduces acne, can brighten skin
  • Tea tree: cleanses and purifies the skin, used as a spot treatment on pimples

CAN ESSENTIAL OILS BE USED FOR HAIR CARE?

Beard shampoo on table with essential oil bottle, beard brush, and bread comb next to it.

Essential oils can help strengthen and lengthen the hair. They can help with hair loss and promote healthy-looking hair.

Essential oils can be added to shampoos, and conditioners and be used on men’s beards.

Cedarwood, lavender, peppermint, and rosemary are some of the best essential oils to use in your hair. These essential oils can be used to make beard shampoos and beard oils.

  • Cedarwood: stimulates hair follicles and increases circulation to the scalp making it a top oil for hair loss prevention.
  • Lavender: produces more hair follicles to help thicken and strengthen hair. (source)
  • Peppermint: promotes hair growth and thickness. (source)
  • Rosemary: helps to thicken and grow hair; helps with dry hair as well as overly oily hair and can help prevent split ends.

ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER BLENDS FOR MEN

White diffuser on table with green flowers behind it.

Diffusing essential oils can help cleanse the air, promote a positive mood, and even help with sleep. Essential oils are tiny aromatic compounds, and when diffused into the air, you breathe them in and reap the benefits.

Everyone’s sense of smell is different and one scent that you may love, someone else may despise. Below are a few essential oil diffuser blends that have a manly aroma.

OUT OF THE WOODS

  • 3 drops cedarwood
  • 2 drops of Siberian Fir
  • 2 drops rosemary
  • 1 drop vetiver

PEACE AND CALMING

  • 3 drops Frankincense
  • 3 drops sandalwood
  • 2 drops chamomile

RECHARGED

  • 3 drops lemon
  • 3 drops bergamot
  • 2 drops arborvitae

FEEL GOOD

  • 2 drops cypress
  • 2 drops bergamot
  • 2 drops frankincense
  • 2 drops fir oil (white, Douglas, or Siberian)

BALANCE

  • 2 drops Lime
  • 2 drops frankincense
  • 2 drops bergamot
  • 2 drops of black spruce

How to use these blends in a diffuser?

Fill your diffuser with fresh water to the fill mark.

Then add the oils and secure the lid.

Note, that these amounts are for a 200 mL diffuser.

Find any of the oils for these blends HERE.

About Laura

Welcome to Our Oily House, Iโ€™m so glad youโ€™re here! Explore DIY cleaners, homemade soaps, skincare and hair care recipes, fragrance-free solutions, and sustainable laundry tips for a naturally inspired home.

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17 Comments

  1. Tina says:

    Thank you for this! Found this very helpful!

    1. Laura says:

      I’m so happy you did!

  2. Brenda says:

    Carrier Oils , i’m seeking advice of what’s the proper carrier oils of mens essential oil. .. Giving a gift of Essential oils , and what’s a proper carrier oils info ‘s i should add with the essential mens scents. Seen coconut oil , and bought Frankinscence. idn though….. Thought he can make his own scent. .

    1. Laura says:

      Really any carrier oil would work! I would go with whatever you have on hand or easiest to find.

  3. Alison Archer says:

    Hello, I just wanted to say first off that I love your site and have learned so much from it. Thank you!!!!! Secondly I am wondering if you could answer a question about your blends (Citrus Spice, For the Office etc) is it equal drops of each oil to make the blend?

    1. Laura says:

      Thank you so much! This is really going to be up to your personal preference. You could begin with equal drops of each, and then tweak it over time.

      1. Carol L says:

        No, when you post an article on “Blends for Men” โ€ฆyou should include an actual RECIPE for those blends, including the recipe with amounts!

        If, upon making those recipes, the reader wants to adjust the recipe they can, but an actual recipe with AMOUNTS should be included, it is the normal format to use.

        Would you expect to look up a โ€˜recipeโ€™ for making pancakes
        and have only:
        โ€œflour, baking powder, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla extract โ€“ optionalโ€
        as your โ€œrecipeโ€? Nothing else, like AMOUNTS?
        Of course not, that is not the normal format for recipes:
        Recipes include amounts.

        1. Laura says:

          If you look at the end of this article, you will see amount of drops listed for each blend.