any aromatherapists out there?

I am not an aromatherapist, but I do have experience using essential oils in the natural skin care products that I design and manufacture.

I decide on my essential oil combinations based on BOTH their benefits and smell. I basically start out with a list of their therapeutic properties. Then I categorize them according to their uses, until I have a few groupings. From there, I select my combinations based on how they smell, because I already know they will all work well for their intended purpose.

For example, I use Tea Tree in my healing ointment because it is wonderful for first aid. Unfortunately, it does not smell the greatest on its own, so I also add Lavender and Ravensara, both of which have good healing properties as well, but they make the product smell wonderful.

When I experiment with smell combinations, I put a drop at a time onto a small cup, until I come up with a good smelling ratio. Then I multiply this 'recipe' in larger amounts for my products.

There are guides out there for what essential oils' scents combine well with each others, though I rarely follow them. The scents that are most popular with my customers (and that I am in love with) happened by just throwing together a bunch of oils on a whim. Its amazing what you can come up with when you are just messing around.

I recommend you check out the essential oils section at http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/

This site lists many of their physical and emotional benefits, as well as what other oils they combine well with

Experiment, and have fun!