A great way to get acquainted with essential oils is to take a new oil each day, dilute it and apply 1 or 2 drops to a pulse point on your body (the inside of the wrist, the temple, the base of the neck) and inhale the fragrance deeply.  When choosing an oil, browse with your nose.  Your sense of smell will guide you in the selection of oils appropriate for you.  When you are blending oils, it is best to start with blending 3 oils to create your blend.  Generally 8 drops are put into a bath water or vaporizer and 3 drops into a massage blend of oil.  In a bath, add 5 to 8 drops of a combined blend of 3 oils before your climb into the bath.  Agitate the water and enjoy!  In a vaporizer (most have a dish over a tea candle or halogen light bulb) add 8 drops in total of your chosen combination of oils to the shallow dish filled with water.  As a massage, for every 10 ml of base oil add 5 drops of essential oil.  This creates a 2:1 ratio.  Base oils include macadamia, jajoba, peach kernel, olive, sweet almond, wheat germ oil. As a body rub choose 3 essential oils and add to your base oil, blend in a small bowl and smooth the oil over the entire body.  For inhalation, add 3 to 5 drops to a stainless steel or glass bowl filled with boiling water and agitate to release the vapors, place a towel over your head and breathe deeply.  As a compress to soften the skin, add 5 drops in total of your chosen 3 essential oils to a basin of hot or cold water, soak a small towel or piece of gauze in the water and apply to the skin.  As a spritzer, using 90 ml of water, add 5 drops of your combined 3 essential oils to the spritzer bottle.  Source: Aromatherapy 101 by Karen Downes.