DIY Thieves Oil Recipe (Exact Ratios + Drops & Teaspoons)
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
Looking for a simple DIY thieves oil recipe you can make at home?
This essential oil blend combines clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary in specific ratios to create a balanced, aromatic blend you can use for both your home and wellness routines.
Often referred to as a “thieves-style” blend, this combination of oils has been used for many years and is known for its bold scent and versatility.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- the exact ratios for best results
- how to make the blend using drops, teaspoons, or weight
- how to use it safely and effectively
This type of essential oil blend has been very popular for home and everyday use.
Some essential oils have been studied for their antimicrobial properties, though they should not be considered a substitute for medical treatment.
What Is Thieves Oil?
The first time I heard about “thieves oil,” it was from a friend whom I thought was saying “feeves” because of a bad phone connection.
She then told me that apparently, during the time of the Black Plague, thieves would go to places where the dead bodies were and they would steal goods off of the corpses. But to protect themselves, they would put a blend of oils or spices on themselves.
Now, I don't know if this is all true or not, but I suspect that there's some truth to it.
Once I figured out what it was, I was intrigued by the blend—and even more interested in making a DIY version to save money.
I'm always trying to DIY things like this Homemade Rice Milk, this Homemade Coconut Milk, and so much more.
So, enter this Homemade Thieves Blend.
it’s simple to make and works well for a variety of uses, and is much cheaper than buying a blend.
Thieves Oil Ingredients
- Clove essential oil
- Lemon essential oil
- Cinnamon bark (or leaf) essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
This combination is widely used in thieves-style blends and is known for its strong, balanced aroma.
Thieves Oil Recipe in Drops, Grams, and Teaspoons
This DIY thieves oil recipe uses a 40-30-15-10-5 ratio of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary for a balanced blend.
Drops
- Clove: 40 drops
- Lemon: 30 drops
- Cinnamon: 15 drops
- Eucalyptus: 10 drops
- Rosemary: 5 drops
Note: This method is less precise because different essential oils have different densities. Clove and cinnamon are heavier oils, so the scent may be slightly stronger when measured in drops instead of weight.
Grams
For a 10 gram blend, here's how much of each oil to use.
- Clove Bud: 4 grams
- Lemon: 3 grams
- Cinnamon Bark: 1.5 grams
- Eucalyptus: 1 gram
- Rosemary: 0.5 grams
Teaspoons
For a small batch (about 1 teaspoon total):
- Clove: about ⅜ to ½ teaspoon
- Lemon: about ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon
- Cinnamon: about ⅛ teaspoon
- Eucalyptus: about 1/16 teaspoon (a pinch)
- Rosemary: about 1/16 teaspoon (a pinch)
Because essential oils vary in density, teaspoon measurements are only approximate. For best accuracy and balance, use drops or measure by weight.
DIY Thieves Oil Recipe (Exact Ratios + Drops & Teaspoons)
Equipment
- small opaque glass bottle 10-15 ml
- dropper or reducer cap
- digital scale optional
Ingredients
- 40 drops Clove Bud Oil
- 30 drops Lemon Oil
- 15 drops Cinnamon Oil
- 10 drops Eucalyptus Oil (See Note)
- 5 drops Rosemary Oil
Instructions
- Add all essential oils to a clean amber glass bottle.
- Gently swirl or roll the bottle to combine.
- Let the blend sit for 12–24 hours for best aroma (optional).
- Use as desired (see notes below for usage and safety tips).
Notes
- This recipe is based on a formulation using percentage ratios for a balanced blend.
- Measuring by weight gives the most accurate results, but drops work well for everyday use.
- Teaspoon measurements are approximate due to differences in oil density.
- Always dilute before applying to skin, as some oils in this blend are considered “hot.”
- Not intended as medical advice.
Where This Thieves Recipe Came From
This recipe is adapted from a formulation shared by Dr. Robert Pappas, an experienced and accomplished essential oil educator. I appreciate his attention to proper ratios and safety, and I’ve converted the recipe into simple drop measurements below for ease of use.
How to Make Thieves Oil
Simply combine the essential oils above in an opaque glass container like an essential oil bottle, then swirl to mix.
How to Use this Homemade Thieves® Blend
Following are ideas that I have read about or personally used. Of course, with the medical uses, I am not a medical practitioner, nor do I pretend to be one.
Note that some of these oils in this blend are “hot” and can burn. Please dilute with a carrier oil before applying directly to the skin or using in the mouth.
- For sickness: Diffuse in the air or use topically, remembering to dilute with a carrier oil if using topically.
- House cleaning. Add this blend to your homemade or store bought cleaner of choice for extra cleaning power.
- As a mouthwash.
- Dental issues: I have occasionally swished with 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil with about 4 drops of antibacterial oils added to address dental concerns. This is very similar to coconut oil pulling, but with added oils.
- Wound Cleaning
Safety Notes
Eucalyptus Oil
Under age 3: Can be diffused or applied topically up to .5%.
Age 3-6 – Can be diffused or applied topically up to 1%.
Cinnamon and Clove Oils
These are “hot” oils and as such care should be taken when applying them topically.
There are a variety of recommendations for dilution of these oils for safety, but one recommendation is to dilute cinnamon to .07% or (rounded to) .1% max and clove to .5% max.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in thieves oil?
A traditional thieves oil blend includes clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils.
How do you make thieves oil?
Combine the essential oils in an opaque glass bottle in the proper ratios using drops or weight.
Can you apply thieves oil to skin?
Yes, but always dilute it with a carrier oil first.
Can you substitute ingredients in thieves oil?
This blend is traditionally made with five specific oils, and for best results, it’s recommended to follow the original ratios.
However, in some cases:
- Cinnamon leaf oil can be used instead of cinnamon bark for a milder option
- Eucalyptus varieties may vary slightly (globulus vs radiata)
Keep in mind that substitutions will change the aroma and overall balance of the blend.
Where to Buy Oils and Bottles to Make This Blend
Oils
Essential Oils are sold all over the place. I personally left the 2 big Direct Sales companies, and chose to buy from companies that weren't in the MLM business model.
You can read my series, “Which Essential Oils Company is Best?” here to find out more about how I chose this company plus loads of information about essential oils.
Bottles
For the bottles, you can use an old essential oil bottle like I did, or you can head over to Amazon and get an amber dropper bottle like this one there.
More Essential Oil Blends
- Breathe Blend – to help soothe coughs
- Purify Blend – for cleaning and purifying
- Adrenal Blend – for stress support
“Thieves® is a registered trademark of Young Living. This post is not affiliated with or endorsed by Young Living and is simply a DIY essential oil blend inspired by traditional combinations.”
Got a question about essential oils?
Leave it in the comments below and I'll do my best to help.
Thank you Adrienne for all that you do! My question is; do you by chance have this recipe for Thieves Oil worked up in bulk? I need to make a bunch for my family and I would like to do it by bulk instead of individual. Thank you in advance for any insight that you can give me.
What kind of bulk are you looking for?
Do you have a DIY recipe to duplicate “Melrose”?
No, I don’t. Sorry. I hadn’t heard about it until now.
Hi, I am in Australia and looking at making my own Thieves blend, not sure about shipping to Oz or not, do you know of any Australian Companies that sell good Oils? or do you know if the Business you recommend sends overseas, always worried customs will claim it or iradiate it as they tend to do
Thanks in advance, will also add a few drops into a capsule to internal use, am prone to pneumonia and lung infections from 62 yrs of chronic asthma, have scarring on the lungs, Doc said One day after a bout in Hospital, lucky to be here it was very close, been there a lot of times lol
Thanks
Warren
Hi there. I am sorry but I don’t know of any good Australian companies. You could make a request for RMO / NAN to put a “don’t xray” request on the package, but no guarantees what customs will do. According to NAN / RMO the xray won’t affect the quality of the oils, but perhaps the energy of them.
Hope that helps. I am sorry about your health. I was using their Breath EZ blend the past week for a bad cough and it really seemed to help me.
I’m sure it was obvious from my response, but they do ship overseas :).
Thanks for the response, will send them an email
Sure thing. Hope it works out for you. If you do purchase from them I would appreciate your mentioning me and I so hope they work well for you. You are the third Australian I have heard from in about 1 week who is wanting oils. :).
Essential Therapeutics is a good Australian Company located in Melbourne. I have used them for over ten years.
Select Botanicals in Sydney are distributors for this company as well
Do you have a copycat for YL’s JOY blend?
I do not, but this oil from Rocky Mountain Oils is comparable. https://wholenewmom.com/LoveEO (affiliate link).
I could try to work on it though :).
Hope that helps.
Thanks so much for your post and all your research! I was wondering how you would dilute this to make a household cleaner?
Sorry for the delay. I have read this dilution on another site.
1 drop of Thieves for an ounce of water or 1 drop for a 1/2 ounce if you want a stronger mix.
I am sorry for the delay- I have had a bunch of things going on and haven’t been on the blog as often…hope to be back more in about 1 week.
as essential oils float on water you can either shake vigorously each time you use the spray or you can mix the essential oils with vodka or vinegar (which is a bit vinegary smelling) than fill up bottle with water and shake.
I was making a Thieves copy-cat for my toothpaste, but now that I have discovered Rocky Mountain Oils I am going to use its version of Thieves which is called Immune Strength. It smells exactly the same 🙂 Hopefully it works just as well as my copy-cat!
I’d love to hear what you think! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this post as well as your others on Essential Oils. I am finding them extremely informative. I have little experience with EO and simply started a little research because I was interested in making my own bath salts. I find the commercially prepared ones overpowering. After lots of research, I am ready to try EOs for their therapeutic properties as well. I don’t know anyone who uses them, so there is nobody that I could ask for help. Now I feel like I have enough information to make an informed decision about which oils to buy, etc. I had no idea that there were “sketchy” EO on the market. Thank you so much for all your research and for sharing this information. Can you recommend a good source for diffusers? Also if you are thinking about doing other copycat blends, I would be grateful for one that helps with migraines.
Yes on the diffusers. I have been using Rocky Mountain’s diffusers round the clock and LOVE them. I used to use a smaller one and now I use a bigger one. I was using the doTERRA Lotus. Didn’t love it. Wouldn’t stay on long enough and hard to clean. I will see what I can do about more blends. Do you have a blend you like for that? Did you see the Healthy Gut Summit coming up? I think it would appeal to you – it’s free and will address root causes of issues in the gut. Some information is in this post. https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/free-kindle-books-healthy-living-jan-24-2015/
This is the link (affiliate link) to the page with the diffusers that I love: https://wholenewmom.com/Diffuser
Thank you so much Adrienne. I have registered for the Healthy Gut Summit and am looking forward to that. I will definitely consider the AromaCloud Spa diffuser – had already looked at that, but it’s nice to what other people think before I invest into something like that. I have been looking at purchasing the Migraine Relief Blend from Rocky Mountain Oils, https://www.rockymountainoils.com/migraine-relief.htm but so far have not purchased it. It looks promising though, so I think I might give it a try. I don’t know how long it will take for shipping to Canada, but I don’t expect that it would take too long.
I really appreciate your response and the heads up about the Summit.
You’re so welcome! I think the summit looks amazing and the price is right :)! I think they ship pretty quickly. I hope you’ll tell me what you think about the oil and the diffuser. I really really love it!
Hi! Thanks for blog! You post lots of items of interest.
I tried this recipe for copycat thieves oil by buying the oils from Native American Nutritionals. I have a bottle of YL Thieves to compare and have some suggestions:
1) the recipe needs more cinnamon – maybe twice as much if one is trying to achieve the same aroma for diffusing.
2) I used eucalyptus radiata and it is overpowering! I hate it. The recipe should have half the amount suggested, or maybe less. Or, as you suggest, maybe a different type of eucalyptus? It ruined my blend for diffusing. I guess I’ll use it for cleaning.
Hi there and thanks! I might try w/ more cinnamon but I was thinking that clove is the more overpowering oil in Thieves.
As for the euc radiata, I don’t find it to be so but sorry if you do. I enjoy the smell of this quite a bit and someone was at my home the other day and commented about how nice it smelled. I guess everyone is a little different? If you try something and like it please share. Thanks!
Yes, very true. Eucalyptus reminds me of vicks vapor rub so it’s not appealing to me, though I’m sure others like it. But it was still fun to try out the recipe – thanks again for sharing!
I can see that. I don’t have an overwhelming sense of the euc from diffusing it – it smells more clovey and cinnamonney to me….but I might try it w/ different proportions as well. Thanks!
sweet orange and cinnamon leaf or cinnamon bark essential oils have more antibacterial and antiviral properties than eucalyptus, but. eucalyptus has a nice “fresh” feel that can be overpowering if inhaled. Essential oil blends are made for specific purposes and so a medicinal blend doesn’t always take into account the “pleasant aroma” factor, although it can. There are so many essential oils with antibacterial properties that it is possible to make many different versions to suit your own preferences. My favourite antiviral / antibacterial blend is sweet orange, lemon, cinnamon leaf and myrrh pure essential oils . Very tiny amount of myrrh.
am new to all this oil stuff. on ebay one seller sells the spices for home-made thieves in a packet for one to steep/infuse into olive oil for 2 weeks, one packet to 2 cups oil. am thinking on trying this and maybe adding frankincense and myrrh too. your opinion would be appreciated.
also, if this turns out good, I want to make a paste or ointment of it, for my elderly mom as it would be easier for her to apply. what do you think of coconut oil? should I steep the herbs in that or in the olive oil and then mix into the coconut? if not a good idea, what do you suggest?
thank you.
Hi. I am not sure what you are asking in the first part of your question. I can’t say what I would do you can’t really steep in coconut oil unless it’s liquid. Does that help?
It’s always best to get advice from a qualified aromatherapist if you are unsure about using essential oils for any medical purposes, especially with children or the elderly. Essential oils are made by a process of distillation, are very concentrated and are very different to “infused oils” which is what you would make by “steeping” a packet of herbs and spices in a vegetable oil. ( no need for things to be liquid ). Hypericum oil (St John’s Wort) for example is an infused oil and is quite useful for rubbing onto painful joints. Using the herbs to make an infused version of the blend would probably result in a nice smelling oil with some soothing properties, but nothing like a blend made with essential oils.
Well thank Goodness you mentioned the NAT equivalent is Spice Traders (update from Adrienne – now it is Immune Strength) because I didn’t want to mix my own. Ha!! I’m so glad you do so much research and so thankful you did the research for oils. I”m loving my NAT oils and especially enjoy aromatizing them… is that the correct word?
You are welcome! It might be – diffusing maybe?