If you don’t have a essential oil

[Babywitchbxtch]

Am I able to substitute any herbs if I don’t have the essential oil ?

[BryWisteria]

Hello @Babywitchbxtch!

That’s a good question- and a very popular one here in the forum! When it comes to substitutions, there are a few things to consider when swapping ingredients in spellwork (be it a spell, oil, blam, potion, etc):

@BryWisteria

As a very quick summary of substituting, the goal is to find the purpose of the ingredient as it is being used in the spell (whether it’s for its magickal properties, fragrance, texture, medicinal properties, etc.) and then substitute it with something that corresponds with that same property .

So, you will need to take a look at the recipe and try to find the purpose of the essential oil within the spellwork.

Ask yourself: What is it being used for? While it may be used for smell, texture, (hopefully not taste, as many essential oils are not meant for internal consumption), etc- the most likely purpose is for the magickal properties of that essential oil.

You can then find magickal substitutes that correspond with the same properties. For example, substitute an essential oil for luck with an herb that also corresponds with luck

A good place to check for substitutions is on the Spells8 Magical Substitutions Page. You can check out both the Magical Herb Subtitutions as well as the list of Magical Essential Oil & Fragrances Substitutions

For more ideas and information, you can also see all of the substitution discussions in the forum- there are lots of resources and ideas about ways to swap ingredients!

Good luck and blessed be, Lotasha!