Mermaid oil, (aka “ocean potion”) is a ritual oil specifically used in sea witch magic to evoke the Element of Water.
And it’s super easy to make! If you love learning how to combine essential oils to create unique aromas, mermaid oil is a relaxing evening or weekend project.
Below, I listed a few tried and true versions. But you need not get caught up in specifics. There’s no one way to make ocean potion. Experiment and make these recipes your own.
What is mermaid oil?
Mermaid oil’s fanciful name hints at its ritual purpose.
Much like the watered-down version of fairies we find in Disney productions, the cutesy Little Mermaid image of these mythical, half-human sea creatures obscures the truly dark nature of the traditional lore from which they originate.
In fact, oceanic European folktales often portray mermaids as murderous sea temptresses. The siting of one often signaled trouble on the frothy waters of the high seas.
So for the purpose of ritual, we use mermaid oil to embody the complex, somewhat tumultuous nature of the Element of Water.
The essence of water in modern witchcraft is emotion—all of the feels.
Think of the way water behaves in nature. Sometimes, it trickles soothingly from a gentle stream or patters lightly on the rooftop. Sometimes, it rains down in torrential downpours or collides in great sea storms with a terrifying fury.
This acts as a perfect metaphor for emotional life.
When and how to use it.
Once you perfect your favorite version of mermaid oil, consider using it in any of the following ways:
Empower sea witch rituals. Of course, mermaid oil makes an appropriate addition to almost any sea witch ritual. Add a few drops to a sea witch ritual bath, add it to a spell jar or anoint your sea witch altar with it.
Sooth or quiet difficult feelings. Naturally, this is a very different thing from suppressing or avoiding difficult feelings. But if you find yourself struggling to settle stirred up emotional turmoil, consider anointing a candle with mermaid oil and spending sometime meditating on the flame as it burns down.
Inspire insight. Whether you struggle with writer’s block or you need to think of a clever way to get your toddler to stop drawing on the walls, use mermaid oil to help reestablish a sense of “flow” in stale thoughts. Boil a pot of water on the stove with a few drops of ocean potion to loosen mental blockages and break free from cyclic ideas.
Liberate yourself. The free-flowing nature of wonder symbolizes the liberty of the human spirit. If you feel trapped or boxed in by your circumstances, use this ritual oil in spells to break free of those restraints look outside the proverbial box for answers.
Notes & Tips
-If you plan to apply oil directly to skin or use it in your bathwater, be cautious about allergies and definitely dilute it with a carrier oil, like olive or jojoba.
-These recipes easily double, triple, ect. Just be sure to continually smell test them as you go up in batch size.
-If you go “nose blind” (the phenomenon when everything starts to smell the same after a while of inhaling essential oils), try smelling coffee grounds in between sniffs to clear your olfactory senses.
-Consider storing your mermaid oil in a blue or turquoise bottle to enhance its symbolic association with the Element of Water.
3 Recipes for Mermaid Oil
(Please note: For your convenience, I included several affiliate links. Read more about Moody Moon’s affiliate linking policy on the disclosure page).
Below, I listed 3 basic recipes for mermaid oil/ocean potion. But as always, I encourage to come up with your own, unique formulas.
Low Tide Oil Mermaid Oil
This soothing blend helps to settle emotional turmoil and calm the rough waters of the mind.
-4 drops rosemary or eucalyptus oil
-3 drops lavender essential oil
-2 drops lemongrass essential oil
-2 drops spearmint essential oil
Sun Splashed Beach Mermaid Oil
This blend works well for clearing mental blockages and inspiring insight.
-5 drops lemon essential oil
-5 drops orange essential oil
-3 drops juniper essential oil
-3 drops lavender essential oil
-2 drops lemongrass essential oil
High Seas Mermaid Oil
Use this blend to evoke power and embolden sea witch rituals.
-6 drops cedarwood essential oil
-4 drops frankincense essential oil
-2 drops orange essential oil
-2 drops lemon essential oil
please could you make a post about making essential oils because I can’t seem to get hold of any.
thanks
Rowan
Hi Rowan,
Making essential oils from scratch is an extremely involved process and it requires a ton of raw herbs. To be honest, I’ve never even tried. If you have any luck with it, please do feel free to come back and tell us about it!
Hello,
I’m a baby sea witch, and I came across this post, I would like to know if there is water or ocean water involved in the mermaid potion.
Sincerely,
Kazzie
It’s an oil based potion. So no. But you can definitely use ocean water in sea witch magic.
Thank you! ☺️ I’ve just started practicing witchcraft, my whole life I’ve had these jars of sand and shells and even a collection of sea glass in my room snd constantly had witchtok things pop up on my fyp on tiktok and so I started to get into it now heh. Thank your for this recipe for mermaid oil!
Sincerely,
Kazzie
This is glorious. Thank you so much! I love the erudition with which you provide these tools and encourage us to create our own.
I love these! They will be a great addition to my work on the beaches & wild places near the ocean. I have always been drawn to them. I have various collections of beach sands, shells, rocks, drift wood and especially sea glass. Being drawn to the salt water all of my life, these potions will be a great addition to my essential oils work.
Thanks for the great information.
Keep on Witchin
I am definitely a sea witch and I love writing these fun oil recipes in my witchy book I just ordered oil and hearbs on line and I can’t wait to play with them thx so much and blessings to all my sister sea witchy poos