What are carrier oils and how can I use them?
You have probably heard how concentrated essential oils are. You might have also heard that a huge amount of plant material is necessary to distil essential oils. To give you a rough idea of their potency, to distil 1 ml of rosemary essential oil, you need 200grams of rosemary. Considering that we use about 2 grams of plant matter when we make a herbal tea, 200grams is a lot and would be very intense for our bodies, skin and nervous system. That is why we want to respect plants and essential oils as our healing allies and we should not (unless under the guidance of a professional and well trained aromatherapist and in rare circumstances) apply essential oils undiluted to the skin.
Essential oils have amazing therapeutic properties but they have to be used with great respect and even caution. When essential oils are used, the adage 'less is more' is especially true and thus before applying them to your skin, they must be diluted in a carrier oil.
Carrier oils, also known as base oils, are vegetable oils derived from the oily parts of plants, usually from seeds (sunflower oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil), kernels (argan oil, apricot kernel oil), nuts (macadamia oil, argan oil) or even fruit (olive oil, avocado oil). Unlike essential oils, carrier oils do not evaporate nor do they have a strong aroma (compared to essential oils), making them the perfect medium to dilute essential oils and "carry" them to your skin.
Carrier oils are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, The vitamins, minerals and fatty acids of the carrier oils nurture our skin and help our skin cells to regenerate & repair, improving the health & appearance of our skin. Aside from the nurturing properties of carrier oils, they are also are useful for diluting essential oils.
Popular carrier oils include jojoba oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia oil and sunflower oil, amongst others. All carrier oils have very different properties, oiliness, absorption ratios and emollient properties, but more on these qualities in the next blog in this series. In this first blog, I would just like to give you a general introduction on using carrier oils.
How to Use Carrier Oils:
Essential oils are highly concentrated and can cause skin irritation if applied directly to skin. Diluting them with carrier oils reduces the risk of adverse reactions and allows for safe topical application. Some people also become sensitised to specific essential oils after using them undiluted on the skin, which means that they cannot use that essential oil without their body reacting with an inflammatory response. So that's another good reason to dilute essential oils in a carrier oil.
Another reason for diluting essential oils in a carrier oil is that essential oils are volatile which means that they evaporate easily in to the air, so diluting them into a carrier oil (which has bigger molecules) makes them less volatile and the scent of the essential oil will stick around longer. The carrier oils facilitate the absorption of essential oils into the skin. The fatty acids and lipids in carrier oils help essential oils penetrate the skin more effectively, allowing for better delivery of their therapeutic properties.
General Dilution Guide:
- 1% Dilution: 1 drop of essential oil per teaspoon (5mL) of carrier oil. Suitable for sensitive skin, children under 10 years, pregnant women and the elderly.
- 2% Dilution: 2 drops of essential oil per teaspoon (5mL) of carrier oil. Ideal for daily skincare and massage oils.
- 3% Dilution: 3 drops of essential oil per teaspoon (5mL) of carrier oil. Used for specific treatment areas or acute issues.
- 5% Dilution : 5-6 drops of essential oil per teaspoon (5mL) of carrier oil. Used for very specific treatment areas or very acute issues and for a very short time. Not recommended for sensitive skins or for more than a week of use.
Facial oils 1% maximum dilution as the skin is much more delicate than other areas of the body, but essential oils should not be used in eye products.
Massage / body oils- 1-2%
Moisturising & nourishing skin - 2%- macadamia, jojoba and sesame oils are great for this.
Soothing & healing skin - 2%- calendula oil (infused), argan and rosehip seed oil are great for this as well as macadamia oil.
Injury treatment - up to 5%- However, if the person has sensitive skin or is elderly, pregnant or a small child, please keep this to 1-2%. Here we use carrier oils to deliver the benefits of essential oil to the skin for injuries (such as sprains), anti-inflammatory & antimicrobial properties or pain management. This application is for local application only as it is a very concentrated amount of essential oil and is applied to a small amount of skin, meaning just one body part not all over the body. Castor oil, arnica oil and sesame oils are very useful in this application.
When treating injuries, a higher ratio of essential oils is useful (up to 5%) as it is very short term and a very small area of skin and our objective is to heal the injury.
Bath oil- 5 to 10 drops of essential oil per tablespoon of carrier oil, poured into the bath when you are ready to jump in. Any of the carrier oils can be used for bath oil, the unscented body oil is idea for this. If essential oils are just added to the water without a carrier oil, the essential oils will float on top of the water, possibly causing sensitisation issues for your skin.
Tips for Choosing Carrier Oils
- Skin Type: Match the oil to your skin type. For example, jojoba oil is great for oily skin, while macadamia oil is better for dry or mature skin, while rosehip oil is not always suitable for acne prone skin.
- Shelf Life: Some oils have a shorter shelf life than others. Store oils in a cool, dark place to extend their shelf life with lids tightly closed.
- Allergies: Always check for potential allergies, especially with nut-based oils like sweet almond oil. if you are unsure patch test a small amount on the area of your inner crease of your elbow.
Carrier oils are an essential part of aromatherapy, providing the perfect medium to deliver the benefits of essential oils safely and effectively. By understanding the properties and uses of different carrier oils, you can meet your specific skin needs and create a personalised body or facial oil for your specific situation.
Look out for the continuation of this series where I will continue the benefits of Australian Jojoba oil and organic castor oil, macadamia oil, sunflower, sesame, argan and rosehip oil as well as herbal infused oils, but in the meantime maybe you would like to have a play with the body oil.
The body oil is currently half price. Please keep in mind that it needs to be used before December 2024. Click here to buy the body oil. You can also choose to have the body oil blended with the essential oil of your choice.
Photo credit: Kadarius Seegars on Unsplash