Carrier Oils for Essential Oils

A little basic info on carrier oils and why we use them with essential oils.

Carrier oils are so named because they ‘carry’ an essential oil to the skin.  They are the base oils that are used to dilute essential oils before applying them directly to your skin.

Why do we use them?

• Some essential oils are extremely potent, what we call ‘hot’ oils.  They can tingle or even burn depending on your skin type if not diluted.
• If you’re applying essential oils to an infant, toddler, or pet, you should definitely use a carrier oil.
• Carrier oils also allow a few drops of essential oil to spread to large areas of the body.

Different types of carrier oils:

• Olive oil – Heavy and oily, with a strong odor, olive oil is high in vitamin and minerals, good for hair.
• Coconut Oil – A light oil, doesn’t leave a residue or go rancid, coconut is good for all skin types.
• Almond Oil – Slightly oily, soothes dry or irritated skin, good for beauty and health recipes.
• Grapeseed Oil – Relatively odorless, grapeseed is good for delicate skin.
• Jojoba oil – Odorless and non-greasy, slightly waxy, closely resembles natural skin oils.

Even though there are many vegetable oil options available on the shelves at the grocery store, they’re usually not the type of carrier that you want to use with your essential oils.  Grocery store vegetable oils are not typically cold pressed, which means that the nutritive benefits have been removed from the oil.  You can usually find them, though, in the organic section or at health food stores.

Dilution with Carrier Oils

1 Teaspoon of Carrier Oil:

• 1% = 1 drop of essential oil
• 2% = 2 drops of essential oil
• 5% = 5 drops of essential oil

1 Tablespoon of Carrier Oil:

• 1% = 3 drops of essential oil
• 2% = 6 drops of essential oil
• 5% = 15 drops of essential oil

1 Fluid Ounce of Carrier Oil

• 1% = 6 drops of essential oil
• 2% = 12 drops of essential oil
• 5% = 30 drops of essential oil