Every different aromatherapist and essential oil company will have a preference as to which Carrier Oil to use. From Sweet Almond Oil to Jojoba to Coconut Oil…. the options seem to make little sense.
First things first, why do you even need a carrier oil? A couple reasons.
Essential Oils are Volatile-
this means they flash off rather quickly. Within a minute or two of putting a drop of oil on your skin, 50% or more of the oil will already be dispersed aromatically. This may be what you want, for instance, when you out a drop of peppermint on your hands and rub them together to breathe it in.
However, if you are applying that peppermint to a knee to get some target relief- it wont work. Because it isn’t on the knee long enough to be absorbed in any real way. So placing the EO in a carrier oil, holds it to your skin longer. Most often, when someone tells me that oils don’t work, they haven’t been diluting them in a carrier properly.
Safety
There is an inherent risk with EVERY SKINCARE product you can find, anywhere. Even hypoallergenic products can cause major irritation in the right circumstances.
Essential Oils are no different, and the risk for sensitization exists.
Sensitization is when the body moves past merely an irritated layer of skin, to a full body reaction. It appears very similarly to an allergy.
Point to remember: topical.application carries extra risk that internal usage doesn’t- in the SAME WAY that eating a jalepeño doesn’t give you issues, but cutting one up CAN give you a rash. (even if you are not allergic).
Our internal digestive system is self diluting with mucus membranes, moderation in internal usage means our bodies self regulate.
Topical usage means we just put.oils on our skin- without mucus membranes to protect that outer later of skin- we can have issues quickly.
THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON WE MUST ALWAYS DILUTE. It is exceedingly rare for me to ever use an oil undiluted. I find it poor practice.
I carry a 10ml rollerball of pure jojoba just for this reason. ♥️
Comedogenic Rating
First- check the comedogenic rating for your skin type/needs!
What is a comedogenic rating?
products are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their pore-clogging potential
-1 being least likely to clog pores
-5 being most likely to clog pores
-try to keep scores of 3+ off your face
Carrier oils & their ratings:
0-
Hemp Seed Oil
Mineral Oil
Shea Butter
Sunflower Oil
Argan
Safflower Oil
1-
Castor Oil
2-
jojoba
kukui nut oil
Sandalwood Seed Oil
Sesame Oil
Evening Primrose Oil
Grape Seed Oil
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil
Avocado Oil
2-3:
fractionated coconut oil
4-
Cocoa Butter
Coconut Butter
Coconut Oil
red palm
When weighing all of this, we choose jojoba oil whenever we can! Im often asked, “WHY DO YOU USE JOJOBA OIL?”
one more thing….
Essential Oils are priceless, in my opinion. Meaning. Meaning, although we can put a price on them using many different human measures. The plant giftings of our earth are PRECIOUS. Finite, if we do not harvest and use them wisely. 1 drop of EO diluted goes a LONG way. This not only saves money, it saces resources. This is the most important reason we should ALL dilute, always ??