How to Use Carrier Oils

I am sure you have seen in many articles the term “carrier oils” and perhaps wonder how to carrier oils effectively. Before we get into the details, let’s explore what carrier oils are and why they are required.

What are Carrier Oils

Carrier oils are vegetable oils derived from a plant’s fatty portion, particularly in the nuts or seeds or the kernels. They’re basically used to dilute essential oils as well as other aromatic oils, otherwise, their application may result in burning, severe irritation, or redness (1).

The term carrier oils have been coined due to their purpose in “carrying” essential oils to the skin. Due to their function, they often have little to no scent at all. Carrier oils are important when it comes to applying essential oils in sensitive areas of the skin, when applying on children or applying on a large part of the body.

They’re often mixed in a dilution of around 0.5 to 5 percent for adults, while kids use essential oils that are more diluted (2).

Carrier Oils Vs. Essential Oils

Essential oils are extracted from the aromatic parts of a botanical plant (3). Once evaporated, they will produce a concentrated aroma which can have a lot of therapeutic benefits (4). On the other hand, carrier oils are extracted from the fatty portions of a plant. As opposed to essential oils, they don’t evaporate or produce a strong, therapeutic aroma.

Compared to essential oils, carrier oils get rancid over time. If you notice a strong and bitter aroma from a carrier oil, it could be an indicator that it has become rancid. Meanwhile, essential oils won’t get rancid, although they lose their therapeutic benefits when stored for a long period of time.

Importance of Using Carrier Oils with Essential Oils

Each time you plan to apply essential oils to your skin, it’s important to pair it with a carrier oil first. This is because, as mentioned earlier, applying undiluted essential oils directly to the skin can cause severe irritations and burning.

Basically, carrier oils are designed to dilute essential oils, making them less likely to cause sensitization and irritation. Moreover, there are also unique nutritive and therapeutic benefits of carrier oils among others.

While it might sound counterintuitive to say that by diluting your essential oil, you’re actually making it more powerful, it is indeed true. If you choose to apply essential oil without diluting it first with a carrier oil (a process referred to as “neat” application), you’re basically applying a highly potent oil to your skin (5). This can cause problems because:

• Essential oils won’t be able to spread properly into your skin
• Concentrated oils can result in skin irritation
• Essential oils will quickly evaporate on your skin, hence preventing you from enjoying their benefits
• It can lead to sensitization, preventing you from using that same oil ever again
• Ingesting neat oils can lead to burns and irritation in your mouth and esophagus

Needless to say, carrier oils are important in the sense that they help prevent you from wasting your time and money in needlessly applying undiluted essential oils. Additionally, they also prevent you from putting your body in harm’s way!

How to Use Carrier Oils

To use carrier oils, you simply have to combine them with your essential oils. However, the rate of dilution will depend on who you’ll be applying it on (6). Ideally, you want to follow these dilution guidelines when mixing carrier oils and essential oils. Check out my article here on how to use essential oils safely on children.

Do take note, however, that certain essential oils might cause allergies. Diluting doesn’t necessarily remove or reduce the risks of certain side effects from essential oils. However, what matters is the total amount of essential oils that get into contact with the skin.

List of Rocky Mountain Carrier Oils

There are several types of carrier oils out there. This list of essential oils includes only a few of the most well-known and widely used oils on the market:

1. Jojoba – this oil is extracted from the seeds of the Jojoba desert shrub. It contains a lot of vitamins E and B as well as eicosenoic acid, making it ideal for retaining moisture and even dealing with excessively oily skin (7).
2. FCO (fractionated coconut oil) – considered the perfect all-around carrier oil, the FCO can get absorbed by the skin very quickly, not to mention it has no scent and won’t even stain. It also has high capric content which makes it ideal for protecting the skin without leaving any oily residue (8).
3. Avocado – compared to the other oils, an avocado carrier oil is extracted from the fruit’s skin. Due to its thicker consistency, it’s a bit slower to get absorbed by the skin. However, it is rich in vitamins A, D, and E as well as oleic and linoleic fatty acids, making it perfect for dry and mature skin (9).

References:

1. New Survey Reveals Dangers of Not Diluting Essential Oils, Tisserand Institute. Link here
2. Guide to Diluting Essential Oils, AromaWeb. Link here
3. Essential Oils, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Link here
4. What are the benefits of aromatherapy?, Brent B, Mayo Clinic. Link here
5. Undiluted Application of Essential Oils, New York Institute of Aromatic Studies. Link here
6. Methods of Application, National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy. Link here
7. Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL, Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. 2017 Dec 27;19. PMID: 29280987
8. What Is Fractionated Coconut Oil?, Nutrition Advance. Link here
9. Werman MJ, Mokaday S, et al., The effect of various avocado oils on skin collagen metabolism. 1991;26(1-2):1-10. PMID: 1676360