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How to Use Carrier Oils with Essential Oils

Choosing the right carrier oil to blend your essential oils with is really quite an important task. As you will know by now essential oils should never be applied to the skin neat. Choosing how what, and which carrier oil to mix your chosen essential oil can sometimes be a little daunting.
Many people might be lucky to have skin that will appreciate any carrier oil. Whereas some might struggle with allergies or very dry or oily skin. This is why selecting the right carrier oil for your skin type is worth researching.

First steps to selecting the best carrier oils to use with essential oils

Not all carrier oils are equal and first things first you need to determine what skin type you have. Where you want to use the oil i.e face or body and also if you suffer from any allergies. The purpose for your selection is also important, are you looking to hydrate dry skin? Do you suffer from oily acne-prone skin? Are you looking to reduce fine lines and wrinkles? Once you know what you are looking to achieve selecting the best carrier oil to use with your essential oils becomes much easier.

What are carrier oils made from?

Carrier oils are naturally derived from plant-based sources such as kernels, nuts, or seeds and each has its own skin-loving benefits. Some oils can derive from nuts; if you have a nut allergy you need to make sure you avoid these: including Argon oil, almond oil, apricot kernel oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil, and walnut carrier oil. Many carrier oils are classed as odourless but more often than not they will have a faint nutty or sweet aroma.

Base Oils

How to use carrier oils

Due to the fact carrier oils are made from naturally derived ingredients they can be used directly on the skin. Always do a test spot first to make sure you are not allergic to the oil. As you now know essential oils should never be applied to the skin neat. When blending essential oils with a carrier oil always use the recommended amount. Don’t add a few drops more thinking it will increase the benefits; it might actually harm your skin!

Carrier oils when blended correctly with essential oils and applied topically on the skin can have wonderful skin health benefits. When chosen wisely they can play an important role in your natural DIY beauty routine. Let’s have a look at where you can use these wondrous oils.

Body – Apply a few drops of oil to your skin and gently massage in; paying attention to areas that are drier like elbows and feet. A few drops can also be added to bathwater to slowly soak into the skin.

Face – Carrier oils can be used to cleanse the face and remove makeup and dirt on the skin. You can also apply a few drops of non-greasy oil after cleansing to hydrate the face and neck area.

Hair – Many people don’t realise you can massage a few drops of carrier oil to dry hair. This can help make your hair shiny and frizz-free with careful application. For a more intense treatment, you can massage into the scalp and hair and leave overnight. Just make sure you lie on an old pillowcase and wash out in the morning.

How to blend carrier oils with essential oils for best results

As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for 1% dilution for oils used on the face and 2.5% for oils used on the body. What’s that mean I hear you ask? Let’s break this down further for blending essential oils with a carrier oil for the face.

At 1% dilution, this equates roughly to 2 drops of essential oil to 10ml of carrier oil. Or for further ease 20 drops of essential oil to 100ml of carrier oil.

When blending for the body at a ratio of 2.5% you will need 5 drops of essential oils to 10ml of base or carrier oil. Or 50 drops of essential oil to 100ml of base or carrier oil.

Simply add the required amount and shake, shake, shake to blend together.

Remember to store somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Definitely do not leave your blended oils in direct sunlight it will most certainly go off in a rancid kind of way!

Aromatherapy Essential Oils uk made

Carrier oils and their benefits

Now you know a little more about selecting and blending carrier/base oils with essential oils let’s investigate 6 oils and their natural skin-loving benefits.

Argan Oil

Argan oil is a beauty elixir from head to toe. It’s chock-full of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. That promotes overall skin and hair health by moisturizing, softening as well as protecting from sun damage without harmful toxins and Parabens.

Argan oil is non-comedogenic this means it won’t clog your pores after absorption. The amazing properties of this wonderous oil make it a skin healer that is non-greasy and works for all skin types. Argan oil helps retain moisture in dry skin and also reduces oil production in oily skin. This makes for a truly amazing all-round natural skin hero that also works wonders for your hair.

Avocado Oil

Avocado Oil is good for dry and ageing skin. It is easily absorbed and is said to help with skin complaints such as eczema and dry or itchy skin. Avocado oil works well for ageing skin as it is believed to help improve the skin’s elasticity. A fabulous nourishing oil that can also be used on hair.

Avocado Oil 100ml

Fractionated Coconut Oil

Fractionated coconut oil is a good moisturiser for the skin and when applied to hair it helps to retain proteins. Coconut Oil in its purest form is solid at room temperature. The process of ‘fractionating’ the oil removes some of the proteins and fatty acids from the oil and in the process makes it a liquid. This carrier oil is best used on the body and not the face.

Grapeseed oil

Grapeseed Oil is an all-purpose oil used to nourish hair and skin, can also be mixed with essential oils to use for massage. With its thin consistency, grapeseed oil is a fabulous lightweight moisturizer. Grapeseed oil is high in Vitamin C and contains more Vitamin E than olive oil.

Hempseed Oil

Hempseed oil is fabulous for most skin types, it helps balance oily skin and also prevents dry skin without clogging pores.  Known for its shin soothing properties hempseed oil is rich in fatty acids which help hydrate and soothe inflamed skin. Can also be used on hair, as it’s naturally conditioning.

Hempseed Oil 100ml

Sweet Almond Oil

One of the most popular oils is sweet almond oil as it’s suitable for all skin types and is used for nourishing dry skin and also for various other skin complaints like eczema and dermatitis. It also has mild anti-inflammatory properties. Sweet Almond Oil is very similar to Peach Kernel and Apricot Kernel. A universal oil that can be used on your face, body or hair. This amazing carrier oil works to slowly absorb into the skin. It is highly moisturising and full of antioxidants and vitamin C. Making sweet almond oil a good choice for mature, damaged skin that needs a little extra TLC.

The Almond Tree is native to the Middle East and South Asia but has since been grown in various other areas including southern Europe and the warmer parts of the United States. The fruit of the tree is not actually a nut but a drupe, which means a fleshy outer skin with a hard shell inside it that contains the seed.

Sweet Almond Oil – 100ml

Which essential oils should you use with carrier oils

There are no hard or fast rules to selecting the right essential oil to blend with your carrier oil. Most essential oils have many health benefits for your skin. Select one that aligns with your skin type and mood for best results. Let’s have a look at some of our favourites.

Chamomile Essential Oil Best for sensitive eczema prone skin.

Rosemary Essential Oil Cleanses and clears congested skin making this ideal for oily acne prone skin.

Frankincense Essential oil Helps tighten, tone and stimulate cell regeneration, making this a good choice for aging and mature skin.

Lavender Essential Oils Known for its calming properties as well as skin cell regeneration. Use lavender oil to help revive tired dry skin.

We hope you enjoyed our article on how to use carrier oils with essential oils and we hope we’ve inspired you with selecting the right oils for you to use.

About Snooty Catz

Are you new to Snooty Catz? We are a small UK independent business that loves to live ethically for both ourselves and our pets. This is why we stock a fabulous range of natural wellbeing products for both people and their pets as well as ethically sourced homewares and eco gifts. We are passionate about the environment which is why all orders are posted in plastic-free packaging and we also plant a tree for all orders received. We hope you love our product range as much as we do.

See our full range of base, massage, and carrier oils as well as our popular essential oils for more aromatherapy inspiration!

If you’re looking for natural ways to a healthier home you might enjoy our post on eco-friendly ways to clean your home

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!