Carrier Oil: Everything That You Need To Know
Essential oils and carrier oil go hand in hand and they offer many health benefits to the users. If you are a first-timer, you might be overwhelmed; however, it is completely safe and easy to use carrier oils with essential oils. Here’s everything that you need to know about carrier oil, whether you are new to it or have been using it for a while.
What Are Carrier Oils?
Carrier oils are naturally derived vegetable oil from the fatty portion of plant-based sources such as seeds, kernels, and nuts. Each of these carrier oils has unique properties and benefits, and they can be used alone or diluted with essential oils. Carrier oils are used in aromatherapy to dilute them with essential oils before applying them topically on the skin. They are also called vegetable oil, base oil, or fixed oil. The term carrier oil is derived from the purpose of carrying the essential oil onto the skin. And most of these carrier oils are unscented or lightly scented.
Common Carrier Oils
- Jojoba Oil
- Sweet Almond
- Coconut Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Rosehip Oil
- Avocado Oil
The term carrier refers to any substance that can be used to dilute essential oils with. It can also be unscented lotions, aloe vera gel, and natural butter like shea butter or mango butter.
Carrier Oils Vs Essential Oils
Carrier oils are extracted from fatty plant parts, such as seeds, nuts, and kernels. And it has very little to no aroma. On the other hand, essential oils are extracted from a variety of plants and tree parts, such as leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, bark, wood, resin, and fruits. Essential oils are highly aromatic. Carrier oils can be applied liberally on the skin without any dilution and they can be used as a base to dilute essential oils. Essential oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil before applying topically on the skin. Carrier oils do not evaporate as they are fixed oils, but essential oils are volatile oils, so they evaporate quickly.
Benefits Of Using Carrier Oils
There are many benefits of using carrier oils, it can protect your skin, moisturize it, and it will also help you save money. Applying essential oil directly onto the skin can cause irritation, burning, or redness, and diluting carrier oil with the essential will protect the skin. Carrier oils have nourishing properties that will help keep your skin moisturized. It is easy to apply, and it helps the skin absorb better. since essential oils are volatile oil, they evaporate quickly but using them with carrier oils will slow down the evaporation process giving enough time for the skin to absorb.
Storing Carrier Oils
By storing your carrier oil well, you will be able to enjoy them for a longer period and reap its many benefits. To prolong the shelf life of your carrier oils, follow these tips. Make sure that you keep all the caps tightly closed after every use. You should also keep it in a cool, dark, and dry place away from heat and sunlight as it speeds up the oxidation process, which will turn your oil rancid. Avoid getting any water or moisture in the bottle and always use clean utensils when working with carrier oils. Storing them in the fridge is the best choice as it is cool and dark.
When you are buying carrier oil, look for cold-pressed and unrefined oil. And if the option is available, it is best to buy organic oil. Refined oils are less desirable than the unrefined version as the therapeutic components are lost in the refining process. Choose an essential oil from Young Living Essential Oils and dilute it with a carrier oil before applying topically.
