Are you confused about which oil is a base or carrier oil? Then you find out there’s more than one carrier oil, so now which of these do you use? It’s enough to make you already give up on your essential oil journey before you have even started! No No No!
My mission here on Aromalaska is to make everyone’s essential oil journey as easy and enjoyable as possible so in this post I will go through 6 different base or carrier oils and their benefits and what are the best ways to
use them.
So you will never be confused again!
What is a Carrier or Base oil?
A carrier or base oil is used to dilute essential oils before they are applied to the skin in massage and aromatherapy. They literally carry the essential oil onto the skin allowing the essential oils to enter your system.
Diluting essential oils is a critical safety practice if they are used undiluted they would cause a reaction such as stinging or burning.
Here are 6 oils that can be used as a ‘Base’ or ‘Carrier oil’ . It's always best if you can use cold pressed oils as these are the purest. Some of them can even be used in the kitchen so they double up in use making them more economical.
GRAPE-SEED OIL
A vegetable oil made from grape seeds and a byproduct of winemaking. It has a relatively high smoking point, approximately 216 °C so it’s a good oil for cooking also. It’s pale yellow in color and usually easily available.
Benefits
Grape-seed oil is an excellent source of vitamin E working as a fat soluble antioxidant, which aids in protecting your cells from damaging free radicals, as well as supporting your immune system.
How to use it?
So how can you use it with essential oils? Well it also has amazing skin benefits including:
Moisturizing skin
Healing acne
Tightening pores
It is also absorbed by your skin easily and doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily or greasy, for this reason it’s a great carrier oil to use with your favorite skincare essential oils on your face or alone as a great simple make-up remover.
Check out our skincare blends recipes for more ideas. Here are 3 essential oils you can dilute to grape-seed oil for a simple DIY face oil.
Lavender -lavender oil can reduce the appearance of blemishes.
Frankincense -for anti-aging effects.
Wild Orange or Sweet orange for a vitamin C boost.
ALMOND OIL
Almond oil is extracted from the seed of the almond fruit and has been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic practices to treat skin conditions, minor wounds and cuts. It’s light in texture and often a little bit more expensive.
Benefits
Almond oil is rich in vitamin B-7, or biotin so it is a great massage oil as it not only nourishes your skin but also can soften and strengthen your hair. Other benefits include:
Helping to heal sun damage
Reduces the sign of aging
Helps to fade scars
Smooth frizz and heal damaged hair
How to use it?
Not sure which essential oils to use to create a nice massage blend, here are a few simple DIY massage blend ideas.
Night-time Foot Massage -10 drops Roman Camomile or Lavender essential oil diluted into 30ml of almond oil for a relaxing foot massage and to help you fall asleep faster.
Sore Muscle massage - 5 drops of DoTerra Deep blue blend and 30ml for a relieving massage after a hard workout.
Fatigue relief massage - Mix 7 drops of Peppermint, 6 drops of rosemary and 5 drops of grapefruit essential oil to 30 ml of Almond oil to relieve tiredness and exhaustion.
SUNFLOWER OIL
Sunflower oil is made from pressing the seeds of Sunflowers, be careful to watch out for how it has been pressed. It can either be pressed using chemical solvents, or it can be cold-pressed at lower temperatures without the use of any chemicals. You want the cold pressed variant.
Benefits
Sunflower oil is a very versatile type of oil full of antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin D, making it suitable for all skin types and perfect at protecting your skin from environmental stressors
Other benefits include:
Adds hydration and smooths helping your skin to retain water.
Minimizes fine lines and wrinkles and helps protect your skin against further damage.
It helps to soothe irritated skin.
How to use it?
As it is so easily available and usually a staple in the kitchen, it’s the perfect all round use carrier oil to have. Here is a simple body scrub blend you can use it for.
Salty body scrub -Mix 1 cup of sunflower oil, 1 cup of fine sea salt and 1-2 drops of essential oils.
Lavender essential oil for reducing redness and inflammation in the skin. This is often a good option for sensitive skin.
Geranium essential oil for reducing wrinkles
Peppermint essential oil for energizing and cooling feeling, perfect for those summer days.
AVOCADO OIL
Avocado oil has recently become popularly used in the kitchen. Boosting with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins all essential for our bodies inside and out.
Benefits
Although it is a little more expensive than other oils it is very rich in texture and ideal for dry skin as
it contains Vitamins A and B. It is also said that it acts as a natural sunblock as well as keeping your skin strong, smooth and elastic. Other benefits include:
hydrating and moisturizing skin
healing chapped skin
protection against skin damage
How to use it?
Like sunflower oil, avocado oil is a great oil to also have in the kitchen for your salads as well as being used for diluting essential oils. Here are a few DIY blend ideas:
Skin repair face oil-20 ml of Avocado Oil, 4 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil, 2 drops of Rose Oil, and 2 drops of Neroli Essential Oil ( for eczema, psoriasis, or sun damage)
Hot strengthening Hair oil- 4 tablespoons of avocado oil and coconut oil, 4 drops of Lavender essential oil Directions: Warm up the avocado and coconut oil and essential oils in a double broiler for 2 minutes. Apply to clean washed hair and cover with a towel for 20 minutes. Shampoo and Condition as usual
JOJOBA OIL
Jojoba oil is made from the nuts of the Jojoba plant. It is most popularly used in skincare products and as a carrier oil for massages. It contains antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties as well as natural forms of
Vitamin E.
Benefits
Jojoba oil is hypoallergenic, it’s generally considered safe to apply topically.
It's moisturizing and antibacterial.
It can promote collagen synthesis
It can help speed up wound healing.
How to use it?
Jojoba oil is popularly used for skincare products as it has been for centuries used as a remedy for acne, dry skin and countless other skin conditions. Here are a few DIY blend ideas:
Jojoba Lip Balm - ¼ teaspoon jojoba oil, ¼ teaspoon shea butter. ¼ olive oil and 1 drop of peppermint essential oil. Mix all the ingredients together, heat a little to help create a smooth consistency. Pour and store in a small glass jar.
Acne relief roller blend - Combine in a glass roller bottle 4 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil and Lavender Essential Oil and 2 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil and 2 TBSP Jojoba Oil. Apply a few drops to your skin and leave on overnight.
COCONUT OIL
One of the most popular oils used for diluting essential oils is coconut oil, it absorbs into skin very
easily and swiftly, providing instant hydration and protection. Refined coconut oil is extracted by heating the dried coconut meat, while unrefined coconut oil uses fresh coconut meat for extraction.
Benefits
The best benefit of coconut oil is that it reduces dryness by locking moisture into the skin. It’s such a versatile oil with so many uses from oral care, skincare, haircare, cooking uses. You just can’t go wrong with it. Other benefits include:
Aids digestion
Supporting Hormonal Balance
Reduces Inflammation
How to use it?
Coconut oil is actually the preferred carrier oil by aromatherapists because it is so easily absorbed by the skin and allows the essential oils you dilute to enter the body quickly and easily allowing them to work their magic. Here are a few DIY blend ideas.
Allergy Blend - 3 drops Peppermint, 3 drops Lavender, 3 drops Lemon. Put all the oils into a 10ml roller bottle and top up with fractionated coconut oil.
Digestion Blend -Add to a 10ml roller bottle 10 drops of DoTerra Zengest or 10 drops of Peppermint essential oil and top up with fractionated coconut oil and roll onto your stomach or abdomen where you feel discomfort.