Carrier Oils

Ok, so this is a very common question I get.  What carrier oil should I use?  Common answer, Fractioneted coconut oil.  But there are so many others our there and they work for different things so lets dive into them. 

So first things first, What is a carrier oil?  Well technically it does not have to be an oil. It is something that "carries" the oil that is added to an essential oil to spread it over a larger surface and dilute it.  So what is considered a carrier oil?  Here is a list:

Almond oil, jojoba oil, mango butter, beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe vera, rosewater, castile soap, grapeseed oil, hemp seed oil, hazelnut oil, rosehips oil, argan oil, aloe vera gel, salt, V6, sugar, and many many more.  

I would like to point out at this point that Mineral oil is NOT a carrier oil.  

Ok now onto specifics.  You may be making a beauty product and are in need of a carrier oil to use.  You may be looking for something to help with aging, or moisturizing. 

So to start you need to narrow down what type of skin you have.  This will help you narrow down what kind of carrier oil to choose.

• Normal Skin: Any light carrier oil such as Hempseed, Coconut oil, Grapeseed, Sunflower, Sweet Almond
• Oily Skin:Grapeseed, Sweet Almond, Apricot Oil, Jojoba, Sunflower, Hempseed, Tung oil
• Dry Skin: Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond, Olive Oil, Rosehips
• Sensitive Skin: Jojoba Oil, Sesame seed, Sweet Almond, Apricot, 
• Mature Skin: Jojoba, Avocado, Apricot, Sesame seed, Rosehips

Now as always if you have an allergy, do not use that specific oil.  Find another that will work with your skin type.

Now when you start to look at carriers for the body your options open up a bit more.  You can add beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe, rose water, castile soap, coconut oil, etc. 

It all depends on what you are looking for.  If you want your product to resemble a lotion you will go with the lotion style carriers.  If you want a body spray you will go with the liquids. 

One of my favorite things to do is make lotions.   IF you take coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and blend in a blender with a whisk attachment on high for close to 10 minutes it gets light a fluffy and will stay easy to spread.  Here is a general chart to help you.

Now if you are looking to just dilute an essential oil, you can use any carrier oil.  Most bottles will give you the dilution ration on them.  

If you have a question on dilution ratios feel free to shoot me a message I would be glad to answer it.