What is a carrier oil?

Carrier Oils 101

Essential oils are extremely potent. In some cases a single drop can be too much. I am sure we have all had a moment where we wanted to massage an essential oil onto our skin but the one drop didn't seem to spread very far. 

This is because the oils are so volatile that they begin to dissipate almost as soon as they touch the skin. Carrier oils carry the oils across the skin. Carrier oils are essentially a way of diluting the essential oil without losing the good stuff. 

In fact it carries it in a way so that the qualities of the essential oil are spread evenly across your skin. Carrier oils are great for massage, topical application, adding to a roller ball to take your essential oils on the go, and they actually help you get the most out of every drop. 

Think about it this way. You have a bottle of essential oil. That bottle has 150-250 drops depending on how many milliliters are in the bottle. Now if you are using a teaspoon of carrier oil to apply that one drop you now have 150-250 tablespoons of the essential oil. I like that math! 

Some of the most popular carrier oils are: 

• Grape Seed oil 
• Hemp oil 
• Almond oil 
• Avocado oil 
• Sunflower oil 
• Sesame oil 
• Coconut oil 

Dandelion Oil, AKA Dandy Oil. Recipe Here: Dandy Oil

My favorite carrier oils are:

• Fractionated coconut oil 
• Rosehip oil 
• Dandelion Oil

Depending on the thickness of the carrier oil you choose you can use them in roller bottles. Purchase empty glass roller bottles online, add 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil, then fill to top of the bottle with your carrier oil. Be mindful of the amount of space you will need to leave at the top to add the roller cap!

Quick Tip: Have friends or children who like to browse through and use your oils? Have a few roller bottles specifically prepared and labeled for their consumption. This way you never have to worry about them using too much of your favorite essential oil or spilling them during the mixing process. If they ask you for an oil to use, direct them to the sharable stash! ;) 

I so hope this post was helpful. Still have questions about carrier oils? Send me an email: kayla@healing-salve.com 

Thanks for reading and be well!