Carrier oils and essential oils go hand in hand because essential oils often need to be diluted in a carrier oil to be used safely. You can read a little more about how this works in our Blending and Dilution section. As a general rule, if you’re planning to use essential oils in a massage blend or other topical beauty product, you’ll want to dilute it in a carrier oil first.
What is a carrier oil?
A carrier oil is a vegetable, nut, or seed oil. It serves as a base in which to dilute essential oils, in order to make them easier and safer to apply to the body.
How much carrier oil should I use?
The carrier oil will be the major ingredient in any massage blend or body care product you make: it should constitute about 97%-98% of the total mixture whereas the essential oil should make up only 1.5%-3%.
Note that some carrier oils need to be diluted further themselves. Borage seed oil, carrot oil, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, sesame oil, olive oil, and wheatgerm oil should be used as a 10% dilution in another carrier oil.
So what should these dilutions look like? Let’s say you want to make a lavender massage blend that uses sweet almond oil as a carrier. You’d add just a few drops of lavender essential oil to the sweet almond oil base, so that it accounts for no more than 3% of the final product.
Now say you wanted to use another oil, like jojoba oil, in this massage blend. Since jojoba oil is one of the carrier oils that cannot be used “neat” (or undiluted), you’d need to dilute it in another oil, like sweet almond oil, first. Here’s what that variation would look like: you’d dilute 10% jojoba oil in 90% sweet almond oil. Then, you’d add a few drops of lavender oil to that dilution.
Which carrier oils should I use?
No matter which carrier oils you choose to work with, make sure they are cold pressed oils before you purchase them. Pay special attention to this: many of the oils you find in the grocery store have been chemically processed, making them a poor choice for aromatherapy.
That said, below is our list of popular carrier oils. If you’re just getting started with aromatherapy and essential oils, choose one or two of these carrier oils to experiment with. As you work with them, notice how they feel on the skin, how well they work in a massage blend, and how good they make you feel. Over time, you’ll discover which carrier oils are best for you. But for now, any of these are a great place to start!
Carrier oils for all skin types:
- Apricot Kernel Oil. This oil is extremely light and feels nice on the face. It’s great for combating premature aging or for relieving dry, sensitive, and inflamed skin.
- Avocado Oil. This oil is highly nourishing, and is especially good for dry, dehydrated, or aging skin.
- Cocoa Butter. Cocoa butter is so thick and solid at room temperature, you’ll definitely need to blend it with another carrier oil to loosen it up. However, this quality makes it perfect for products like lotions and lip glosses, where a thicker feel is better.
- Jojoba Oil. Jojoba oil comes the closest to mimicking the quality and texture of our natural skin oils, and is easily absorbed.
- Grapeseed Oil. This oil has a toning and tightening effect, and is particularly useful for combating acne or oily skin.
- Sweet Almond Oil. This oil feels very light, isn’t greasy, and is fairly inexpensive. If you’re looking for a good all-around carrier oil, this is it.