HOW TO CHOOSE CARRIER OILS
Essential oils offer a huge range of health benefits, but almost all of them are not safe to apply directly to your skin. They can burn or cause irritation because they’re too potent and concentrated. This is where carrier oils come in: they’re an easy way to dilute your essential oils so that you can apply them safely to your skin. They’re often referred to as vegetable oils, and while many carrier oils are derived from vegetables, this isn’t totally accurate, as carrier oils can also be made from nuts, seeds, or kernels.
Carrier oils also have many skin benefits of their own. They’re rich in vitamins and minerals, which can brighten your complexion, repair skin tissue, and so much more. Our favorite carrier oils are jojoba, rosehip seed, and black cumin, but we’ll explore the benefits of all the carrier oils we carry.
If you’re looking for a carrier that blends into your skin well, without being overly greasy, try jojoba oil. Its fatty acid content mimics our skin’s sebum so well that is absorbed into our skin the most naturally of all the oils in our collection. Plus, jojoba is anti-fungal, high in vitamin E, and super nourishing for your skin and hair.
If you’re experiencing dry, irritated, or damaged skin, the rosehip seed oil is your best friend. It’s high in vitamin A and C, and absorbs into the skin very quickly, making it great for mature skin.
Traditionally used as medicine in the Middle East, black cumin oil is high in vitamins A, B, and C. It’s known for its skin healing properties, and it can help soothe irritated skin. It does have a stronger odor, though. We prefer to blend in a few extra drops of essential oil when we’re working with black cumin oil.
With its slightly sweet aroma, almond oil is a good all-purpose carrier oil, with the added benefits of oleic acid and vitamin E and D. It’s very hydrating and rich in skin-boosting proteins. Almond oil is a little greasier on the skin than jojoba, but it still blends nicely.
Coconut oil is all the rage these days, and not without good reason! It works as an excellent conditioner for dry and damaged hair. It’s solid at room temperature but will warm up quickly in your hands. We love it blended with lime essential oil for a rejuvenating moisturizer that smells like the tropics, but it does leave an oily layer on your skin that takes a few minutes to blend in.
Sunflower oil is often thought of as cooking oil, but did you know that it’s rich in vitamin A, B, D, and E, minerals, and essential fatty acids. It’s full of skin-boosting nutrients! We like blending it with shea and cocoa butter and our favorite essential oils for an easy to make moisturizer. Plus, it’s affordable!
If you’re looking for a carrier with a mild odor that still blends into the skin nicely, look no further than sesame oil. It’s rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin A, B6, and D and it’s a lightweight oil, so it works beautifully as a massage oil too.