Our Favorite Carrier Oils
We have been obsessed with natural skin care since we learned that there are so many toxic chemicals lurking in skin care products that can have an adverse effect on our health. Carrier oils are wonderful for keeping your skin looking healthy and hydrated.
We have been obsessed with natural skin care since we learned that there are so many toxic chemicals lurking in skin care products that can have an adverse effect on our health. Carrier oils are wonderful for keeping your skin looking healthy and hydrated. They protect the lipid layer against environmental stresses while deeply moisturizing the upper layers of the skin improving the skin’s softness and elasticity. These oils are loaded with vitamins, minerals and an array of fatty acids, omega 3, 6 and 9, that deeply moisturize and nourish the skin. Use a combination of these carrier oils to dilute essential oils to provide your skin with the best care to stay young looking!!
Here are our favorite carrier oils!
Jojoba Oil
- Slightly nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 2-5 years
- High in Vitamins B, and E, minerals
- Fatty Acids: Eruic, Gadoleic, Oleic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care
- Great for dry skin conditions! Great for inflamed skin, acne, eczema and psoriasis, Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, Similar to the sebum in our sebaceous glands and is very effective skin softener because it is highly penetrative. Great for removing makeup! It’s said to help to dissolve oil collected in clogged pores, Can be used on a dry scalp before shampooing, can be used in the hair before blow drying to add moisture
Evening Primrose Oil (Borage Seed Oil has similar properties)
- Nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 6 months refrigerated
- High in vitamin E, omega 3 and omega 6
- Fatty acids: Gamma Linolenic, Linoleic, Oleic, Palmitic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care massage, dietary supplement
- Healing, Helps skin retain water, helps skin cells stay plumped, Improves moisture, elasticity, firmness and roughness of skin, great for eczema, and rashes
Carrot Seed Oil
- Earthy aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- Often considered an essential oil
- High in vitamins B, C, D, E, minerals and beta carotene, provitamin A
- Fatty acids: Stearic, Palmitic, Oleic, Linoleic, Linolenic
- Uses: skincare, hair care
- Use small amounts because of the bright orange color, Great for cell turnover due to the beta carotene (vit. A), Great for premature aging, itching dryness, psoriasis and eczema, antioxidant and antiseptic properties
Rosehip Seed Oil
- Earthy aroma
- Shelf life: 6 months refrigerated
- High in Vitamins A, C, K, (trans-retinoic acid)
- Fatty acids: Oleic, Palmitic, Linoleic, Linolenic
- Uses: skincare
- Contains super-antioxidant lycopene that helps repair sun-damaged skin
- Trans-retinoic acid (vit. A) encourages cell turnover and diminishes discoloration, anti-inflammatory benefits, Helps skin retain water, decreases sun spots, improves appearance of fine lines, and encourages a smoother skin texture, Deeply moisturizing, removes redness and irritation so may be beneficial for rosacea
Sweet Almond Oil
- Sweet, nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- Rich in protein, vitamins A, B, E, glucosides and minerals
- Fatty Acids: Oleic, Palmitic, Linoleic, Linolenic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care, massage, makeup
- Good for all skin types, helps skin to retain moisture, non-comedogenic
- Helps relieve itching, soreness, dryness and inflammation
- Great base oil for adding other carrier oils
Avocado Oil
- Nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 6 months
- Rich in vitamins A, B, D, E, protein, Panothenic acid, lecithin
- Fatty acids: Lecithin, alpha linoleic, linoleic, linolenic, oleic, palmitic, palmitoleic
- Used in skincare, hair care
- Great for dry, dehydrated skin; eczema; improves skin elasticity, increases collagen, removes impurities from the skin, blends well with other carrier oils
Fractionated Coconut Oil
- Mild coconut aroma
- Shelf life: 2-4 years
- Fractionatedoil contains only the medium chain fatty acids (long chain fatty acids removed) Raw coconut oil is not best for dilution of essential oils. Long chains may interfere with absorption of essential oil.
- Contains Vitamin E, Squalene, Sterol, Tocopherols
- Uses: skincare, massage, hair care, food, great oil for general essential oil dilution, great to use on children when diluting oils
- Fatty acids: Caprylic, Capric, Lauric, Linoleic, Myristic, Oleic, Palmitic, Stearic
- Strengthens and softens skin, eliminates dead skin cells on the surface, High in lauric acid which has some antimicrobial activity that may be useful in treating acne, Long shelf life and blend well with other oils.
Grape Seed Oil
- Mild, sweet aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- High in Vitamin E, Tocopherols, Omega 6, Omega 9
- Fatty Acids: Linoleic, Linolenic, Oleic, Palmitic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, massage, food
- Penetrating, reduces skin aging, does not agrivate acne, non greasy, antioxidant properties increased in blood, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, great for oily skin and sensitive skin
Marula Oil
- Sweet, nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- High in Vitamins C, E, proteins, tochotrienol, phenolic compounds, flavonoids
- Fatty acids: Oleic, Linoleic, Alpha-Linolenic, Palmitic, Stearic, Arachidonic
- Uses: skincare
- Fast absorbing, for all skin types, Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, redness and blotchiness, Improves elasticity, promotes collagen and elastin production, Reduces water loss, hydrates deep layers of skin, anti-inflammatory
Hazelnut Oil
- Sweet, nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- High in vitamin E, minerals and protein, high in catechins and tannins that give the sensation of dry oil when applied
- Fatty acids: oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic linolenic
- Uses: skincare, hair care
- Good for all skin types, moisturizing and emollient, softens and soothes the skin, recommended for treating irritation of dry sensitive or damages skin, antioxidant properties reducing free radicals, helps to filter out suns rays, antibacterial so it helps treat oily skin and seborrheic dermatitis and acne, helps to tone and firm skin, can be applied to hair before shampooing to moisturize hair, Blends well with other carrier oils
Kukui Oil
- Light, nutty aroma
- Shelf life: 1 year
- High in Vitamins A, C, E
- Fatty acids: Linoleic, Alpha Linolenic, Palmitic, Oleic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care
- Great for dry skin, Highly emollient, Excellent antioxidant properties, Helps relieve symptoms of eczema and psoriasis, no greasy feel
Baobab Oil
- Light aroma
- Shelf life: 3-4 years in cool. dark area and sealed tightly
- Rich in vitamins A, E, D, protein
- Fatty acids: Oleic, Palmitic, Linoleic, Linoleinic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care, massage
- Quickly absorbed, great for dry skin, Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Smoothes out fine lines by possibly stimulating collagen and elastin, Calms itchy skin of eczema and psoriasis and dermatitis, Helps reduce scaring
Argan Oil
- Faint aroma
- Shelf life: up to 6 months
- High in vitamins (A,E)
- Fatty acids: Oleic, Pamitic, Linoleic, Linolenic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, hair care, cosmetics
- Very hydrating, absorbs quickly, very moisturizing, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, improves elasticity, anti-inflammatory, minimizes scars and stretch marks, reduces sebum production in oily skin, helps heal acne
Apricot Oil
- Faint aroma
- Shelf-life: 6 months
- High in vitamins A, C, E, and protein
- Fatty acids: Oleic, Palmitic, Linoleic, Stearic
- Uses: Skincare, massage, hair care
- Good for all skin types especially prematurely aging, sensitive, inflamed, dry
- Good for skin rejuvenating
Check out our favorite essential oils
for skin care!
XOXO~S & A
The Big Question: To Dilute, or Not To Dilute Essential Oils
If you are new to the essential oil scene, you’ve probably heard lots of talk about the need to dilute essential oils with carrier oils. On the other hand, you will hear many saying that some of the oils can be used “neat”, or by themselves. So what is right?
If you are new to the essential oil scene, you’ve probably heard lots of talk about the need to dilute essential oils with carrier oils. On the other hand, you will hear many saying that some of the oils can be used “neat”, or by themselves. So what is right? The answer is, when in doubt, DILUTE! Always dilute essential oils if you have sensitive skin. Always dilute if you are putting oils on children. Always dilute “hot oils” like oregano, cinnamon, clove, thyme and cassia. These "hot oils" are common skin irritants and can cause skin sensitization. Initially, they can be tolerated being used neat, but then all of the sudden, cause a disproportionately strong dermatitis reaction. When the dermatitis has cleared, even a small amount can cause a reaction. Low quality, adulterated oils, even ones that say “organic” can cause skin sensitization as well due to the impurities that can be in the oil. So, always dilute "hot oils" to prevent this kind of reaction.
This is one of the main reasons why we only use essential oils that are Certified Pure, Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) to ensure that we are using the highest purity and quality of oils on the market.
So, what is the difference between essential oils and carrier oils?
Essential oils are the volatile liquids (they evaporate quickly) that are distilled from the plant’s seeds, bark, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruit, etc. They are not “oily” like carrier oils. Their molecular size is very small and they are lipid soluble and can easily penetrate the skin’s lipid bilayer. Essential oils contain the chemical constituents that allow them to be therapeutically beneficial. Within twenty minutes, essential oil constituents have entered the blood stream and have the potential to affect every cell in the body. In the cell, they have a therapeutic benefit, and then, metabolized like any other nutrient, unlike synthetic chemicals, that are not metabolized easily and tend to be stored as toxins in our bodies.
Carrier oils are vegetable oils derived from the fatty portions of the plant, usually the seeds, and they are used to “carry” the essential oil into the skin. These are full of fatty acids that also provide nutritive benefits to the skin. Unlike essential oils, carrier oils can become rancid so they need to be stored in cool places. They do not evaporate like essential oils so they can be used to dilute the essential oil and prevent it from evaporating too quickly allowing more essential oil to enter the body. It only takes a couple of drops of an essential oil to have a therapeutic benefit. The carrier oil allows the couple of drops of essential oil to be distributed over a greater part of the body and it also prevents wasting the essential oil. Because of their larger molecular size, the carrier oil does not penetrate enough to get into the blood stream like the essential oils. They penetrate the top layers of the skin and nourish it with their fatty acids and vitamins and minerals. There are so many carrier oils coming into the market that it is hard to decide which one is the best. They each have a different fatty acid profile and some are more suitable for dry skin and some are better for oily skin. So which ones do you choose? Play around with different oils and blend carrier oils that provide different benefits to the skin. First, make sure that you purchase carrier oils that are organic and cold pressed. These are the best to use on the skin. They are richest in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that nourish the skin. Avoid using cooking oils that you typically buy at the grocery store. They are highly refined and may contain solvents and petroleum residues.