A carrier oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually the seeds, kernels or the nuts. Carrier oils are useful when working with essential oils because it is sometimes necessary to dilute an essential oil. One example is when applying to the skin. Powerful, highly concentrated essential oils may cause skin irritations. Another use for carrier oils blended with essential oils is that they are often applied during massage, acting as a needed lubricating agent when working larger areas and muscles. One advantage of carrier oils is that they do not evaporate like essential oils that tend to evaporate quicker when applied neat. Carrier oils actually aid in absorption. Essential oils can be added to carrier oils or a carrier oil can be applied first to an area, followed by an essential oil, this process is referred to as dilution. It is usually specified in terms of either a percentage or a number of drops to be added to an amount of carrier oil. Listed below are some examples of carrier oils. My youngest daughter has a peanut allergy so I don't use Peanut Oil in any of our mixtures. Almond, Sweet Oil Evening Primrose Oil Pecan Oil Apricot Kernel Oil Grapeseed Oil Rose Hip Oil Avocado Oil Hazelnut Oil Sesame Oil Borage Oil Jojoba Oil Shea Butter Calendula Oil Macadamia Nut Oil Sunflower Oil Cocoa Butter Olive Oil Walnut Oil Coconut Oil Peanut Oil Wheatgerm Oil Carrier oils are available in two different forms, liquid and solid. My favorite solids are Coconut Oil and Shea Butter. I use these two along with different liquid carrier oils to form the bases for most of our products. I will use other blog forums to discuss different essential oils and carrier oils in detail, this post is to give you a generalized understanding of what carrier oils are. Let's keep the conversation going, let me know your thoughts...
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