“You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it.
You say you love the sun, but you seek shade when it is shining.
You say you love the wind, but when it comes you close your windows.
So that’s why I’m scare when you say you love me.”
-Bob Marley
For some reason I get the feeling that a lot of people who are newer to essential oils view using a carrier oil as a bad thing. . . I’m here to tell you that CARRIER OILS ARE NOT THE DEVIL! Carrier oils play a very important role in SAFELY using essential oils.
What exactly is a Carrier Oil? In the aromatherapy sense a Carrier oil is a vegetable, nut or seed oil that is used to dilute an essential oil for topical use.
Why Should I dilute my essential oils?
1. Using oils Neat (without a carrier) could possibly cause permanent sensitization
Marge Clark says in her book Essential Oils and Aromatics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Use in Massage and Aromatherapy
“One of my mentors reminds me ‘sensitization is forever.’ And I know she is right. Years ago I read the books saying that lavender oils could be used neat (undiluted). I very unwisely used undiluted lavender on broken skin, and consequently set up a sensitivity reaction. Today, almost two decades later if I come in contact with lavender in any form I will immediately start a new round of contact dermatitis that can take months to heal” (Clark, M., Essential Oils and Aromatics, Sandy, UT; Silverleaf press, 2008, 32.)
Sensitization is a skin allergy that results in a severe and/or itchy rash and sensitization is a permanent condition.
2. Some Essential Oils are Potential Skin Irritants.
Some essential oils are known as “Hot Oils” and can causing a warming or burning sensation when applied to the skin. (Anthis, C. 2014, July 27 Introduction to Essential Oils Safety retrieved from
http://www.thehippyhomemaker.com/introduction-essential-oil-safety/).
These “HOT” oils should ALWAYS be diluted with a carrier oil. Other essential oils are skin irritants and can cause slight irritation (rash or redness) on sensitive skins. “If you have extremely sensitive skin you may find that many, even all, essential oils are minor irritants, in which case you will have to avoid them.” (Tisserand, R. Aromatheraphy for Everyone, London, England; Penguin Books, 1988. 209)
The following Oils are potential Skin Irritants:
Aniseed
Backhousia
Bay
Bergamot
Black Pepper*
Cassia
Cinnamon Bark or Leaf*
Clove*
Citronella
Cumin
Inula
Lemon grass
Lemon Verbena
Marjoram*
Nutmeg*
Oregano
Peppermint*
Peru Baslam
Rosemary
Sage Dalmatian
Tagetes
Tea Absolute
Thyme (ct. Thymol)
Turpentine Oil
Verbena absolute
Birch/Wintergreen
Ylang/Ylang
3. Dilution helps make your essential oils last longer.
“One drop of an essential oils may be all you need to use. That obviously will not go very far, but when it is diluted in a base oil it will cover quite a large area.” says Valerie Ann Worwood in her book The Complete Books of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
(Worwood, V. The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, Novata, CA. New World Library, 1991. 15). Dilution of oils makes a little go a long way and in the aromatherapy world the common turn of phrase when it comes to using oils is Less is More. Remember one drop of an essential oils can equal 20-80 cups of tea depending on the oil, that’s a lot!
If you like to look at things from a more scientific point of view I found the following paragraph extremely interesting and helpful in understanding further why a carrier oil is a good thing. “Dr. Pam Taylor, a practicing naturopathic physician, feels that there is a power released from the essential oil when it’s diluted or extended. She explains: “It is important to realize that the main reason to use non irritant essential oils undiluted is generally convenience. The assumption that undiluted essential oils will work more efficiently is generally not true. Perhaps surprisingly, experience often indicates that diluted oil is more effective than undiluted. Such observations can be explained chemically in that certain molecules rearrange into less active forms when they are present in high concentration. The molecule curls up because it sees too many of its own kind. Diluted, it sees more molecules from other oils and it relaxes into a more stretched out and active form.” FOOTNOTE By adding a carrier oil, we can extend the application surface area and possibilities of the essential oil and/or dilute a potentially skin-irritating oil. ” (Sherman, L. 2013 March 19 Safe Safe Use of Essential Oils for Health Issues retrieved from http://heritageessentialoils.com/blog/?post_id=47). So, to me, it seems that according to Dr. Taylor that carrier oils are actually tools that help your essential oils work better, not worse, as so many people new to oils are inclined to believe.
Click Here for a Diltuion Ratio Chart
I hope this brief explanation helps you in your essential oils journey. There is always so much more to learn and share, safely. When using essential oils, be safe, dilute with a carrier. Carrier oils are your friend, not the devil.
Sources used for Research:
Safe Use of Essential Oils for Health Issues (Linda Sherman, Heritage Essential Oils)
Introduction to Essential Oil Safety From The Hippy Homemaker
Essential Oils and Aromatics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Use in Massage and Aromatherapy by Marge Clark
The Complete Books of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood
Aromatherapy For Everyone
by Robert Tisserand
Safety Information from the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy
If you’re interested in purchasing Essential Oils to:
FTC disclosure: I may receive monetary compensation for my endorsement/recommendation/testimonial and or link to retail products in this article to support my blogging habit. I will never link to a retail provider I have not used. I will only link to providers I would personally recommend.
This week I tried to incorporate one of the babe’s favorite veggies into my summer of salads and decided upon a Broccoli salad. As always I found a salad that looked interesting on Pinterest and then modified it using what I had on hand. (This is what I call the fly by the seat of your pants method to cooking). You can find the original recipe I modified here courtesy of Julia’s Album
In my version I used
Broccoli (I used about half a head)
Cauliflower (I tried to match the amount of the Broccoli)
Red Bell Pepper, (About a 1/3 of a bell pepper chopped fine)
Olives (about 8-10 sliced up)
Mild Cheddar Cheese (About 4 slices off a block chopped into tiny squares)
and Raisins. (I raided the babes stash and used 2 little boxes)
I then mixed up the dressing using
1/4 and 1/8 cup of Mayo
1 TSP of vinegar
not quite an 1/8 cup of sugar
I’d like to find a different dressing for my next try that doesn’t include sugar. . .
The babe helped “Mix, Mix, Mix Mix” (which is his favorite thing to do when we cook) and then munched on it while we waited for the rest of dinner to cook. The hubby must have also liked the salad as when I went back for seconds there was none left. . . When we talked about salads during dinner the hubby did request another round of the fruit/spinach salad I made last week, so hopefully Summer Salad’s will become a year round tradition, but. . . for now I’ll take it one week at a time. . .
“One of the most beautiful compensations in life. . .
that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
On these
somber rainy days
when I write
I miss you
as I am reminded of
what you once whispered
after we met
for yet, another,
fleeting moment
“I always think of you when it rains”
-LRFB
Who doesn’t love popsicles during summer time? In my quest for healthier eating habits I decided for the summer (along with my salads) I am going to make sure we have access to healthy, yummy popsicles.
After perusing pinterest and googling a half dozen recipes on how to make strawberry popsicles I flew by the seat of my pants and made my own using what I had on hand.
A dozen strawberries
One Frozen banana
One Cup of Almond Milk
1-2 TBSP’s of Honey (Okay, so when it comes to stuff like this I don’t actually measure, I just squeeze, so this is just an approximation.)
Blend all the ingredients in a blender and then pour into your popsicle molds. This made 8 popsicles (and as that was all the molds I had, the rest was a yummy nighttime snack for me and the hubby). It would probable make 16 smaller popsicles though, if I had another set of molds, (which is now on my shopping list.)
Tips: Sometimes the popsicles don’t want to come out of the molds, just run them under warm water for 15-30 seconds and they easily free out of the molds.
“There are two primary choices in life;
to accept conditions as they exist,
or accept the responsibility for changing them.”
-Denis Whatley
