Dilution and Safety
Essential oils are pure and powerful and need to be treated with respect.
For safety it is suggested that for topical application all oils be diluted as per the ratios below, but use discretion and common sense and dilute more if you are sensitive or using potent oils like oregano, clove or cinnamon.
Don’t use essential oils in your eyes, nasal cavity, mouth, never in your ears (around the ears is fine), your pits or your genitalia. Essentially, you want to take care around the thin membranes i.e. webbing of fingers and toes.
If you have a reaction or an oil or oil blend is too strong, dilute with carrier oil or milk – never water.
For safety it is suggested that for topical application all oils be diluted as per the ratios below, but use discretion and common sense and dilute more if you are sensitive or using potent oils like oregano, clove or cinnamon.
Don’t use essential oils in your eyes, nasal cavity, mouth, never in your ears (around the ears is fine), your pits or your genitalia. Essentially, you want to take care around the thin membranes i.e. webbing of fingers and toes.
If you have a reaction or an oil or oil blend is too strong, dilute with carrier oil or milk – never water.
Dilution Ratio Guideline
Carrier Oils
A carrier oil is an oil or a wax (in the case of Jojoba, a fluid wax) that allows for an essential oil or oil blend to be placed on the body or in a roller bottle in a diluted and safe manner.
Carrier oils have the benefit of adding their own properties, which will differ depending on the carrier oil used, and part of the charm of making a blend is also considering how the blend will be used and what carrier oil will best support this use. See the table below detailing the carrier oils I use and recommend.
dōTERRA has their own carrier oil - a Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO). Removal of most of the long chain triglycerides leaving mainly the medium chain triglycerides, gives FCO it a very long shelf life and greatly increased stability and great versatility as a carrier oil.
Benefits of a Carrier Oil
Carrier oils have the benefit of adding their own properties, which will differ depending on the carrier oil used, and part of the charm of making a blend is also considering how the blend will be used and what carrier oil will best support this use. See the table below detailing the carrier oils I use and recommend.
dōTERRA has their own carrier oil - a Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO). Removal of most of the long chain triglycerides leaving mainly the medium chain triglycerides, gives FCO it a very long shelf life and greatly increased stability and great versatility as a carrier oil.
- It stays liquid at all times and has no expiry date
- It has a light texture, a silky and non-greasy feel, and is colourless and odourless
- It is not recommended for ingestion
- It absorbs into the skin very easily; it is like liquid velvet
Benefits of a Carrier Oil
- Effectively transports the essential oils onto the skin and into the body
- Enables us to use essential oils safely on adults and children
- Saves money; up to 70-80% of an essential oil used neat will evaporate if it is not rubbed into the skin immediately
- Enhances the effectiveness of an essential oil or oil blend
