How Do You Mix Essential Oils with Carrier Oils: A Guide

Essential oils have a warm and pleasant aroma with a subtle hint of freshness to them. They have multiple benefits, including enhanced mental peace and clarity. 

Haven't you already fallen for the enigma of essential oil? If the answer is yes, then you might be wondering about how to dilute these potent elixirs to reap their maximum benefits.

To use essential oils topically, you require carrier oils for dilution. Essential oils are highly potent botanical extracts that can be irritating when applied to the skin directly. Carrier oils, on the other hand, are less sensitive for the skin and are more readily absorbed.

Mixing essential oils with carrier oils creates a stable formula that is more reliable to use on skin and hair. Most essential oil devotees ask a pertinent question, "How do you mix essential oils with carrier oils?” The answer to which you will discover in this very blog as you read along.

Let's dive into the detailed guide about the ‘how-tos’ with essential oils and carrier oils without further ado.

How to Mix Essential Oils with Carrier Oils?

Essential oils need to be mixed with carrier oils to ensure safe application and effective results. Carrier oils literally help to carry essential oils to the skin. The most popular choice of carrier oils include jojoba oil, grape seed oil, almond oil, coconut oil, and olive oil.

Here we have a few common tips to mind for ensuring the safe and effective dilution of essential oils with carrier oils.

1-Choose your Essential Oils

Choosing which essential oils to dilute is the first step in your journey towards understanding essential oil dilution. You can use single-note essential oils like Lavender or Eucalyptus and dilute them with the carrier oil of your choice. 

These essential oils are an excellent start to understanding the process due to their potent fragrances. You can also reach for essential oils with more subtle notes like Rosemary essential oil or chamomile essential oil.

2-Choose your Carrier Oil

Choosing the carrier oil is one critical step in comprehending—How to mix essential oils with carrier oils for skin?

The choice of your carrier depends upon your particular needs. If you want to dilute your essential oils for topical use, carrier oils like jojoba oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil are suited for skincare. These oils are highly moisturizing and readily absorbed into the skin. These are rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

However, if you're more interested in the scents of essential oils, then you can choose olive oil, apricot oil. These have little influence on the scent and are relatively odorless themselves.

3-Read Instruction Label

This step is undoubtedly missed. Most carrier oils and essential oils have dilution instructions written on the label. Be careful not to miss these pointers! These labels also mention the potency and grade of these oils. Read the oil’s packaging to see if there are any specific instructions regarding the ratio between the essential oil and carrier oil.

4-Test the mixture

Once you have established the ratios, you can appreciate the mixture's potency by testing it by a straightforward method. Take a drop of your essential oil and carrier oil mix between your fingers. You can appreciate the texture, scent, and consistency in specific. 

Take the mixture and inhale it to test the scent. Put a drop on your finger and rub it to test the texture out. You can also notice the strong potency if there is any tingling or irritation.

How Does Dilution Work?

A Basic 1% Dilution

The basic rule is 1% essential oil to 99% carrier oil or solution. This is a safe standard to follow if no instructions are mentioned on the label. The most you can touch is 2% to be applied topically. However, it is safer to stay between the 1-1.5% margin as far as single-note essential oils are concerned.

2-5% for Massage

Adults can tolerate higher doses for body massages. To formulate a massage oil, an essential oil dose anywhere from 2.5 to 10% is considered safe. However, you should perform a patch test to check for any sensitivity. 

You can also blend multiple essential oils with a carrier oil of your choice to create an enriched organic massage oil for daily use. Coconut oil is a suitable choice as the oil base as a massage oil.

10-20% for Perfume

Perfume oils can use a higher concentration of essential oil because of their localized use. These oils are not rubbed into the skin and are comparatively considered safe. The purpose of the higher oil ratio is to enhance the scent. The higher the percentage of essential oil, the stronger the scent will be. Essential oils like lavender, vanilla and jasmine are famous as perfumes.

Steps to Follow to Dilute Essential Oils with Carrier oils

Once you’ve decided on your perfect carrier oil, you can then start to dilute essential oils according to the required dilution ratio.

To Make 1% Standard Solution

• Add 6 tsp of your favorite carrier oil to a small bottle
• Carefully pour it into a clean bottle with the help of a funnel
• Do this over a sink or dry towel to avoid any mess
• Use a dropper bottle for easy usage
• Add nine drops of essential oil to the carrier oil with a dropper or pipette
• Close the cap and swirl it to distribute the mixture evenly

For A Teaspoon of Carrier Oil

• Add 1 drop of essential oil to make 1% solution
• 2 drops for 2% solution and 5 drops for 5% solution

One Tablespoon of Carrier Oil

• Add 3 drops of essential oil to make 1% solution
• Add 6 drops for 2% solution and 15 drops for 5% solution

One Fluid Ounce of Carrier Oil

• Add 6 drops of essential oil for 1% solution
• 12 drops for 2% solution and 30 drops for 5% solution

Following this detailed guide, you can make wiser choices about diluting your essential oils with carrier oils. For a more extensive range of essential oils, you can visit our store.