Get to Know Carrier Oils

There are many natural oils that can be used as a carrier to essential oils. Each have amazing properties themselves. Read on to find out more.

Avocado Carrier Oil:

High in vitamin D content and green in colour. Useful in all sun care blends and is great for skin that is fragile and easily damaged by sunburn. Good for obsese skin as is good at penetrating the skin. Helps to regenerate the skin and soften it. Good for arthritis as it has a high sterol content. The oil is extracted from the flesh of the fruit.

Fractionated Coconut Oil:

This oil is good for dry, itchy and sensitive skin. It is odourless, light and water clear. It has been reported that it is the closest substance to human sub-cutaneous fat and is more compatible with the skin than vegetable oils. To extend the shelf-life of other carriers, add to them as this oil is very slow to oxidise.

Sweet Almond Oil:

This is my favourite carrier oil as it is so useful and tolerated by most skin types. It is extracted from the seed and is pale yellow in colour. Rich in fatty acid, it is good for dry skin as soothing and can relieve itching. It also contains a small amount of Vitamin E. It can last quite a long time too.

Calendula Oil:

This oil is orange in colour and contains salicylic acid, carotenoids and phytosterols and is from the marigold perennial/annual herb. It is gentle, cooling and soothing on the skin and is good for all skin inflammations as anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. Very good for dry, damaged, cracked chapped skin, rashes and dry eczema can benefit from this oil, especially nappy rash.

Sunflower Oil:

This oil is from the seeds in the hub in the centre of the sunflower. Best diluted with other oils. Useful for skin care as is similar to human sebum and mirrors natural skin lipids. Reputedly thought to be great for asthma as contains inulin.

Rosehip Seed Oil:

This oil requires adding to a lighter oil for massage and can doesn’t have a long shelf life. It is great for tissue regeneration, so good in anti-wrinkle blends and can be used neat on scar tissue. The oil is extracted from the Rose Hops of wild roses.