Aromatherapy carriers for essential oils,

Guide to aromatherapy carrier oils

Carrier oils also referred to as base oils or vegetable oils are used to dilute essential oils, CO2s and absolutes before applying to the skin. They "carry" the essential oil onto the skin. Different carrier oils offer different properties and the choice of carrier oil can depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought. Carrier oils are generally cold-pressed vegetable oils derived from the fatty portions of the plant. Unlike essential oils that evaporate and have a concentrated aroma, carrier oils do not evaporate or impart their aroma as strongly as essential oils.

Examples of carrier oils are sweet almond, apricot kernel, grapeseed, avocado, peanut, olive, pecan, macadamia nut, sesame, evening primrose, walnut and wheat germ. Most oils bought in the grocery store are not cold-pressed. Instead, the oils are heated and therefore have less therapeutic benefit. Mineral oil is not used in aromatherapy because mineral oil is not a natural product. It is also said that mineral oil can prevent essential oil absorption into the skin. Essential oils do not go rancid. Carrier oils, however, can go rancid. Carrier oils that you purchase should be natural and unadulterated. Exceptions include buying carrier oils that have natural vitamin E added. Vitamin E acts as a natural preservative. Below is a list of many of the commonly used carrier oils.

Almond, Sweet
Botanical Name: Prunus amygdalus var. dulcus
Aroma: Light, slightly sweet and nutty
Texture: Slightly oily, leaves a slight oily feeling on the skin.
Color: Mostly clear with a tinge of yellow
Is moderately priced and is considered to be a good all-purpose carrier oil to keep on hand.
Apricot Kernel
Botanical Name: Prunus armeniaca
Aroma: Faint
Texture: Slightly oily, absorbs semi-quickly
Color: Mostly clear with a tinge of yellow
Helpful for use in massage blends
Avocado
Botanical Name: Persea americana
Aroma: Medium. Somewhat sweet, fatty and nutty
Texture: Thick, leaves a fatty, almost waxy feel to the skin
Color: Dark olive green.
If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend.
Borage
Botanical Name: Borago officinalis
Aroma: Light and sweet.
Texture: Thin to medium, leaves a somewhat oily feel to the skin.
Color: Light yellow.
Is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions but oil is expensive. It's usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid rather quickly.
Cocoa Butter
Botanical Name: Theobroma cacao
Aroma: Is rich and very sweet . It has a chocolaty, "cocoa" aroma
Texture: Solid and hard to work with at room temperate. Breaks into pieces. Color: Yellowish tan.
Cocoa butter needs to be blended with other materials/oils to be workable. Suitable for use in lotions and creams.
Evening Primrose
Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis
Aroma: Light and sweet
Texture: Thin, leaves only a trace of oiliness on the skin. Color: Medium yellow.
Evening Primrose is also said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid quickly.
Grapeseed
Botanical Name: Vitus vinifera
Aroma: Light, slightly sweet with a hint of a nutty aroma.
Texture: Thin but leaves a glossy film on the skin.
Color: Mostly clear
Grapeseed oil is solvent extracted and may have trace amounts of chemical solvent remaining. It goes rancid quickly, keep in cool dark area.
Hazelnut
Botanical Name: Corylus avellana
Aroma: Light, nutty, somewhat sweet. Texture: Thin and only leaves a slightly oily film on the skin.
Color: Light yellow.
Good choice for those with oilier skin.
Jojoba
Botanical Name: Simmondsia chinensis
Aroma: Light to medium in aroma, not as sweet as the nut oils. The aroma is distinct but pleasant.
Texture: Light and silky. Absorbs well.
Color: Yellow.
Jojoba "oil" is actually a wax. It is a somewhat pricier oil and is frequently blended in a small dilution (10%) with other oils. It has a very long shelf-life.
Kukui
Botanical Name: Aleurites moluccana
Aroma: Light, sweet, pleasant, nutty.
Texture: Thin. Absorbs well, leaving only a trace oily feeling on the skin. Color: Clear with a hint of yellow.
It is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is a somewhat more pricier oil. It goes rancid rather quickly.
Macadamia Nut
Botanical Name: Macadamia integrifolia
Aroma: More fragrant than sweet almond and some of the other nut oils, it is very sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma.
Texture: Thick and leaves an oily film on the skin.
Color: Clear with a tinge of yellow.
If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend.
Olive
Botanical Name: Olea europaea
Aroma: Typical aroma of olive oil used in cooking (smells somewhat like olives). Texture: Heavy and rather oily.
Color: Light to medium green.
If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend.
Peanut
Botanical Name: Arachis hypogeae
Aroma: Like Pecan, it is extremely light in aroma with a slight fatty, nutty quality.
Texture: Thick and leaves a very oily film on the skin.
Color: Virtually clear.
Peanut oil should not be used by anyone that has an allergy to peanuts. Because of it's oiliness, it is said to be a good choice for inclusion in massage blends.
Pecan
Botanical Name: Carya pecan
Aroma: Extremely light with a hint of a fatty, nutty aroma.
Texture: Medium thickness, leaves a slight oily film on the skin.
Color: Virtually clear.
Goes rancid somewhat quickly. Store in a cool dark area.
Rose Hip
Botanical Name: Rosa mosqueta
Aroma: Mild and perhaps earthy aroma. Texture: Light and leaves only a hint of oil on the skin.
Color: Virtually clear.
It is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid rather quickly.
Sesame
Botanical Name: Sesamum indicum
Aroma: Medium with a distinctive sweet, nutty sesame scent. May overpower a blend if not diluted with another carrier oil.
Texture: Mildly thick, leaves an oily film on the skin. Color: Light yellow.
Sesame oil may overpower a blend if not diluted with another carrier oil.
Shea Butter
Botanical Name: Butyrospermun parkii
Aroma: Nutty, fatty.
Texture: Solid but permeable at room temperature. Leaves an oily/waxy feeling on the skin.
Color: Off-white/cream.
Suitable for use in lotions and creams.

Sunflower
Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus
Aroma: Faint and sweet.
Texture: Thin and does not leave an oily residue.
Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow.
When choosing sunflower oil, strive to get unrefined oil.

Important Note: This data is not considered complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
General Safety Information: Do not take any oils internally without consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children only the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. It is safest to consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children. A skin patch test should be conducted prior to using oil that you've never used before. Instructions on conducting a skin patch test and more safety information can be found by visiting the Safety Information page.

Aromatherapy Revive Your Senses

Title: Aromatherapy: Revive Your Senses

Author: Robert Thatcher

Article :

The art of aromatherapy had been practiced since the earliest times. Strong evidences were found to link aromatherapy to ancient traditions. Though aromatic oils had been used to treat and cure various ailments and conditions for who knows how long, the formal study on their properties only started in the year 1928.

In it's simplest form, aromatherapy is the use of essential plant oils for therapeutic purposes. They are normally employed to relieve a person from stress and a variety of stress-related conditions. And also for promoting an individual's general well being and in invigorating the body and the psyche.

Aromatherapy works by inducing the olfactory nerve cells with aromatic oils, which then carries out the message to the limbic system in the brain. Limbic system is the part of the brain that is responsible for controlling memory and emotions.

Aromatherapy is concerned in both the workings of the physical and emotional aspects of the person under treatment. Physically, aromatherapy helps in relieving specific conditions trough the stimulation of the nervous, immune and circulatory system. In emotions however, they may evoke pleasant memories.

Yet, the medical circles do not agree if aromatherapy in itself is instrumental to the complete healing of a certain condition. But the idea of recovery through aromatherapy is widely accepted.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are derived from the distillation of the elements of a plant like the leaves, roots, flowers, stems and bark. They hold the true essence of the plants from which they originally came in high concentration. Though termed as oil, essential oils normally do not have the real properties of oil. Some essential oils are yellow like that of the lemongrass and orange and many are clear.

These oils are used in a variety of methods: through inhalation, by adding them in the bathwater and by the application of the diluted oil on the body.

The use of oil in aromatherapy is only restricted to those with unadulterated qualities. The purest of the essential oils alone have the therapeutic values.

The following is a list of the most common essential oils used in aromatherapy. Some of which are used as carrier oils (also known as vegetable oils or base oils):

- Almond, Sweet
- Apricot Kernel
- Avocado
- Borage
- Cocoa Butter
- Evening Primrose
- Grapeseed
- Hazelnut
- Jojoba
- Kukui
- Macadamia Nut
- Olive
- Peanut
- Pecan
- Rose Hip
- Sesame
- Shea Butter
- Sunflower

Below are listed essential oils that are not advisable to use in aromatherapy, especially if not supervised by a professional aromatherapy practitioner.

- Ajowan
- Almond, Bitter
- Arnica
- Birch, Sweet
- Boldo Leaf
- Broom, Spanish
- Calamus
- Camphor
- Deertongue
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Jaborandi
- Melilotus
- Mugwort
- Mustard
- Onion
- Pennyroyal
- Rue
- Sassafras
- Thuja
- Wintergreen
- Wormseed
- Wormwood

Aromatherapists put into practice the workings of aromatherapy in a spectrum of work environments including:

- private practice
- mobile visiting practice
- natural health clinics
- beauty therapy clinics
- health clubs
- hospitals
- hospices and
- nursing homes.

In spite of the lack of formal research on aromatherapy therapists and European physicians are often prescribing certain aromatic oils for a range of complaints including colds and flu, insomnia, sinusitis, migraines, digestive problems and muscle pains. It must be understood though that aromatic oils must never be taken orally and should be first tested to determine the degree of skin's sensitivity to some oils.

About The Author

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides aromatherapy resources on http://www.about-aromatherapy.info.

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Aromatherapy

carriers for essential oils,

Guide to aromatherapy carrier oils

Aromatherapy Revive Your Senses