March 17th, 2018

Carrier oils vs essential oils

There are many different oils out there but when relating to beauty, skin care and aromatherapy there are the two you hear about and those are, essential oils and carrier oils.

What are Carrier Oils? 
Carrier oils are often used as a mixture to dilute the more potent essential oils. Most carrier oils are extracted from plants and have little to no aroma. Often, carrier oils also have benefits of their own (for example coconut oil is a great moisturizer) and can be matched with specific essential oils for added benefits when applied to skin. 
The most common carrier oils are olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and grapeseed oil. Other less common (and more expensive) carrier oils are argan oil, jojoba oil and emu oil.  
You must however, be aware of your own skin as some of these carrier oils come from nut based plants and could cause swelling of your skin if you have allergies. So we say most often the best non allergic and most basic carrier oil known is usually the grapeseed oil. It is also a very light oil which will rub into skin quicker and much deeper that’s why you will see most beauty therapists use it as the main massage oil when visiting a salon.

What are essential oils
An essential oil usually is the oil that carries a scent/fragrance from the plant that they were extracted from. Although they are not 'oily' really hence they are required to be diluted with some other medium, being water or carrier oil.
They are extracted most often through the use of distillation and stem form the non seed part of the plant.
The extraction process used to get the oils are usually different, but there are many exceptions. 
Essential oils are typically extracted by a method called, steam distillation, cold pressing or solvent extraction. But steam distillation is the most common. 
The common essential oils that are used are, lavender, peppermint, grapefruit, orange, lemongrass and so on. 
People can also use essential oils as a form of medicine for flu and sinus problems, for sleep, relaxation therapies and even for room perfumes/mists when diluted with water. 

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