Your skin is the largest organ of your body and this makes it a great place to apply essential oils to for medicinal benefit. When I apply essential oils to my skin, I typically apply them to the area of concern. If I have a headache, I apply oils to my head. If my stomach hurts, I apply oils there. If my back hurts, I apply oils to my back, etc. I also apply essential oils to my wrists, behind my ears, on my neck, and on the bottoms of my feet (these are always great places to apply essential oils when you aren't sure where to apply them).
Why dilute essential oils with a carrier oil?
Some essential oils are recommended to apply “neat” (this means that you drop a few drops of oil out of the bottle and apply it directly to your skin). Other essential oils are suggested to be diluted with a carrier oil first (the label on each Young Living essential oil bottle will tell you whether that essential oils needs diluting). Thyme, Cinnamon Bark, Lemongrass, and Oregano are some of the strongest essential oils and are typically diluted (although many other Young Living essential oils should also be diluted).
Some essential oils are recommended to apply “neat” (this means that you drop a few drops of oil out of the bottle and apply it directly to your skin). Other essential oils are suggested to be diluted with a carrier oil first (the label on each Young Living essential oil bottle will tell you whether that essential oils needs diluting). Thyme, Cinnamon Bark, Lemongrass, and Oregano are some of the strongest essential oils and are typically diluted (although many other Young Living essential oils should also be diluted).
When I first started using essential oils, I was annoyed that I had to dilute my essential oils. Now, I know that having to dilute my essential oils is a good thing! I now know that carrier oils help the body absorb my essential oils AND extend the life of my essential oils. Young Living essential oils only contain the oils from the plant they are harvested from (they are chemical free and carrier oil free). This means that you are getting more bang for your buck in a bottle of Young Living essential oil. A bottle of undiluted essential oil from Young Living is certainly going to last longer than a bottle of essential oil that is premixed with a carrier oil (like some other essential oils on the market). By diluting your own essential oils, you can tweak the dilution ratio based on your preference of how strong you would like that essential oil to be for topical application. Being able to adjust the dilution ratio of carrier oil to essential oil allows essential oils to be used on even the most sensitive skin, as well as on babies and small children. Carrier oils allow you to spread just a few drops of essential oil to a large area of the body (because a few drops is usually all you need). Carrier oils also make it possible for essential oils to be used for massages, creams, lotions, lip balms, rubs, and sugar scrubs.
My three carrier oils…
The three most common carrier oils most oilers tend to use are olive oil, coconut oil, or Young Living V-6 oil (you can technically use any vegetable based oil as a carrier oil). When I first began using Young Living essential oils, I diluted my oils with olive oil. Nothing fancy, just the plain ole’ organic extra virgin olive oil that we cook with. I used olive oil for a long time because it was simple and something we already had on hand.
The three most common carrier oils most oilers tend to use are olive oil, coconut oil, or Young Living V-6 oil (you can technically use any vegetable based oil as a carrier oil). When I first began using Young Living essential oils, I diluted my oils with olive oil. Nothing fancy, just the plain ole’ organic extra virgin olive oil that we cook with. I used olive oil for a long time because it was simple and something we already had on hand.
As time went on, I became curious about other types of carrier oils and wondered if there was one that I would like better than another. Coconut oil was the second carrier oil that I tried. My hubby and I love coconut oil as a carrier oil! Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, which makes it a perfect carrier oil to use when making essential oil based creams, lotions, rubs, lip balms, sugar scrubs, etc. Coconut oil is easier to apply and seems to do a better job of moisturizing the skin than olive oil does, which makes it a great choice for my hubby is applying essential oils to his troubled legs.
My most recent purchase includes Young Living’s V-6 vegetable oil complex. V-6 is an organic carrier oil that is a combination of several different carrier oils (coconut oil, sesame seed oil, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, sweet germ oil, sunflower seed oil, and olive oil). I love V-6 oil because it nourishes the skin, has a long shelf life, doesn't clog pores, and will not stain clothes. Depending on how we want to use our essential oils, my hubby and I will likely stick with coconut oil and Young Living V-6 vegetable oil complex as our carrier oils (and use olive oil as our back-up).
Here are some tips for purchasing your carrier oils…
Olive oil: purchase organic extra virgin olive oil. You should be able to find this at your grocery store.
Coconut oil: purchase organic, raw, cold pressed coconut oil. High quality coconut oil (organic, raw, cold pressed) can be difficult to find in a grocery store.
Young Living V-6 enhanced vegetable oil complex can be purchased through Young Living.
Coconut oil: purchase organic, raw, cold pressed coconut oil. High quality coconut oil (organic, raw, cold pressed) can be difficult to find in a grocery store.
Young Living V-6 enhanced vegetable oil complex can be purchased through Young Living.
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