Young Living Oils are very pure and concentrated. We have always been told to dilute these oils when we use them topically. Especially for kids! Dilution does not mean that we make the oils less effective, in fact, there are many benefits of using a carrier oil.
Imagine 75 lemons to make a bottle of 15ml lemon essential oil, 27 square feet of lavender plants to make a bottle of 15ml lavender essential oils and 1 pound of raw peppermint to make a bottle of 15ml peppermint essential oil.
And these oils are distilled directly into the bottle, unaltered, without any adding any other stuff to dilute it (unlike fragrance oils where alcohol and ethanol are added which is bad for us!). That’s how concentrated these oils are. I have heard from oil users who compare yl oils with what they have used before, and just by sniffing them, they can tell you that they are so much stronger.
Misconception of a carrier oil
It does not alter the benefits of the essential oil. It does not reduce its effectiveness. It allows you to control the concentration of the essential oils making it more acceptable for the body.
Ok. so why is it important to use a carrier oil?
- Oils with high phenols are to be used with a carrier oil.
Phenols make these oils hot and so dilution is necessary otherwise your skin will be burning! Carrier oils have larger molecules that essential oils, and because of that, they slow down the absorption of the essential oils making it more acceptable for the body to take in.
Phenols create conditions where unfriendly viruses and bacteria cannot live. They help to clean up the receptor sites on the cells so that the cells can communicate with each other and our body can function correctly.
Basically, all you need to know is that oils that “hot” like Thieves, Basil, Clove (mainly the spices group) contain phenols in them, thats why they are “hot”!
2. Carrier oils help prevent the essential oils from evaporating.
Essential oils are lighter. They tend to evaporate very fast. Imagine applying lavender neat on a insect bite and after rubbing a while…hmm.. did I apply anything at all? It totally feels that the oils is not there. Sometimes I wonder did it get absorbed by the skin so quickly? So thats where carrier oils comes in. Carrier oils are derived from vegetable sources, they are not so volatile like essential oils. Their molecules are larger and heavier and thus they do not evaporate that quickly. It helps the essential oil to stay on the skin longer. Especially if you want the scent to stay longer.
3. Carrier oil helps to spread the essential oil and stretch your oils longer.
Depending on the usage of the oil, lets say you want a body massage or you sprain your ankle and you want to apply the oils over a large area. You can’t be using 1-2 drops of essential oils, that won’t be sufficient to cover that body area size, plus before you can even spread it, its long gone! ( I meant it evaporated already). A carrier oil can help your essential oils to cover a larger area and hence stretch your oils a little longer. And don’t forget Young Living Oils are very strong, don’t under estimate its power with just 1-2 drops. Its not the quantity but the quality of the oils! Remember frequency is the key! Use less but more frequency as the body won’t be able to take in so much at one go. Too much can also cause sensitive issues too.
4. Carrier oils make a strong oil more gentle.
Be it applying on the skin, carrier oils make the essential oils more gentle to the skin as well as ingestion of oils. Certain oils sometimes might be too much for the stomach to take. Hence, some oils do require dilution as well in a capsule before taking them. So that the oils are more gentler for the tummy.
5. Carrier oils is a MUST and a GOOD to have.
I would recommend that if you have the intention to use the oils on the skin, it is good and a must to have a carrier at home. Because you never know when you need it. It is always better to have it. Sometimes, sensitivity issues can occur (REMEMBER never wash with WATER!!), a carrier oil will come in handy to dilute the oils. Sometimes ACCIDENTS can happen. I hear mummies with stories where their kids play with the oil bottles, apply thieves on their face and my son whom accidentally sniff thieves onto his nose. Even adults too. My hubby was trying to be funny and applied thieves directly onto his throat (as he was having a sore throat) and it was HOT!
I have new users who just want to try out the oils because they have hear the benefits but are very unwilling to purchase a carrier oil. They will have questions like “Is that really necessary?”, “Can I do without it?”, “i just want to try the oils only”. They will suggest all kinds of substitutes that they already have at home. Most mummies would have those johnson baby oil and they would ask me if they can use these. Young Living products don’t consist of synthetic materials but I cannot say about these baby oils and I believe they are “chemically” made too. Its like spending money to get a good product but mix them with low grade products and then in the end you can’t get the benefits out of it. If you really want to get your own carrier oil outside Young Living, do get those good ones, at least a organic grade please!!
I have also questions like “Can I use EMU oil?”. I was like.. HUH? What is that? You mean EMU the bird??? I did a google and WIKIPEDIA says….
Emu oil is oil derived from adipose tissue harvested from certain subspecies of the emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae, a flightless bird indigenous to Australia.[1][2]
OMG, it is really from an ANIMAL! Essential oils are PLANT BASED and Carrier Oils are PLANT BASED too..
If you do not know what CARRIER oils are available out there, do try Young Living V-6 Cold Pressed vegetable compound. Or get something similar, at least organic cold pressed. You can find coconut oils, olive oils or jojoba oils too. Coconut oils are known to be good for the skin too..but also oily-er than V6 too. To learn more about different carrier oils available, you can visit the link below.
So do you want to get a carrier oil after reading this? Shop here.
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