Carrier oil, which is also
commonly known as base oil or vegetable oil is a type of oil
which is used to weaken or dilute some essential oils and
absolutes before it is applied on the skin. Used commonly in
Aromatherapy, carrier oils are named so because these oils
carry the important oil in the skin. An important property
of carrier oils is that these do no contain any type of
aroma nor do they evaporate like some other essential oils.
Carrier oil is directly
derived from the fatty part of a plant, mainly the seeds or
the nuts of the plant. These oils are used to dilute the
essential oils because when applied directly on the skin,
the essential oils can cause severe irritation. There are
several types of carrier oils, each having different kind of
therapeutic properties in them. Some of the common examples
of products that use carrier oils in them are the natural
lotions, creams, body oils, bath oils, lip balms and various
kinds of moisturizing skin care products.
There are some differences
between essential oils and carrier oils which should be
understood to know the benefits of carrier oils.
- Essential oils are basically derived from the leaves, bark, roots and other portions of plants. Carrier oils, on the other hand are derived from the fatty portions of the plants like seeds, nuts, etc.
- An important property of essential oils is that they evaporate whereas carrier oils do not evaporate.
- Essential oils, over time get oxidized and lose their therapeutic benefits whereas carrier oils do not lose their therapeutic benefits.
Some of the most commonly
found carrier oils are the following:
- Sweet almond
- Grape seed
- Avocado
- Olive oil
- Sesame
- Evening primrose
- Sunflower
- Jojoba oil
Out of all these, sweet
almond oil and grape seed oil are the most popular carrier
oils.