Carrier Oils play a significant role in aromatherapy. They are used to dilute essential oils which are too powerful to be used neat on the skin. A typical aromatherapy treatment consists of 98% carrier oil 2% essential oil.
Carrier oils (or ‘fixed’ oils) do not evaporate and are also known as base oils and vegetable oils and are largely derived from nuts and seeds. An example of an exception would be jojoba oil which is extracted from a leathery-leaved shrub and is actually a liquid wax rather than an oil.
Carrier oils are easily absorbed unlike mineral oil (baby oil) which has larger molecules and acts more as a barrier. Carrier oils have highly therapeutic qualities that are beneficial without the addition of essential oils.
Extraction methods are either carried out by a process referred to as ‘cold pressed’ or ‘hot extraction’.
The cold pressed extraction is the better of the two methods because it retains all the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. However, due to the spiralling costs, production tends to be restricted to smaller scale production. The method consists of the seeds or nuts being placed in a horizontal press with a rotating screw and the oil being squeezed out. Due to the friction caused by this method a certain amount of heat is produced between 70-80 degrees C.
The hot extraction method is similar to the above and produces heat up to temperatures of 200 degrees C which destroys the vital vitamins and fatty acids.
How to choose a carrier oil
This really depends upon personal choice, properties of a particular oil and your individual needs.
Our carrier oils come in 50ml amber glass bottles.
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