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.
