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| Aromatherapy: Carrier Oils | Carrier oils also referred to as base oils or vegetable oils are used to dilute essential oils, CO2s and absolutes before applying to the skin.
Almond, Sweet
Botanical Name: Prunus amygdalus var. dulcus
Aroma: Light, slightly sweet and nutty.
Texture: Slightly oily, leaves a slight oily feeling on the skin. They absorb semi-quickly.
Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow.
Notes: Sweet Almond oil is considered to be a good all-purpose carrier oil to keep on hand and is moderately priced.
Apricot Kernel
Botanical Name: Prunus armeniaca
Aroma: Faint
Texture: Somewhat oily, absorbs semi-quickly.
Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow.
Notes: The semi-oily texture makes this oil helpful in massage blends.
Avocado
Botanical Name: Persea americana
Aroma: Medium. Somewhat sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma.
Texture: Thick, leaves a fatty, almost waxy feel to the skin.
Color: Deep olive green.
Notes: If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend.
Borage
Botanical Name: Borago officinalis
Aroma: Light and sweet.
Texture: Thin to medium, leaves a somewhat oily feel to the skin.
Color: Light yellow.
Notes: Is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. Borage oil isn’t cheap and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. This goes rancid rather quickly.
Cocoa Butter
Botanical Name: Theobroma cacao
Aroma: Unrefined cocoa butter is rich and very sweet. This has a chocolaty, "cocoa" aroma. The cocoa aroma is less noticeable in refined cocoa butter.
Texture: Solid and hard to work with at room temperate. It breaks into pieces.
Color: Yellowish tan.
Notes: Cocoa butter needs to be blended with other materials/oils to be workable. It is suitable for use in lotions and creams.
Evening Primrose
Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis
Aroma: Light and sweet
Texture: Thin, leaves only a trace of oiliness on the skin.
Color: Medium yellow.
Notes: Evening Primrose is also said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It isn’t cheap and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. This goes rancid quickly.
Grapeseed
Botanical Name: Vitus vinifera
Aroma: Light, slightly sweet with a hint of a nutty aroma.
Texture: Thin but leaves a glossy film on the skin.
Color: Virtually clear, has an almost unnoticeable tinge of yellow/green.
Notes: Unlike most other carrier oils, grapeseed oil is solvent extracted and may have trace amounts of chemical solvent remaining. The shelf-life of grapeseed - goes rancid rather fast). You may go through a bottle of grapeseed once each six months and not discover any problems with rancidity when store in an amber bottle in a cool dark area.
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