Essential oils can be a great addition to your hair and skincare routine, and many people who are just getting into them may be wondering about mixing them with a carrier oil.
It’s common knowledge in the world of essential oils that these fun additions to your beauty routine must be mixed with a carrier oil before use, though it can be difficult to find the best oil to mix with your favorite essential oils. Our quick guide covers the most popular carrier oils you might want to use.
Do You Have to Mix Essential Oils With Carrier Oil?
You should mix essential oils with carrier oil. Not only can this help mitigate any negative reactions from using essential oils directly on your skin, but it can also provide additional skin and hair health benefits, depending on the carrier oil you choose.
Most people enjoy mixing essential oils with carrier oils that help them achieve certain goals in their hair, skin, and aromatherapy routines.
What Happens If You Don’t Dilute Essential Oils?
Not diluting the essential oils you wish to use on your hair and skin can result in negative effects due to the strength of the essential oil. Dilution is necessary to ensure you don’t get itching, rashes, or other skin and scalp irritation that a full-strength essential oil can cause. Of course, these reactions don’t happen to everyone, but they are possible, and they can be unpleasant.
Best Oil to Mix Essential Oils With
There are many different carrier oils that you can mix your essential oils with. The kind that is best for you really depends on the benefits you want to get out of your mixed oils. Below, we list some of the most popular essential oils and the benefits they can bring you.
The best carrier oils to mix essential oils with include:
- Jojoba Oil: Full of vitamin E, non-comedogenic, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory
- Sweet Almond Oil: Packed with vitamin E and A, plus essential fatty acids; reduces itchiness and inflammation
- Abyssinian Oil: Great for haircare, deeply hydrating while being lightweight, full of antioxidants and vitamins
- Coconut Oil: Easily accessible and well-tolerated by most people. Also has antimicrobial properties
- Grapeseed Oil: Helps fight free radicals in skin, lightweight and moisturizing, can help balance skin, including sensitive skin
Of course, this list of oils is not exhaustive. There are plenty of other carrier oils that could be used to mix your essential oils and could work perfectly for your beauty, skincare, and haircare needs.
How Do I Test a Carrier Oil?
Testing a carrier oil before mixing it with an essential oil is a good idea if you want to reduce the chances of unknown irritation. You can perform an easy spot test by taking the carrier oil you wish to use for your mixtures and rubbing it on your wrist or leg in a small spot.
If you don’t have any itching or another negative reaction within 24 hours, the oil is generally safe to use, and you can start mixing it with your favorite essential oils.
Best Oil to Mix Essential Oils With: Conclusion
Essential oils can be a wonderful addition to your skincare and haircare routine, and these oils even have practical uses in diffusers as part of an aromatherapy routine. However, it’s vital that you dilute the essential oils you wish to use on your hair and skin, as these oils can cause skin irritation and other negative effects when used directly in full strength.
Test as many carrier oils with your essential oils as you like or simply mix your favorite essential oils straight into your favorite products for a boost of benefits.
