This is one of the top questions I get asked! Diluting your essential oils is easy, this short video shows you how.
Why Dilute?
Although some essential oils can be used ‘neat’, or undiluted, many of them require dilution to be used topically so they do not irritate the skin. You can tell whether an oil needs to be diluted by looking at the label on your essential oil bottle.
Extra dilution may be required on babies, small children, and the elderly.
One drop of essential oil can be extremely powerful, and many times it is necessary to dilute it with a carrier oil before applying. In addition, dilution allows the oil to be spread around more surface area, making your bottle of essential oil last longer.
What Carrier Oil Should I Use?
A ‘carrier oil’ is what you will use to dilute your essential oil. As your carrier oil, you can use any ‘seed’ oil, such as olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, etc. Young Living also makes a carrier called V-6, which is a blend of coconut, sesame, grape seed, sweet almond, wheat germ, sunflower, and olive oils. It has a great texture and is a personal favorite of many oilers!
Be aware that coconut oil is a solid at room temperature – some prefer this, some do not. It is a personal preference!
How to Dilute
On the back of your essential oil label, it will say something like ‘Dilute 1 drop with 4 drops V-6 or olive oil’ if that particular essential oil needs to be diluted.
If you have a glass dropper, you can certainly count out drops of your carrier oil to be precise. If not, you can pour a small amount of carrier into your palm to approximate the number of drops, and then add a drop of essential oil. Then you can mix the oils with the tips of the fingers on your other hand and spread the mixture where you need to.
Many oilers like to take an empty 15ml essential oil bottle, then fill it with a carrier (like V-6) and add a glass dropper top so they can readily dilute any oil.
Some oilers make pre-diluted mixes… for instance, if you always dilute Peace & Calming 1 drop Peace & Calming to 4 drops carrier, you can take an empty bottle, fill it 1/5 with Peace & Calming and 4/5 with carrier. Then you can add a roller top, the regular bottle orifice, or a glass dropper so it’s always ready to apply.
When You Need to Dilute More
If you dilute an oil, rub it on, and realize you didn’t dilute it enough, you can simply add more carrier oil to the skin to dilute it more!
