How to use carrier oils with essential oils: A Complete Guide
Choosing the right carrier oil is an important part of using essential oils safely and effectively. Because essential oils are highly concentrated, they should never be applied directly to the skin without dilution.
Carrier oils act as a nourishing base that helps “carry” essential oils onto the skin, reducing the risk of irritation while supporting absorption and skin comfort.
At Sacred Zen Shop, carrier oils are seen as the foundation of every aromatherapy blend, helping you create safe, personalised rituals based on your skin type, lifestyle, and wellbeing needs.
First Steps to Selecting the Best Carrier Oils
Before choosing a carrier oil, it’s important to understand your skin type and how you intend to use your blend.
Consider the following:
- Is your skin dry, oily, sensitive, or combination?
- Are you applying the blend to your face or body?
- Are you aiming to hydrate, soothe irritation, or support anti-ageing care?
- Do you have any known allergies or sensitivities?
Once you understand your needs, selecting the right carrier oil becomes much easier and more targeted. This ensures your aromatherapy blends are both effective and suitable for your skin.
What Are Carrier Oils Made From?
Carrier oils are natural plant-based oils extracted from seeds, nuts, or kernels. Each oil carries its own unique texture, absorption rate, and skin benefits.
Common examples include:
- Jojoba oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Apricot kernel oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Coconut oil
Some carrier oils are nut-derived, which means they may not be suitable for people with nut allergies. These can include almond oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil, and walnut oil.
Most carrier oils are naturally mild in scent, often carrying a light nutty or slightly sweet aroma that does not overpower essential oils.
How to use carrier oils
Due to the fact carrier oils are made from naturally derived ingredients they can be used directly on the skin. Always do a test spot first to make sure you are not allergic to the oil. As you now know essential oils should never be applied to the skin neat. When blending essential oils with a carrier oil always use the recommended amount. Don’t add a few drops more thinking it will increase the benefits; it might actually harm your skin!
Carrier oils when blended correctly with essential oils and applied topically on the skin can have wonderful skin health benefits. When chosen wisely they can play an important role in your natural DIY beauty routine. Let’s have a look at where you can use these wondrous oils.
Body – Apply a few drops of oil to your skin and gently massage in; paying attention to areas that are drier like elbows and feet. A few drops can also be added to bathwater to slowly soak into the skin.
Face – Carrier oils can be used to cleanse the face and remove makeup and dirt on the skin. You can also apply a few drops of non-greasy oil after cleansing to hydrate the face and neck area.
Hair – Many people don’t realise you can massage a few drops of carrier oil to dry hair. This can help make your hair shiny and frizz-free with careful application. For a more intense treatment, you can massage into the scalp and hair and leave overnight. Just make sure you lie on an old pillowcase and wash out in the morning.
How to blend carrier oils with essential oils for best results
As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for 1% dilution for oils used on the face and 2.5% for oils used on the body. What’s that mean I hear you ask? Let’s break this down further for blending essential oils with a carrier oil for the face.
At 1% dilution, this equates roughly to 2 drops of essential oil to 10ml of carrier oil. Or for further ease 20 drops of essential oil to 100ml of carrier oil.
When blending for the body at a ratio of 2.5% you will need 5 drops of essential oils to 10ml of base or carrier oil. Or 50 drops of essential oil to 100ml of base or carrier oil.
Simply add the required amount and shake, shake, shake to blend together.
Remember to store somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Definitely do not leave your blended oils in direct sunlight it will most certainly go off in a rancid kind of way!
Carrier oils and their benefits
Now you know a little more about selecting and blending carrier/base oils with essential oils let’s investigate 6 oils and their natural skin-loving benefits.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is a beauty elixir from head to toe. It’s chock-full of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. That promotes overall skin and hair health by moisturizing, softening as well as protecting from sun damage without harmful toxins and Parabens.
Argan oil is non-comedogenic this means it won’t clog your pores after absorption. The amazing properties of this wonderous oil make it a skin healer that is non-greasy and works for all skin types. Argan oil helps retain moisture in dry skin and also reduces oil production in oily skin. This makes for a truly amazing all-round natural skin hero that also works wonders for your hair.
Avocado Oil
Avocado Oil is good for dry and ageing skin. It is easily absorbed and is said to help with skin complaints such as eczema and dry or itchy skin. Avocado oil works well for ageing skin as it is believed to help improve the skin’s elasticity. A fabulous nourishing oil that can also be used on hair.
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Fractionated coconut oil is a good moisturiser for the skin and when applied to hair it helps to retain proteins. Coconut Oil in its purest form is solid at room temperature. The process of ‘fractionating’ the oil removes some of the proteins and fatty acids from the oil and in the process makes it a liquid. This carrier oil is best used on the body and not the face.
Grapeseed oil
Grapeseed Oil is an all-purpose oil used to nourish hair and skin, can also be mixed with essential oils to use for massage. With its thin consistency, grapeseed oil is a fabulous lightweight moisturizer. Grapeseed oil is high in Vitamin C and contains more Vitamin E than olive oil.
Hempseed Oil
Hempseed oil is fabulous for most skin types, it helps balance oily skin and also prevents dry skin without clogging pores. Known for its shin soothing properties hempseed oil is rich in fatty acids which help hydrate and soothe inflamed skin. Can also be used on hair, as it’s naturally conditioning.
Sweet Almond Oil
One of the most popular oils is sweet almond oil as it’s suitable for all skin types and is used for nourishing dry skin and also for various other skin complaints like eczema and dermatitis. It also has mild anti-inflammatory properties. Sweet Almond Oil is very similar to Peach Kernel and Apricot Kernel. A universal oil that can be used on your face, body or hair. This amazing carrier oil works to slowly absorb into the skin. It is highly moisturising and full of antioxidants and vitamin C. Making sweet almond oil a good choice for mature, damaged skin that needs a little extra TLC.
The Almond Tree is native to the Middle East and South Asia but has since been grown in various other areas including southern Europe and the warmer parts of the United States. The fruit of the tree is not actually a nut but a drupe, which means a fleshy outer skin with a hard shell inside it that contains the seed.
Which essential oils should you use with carrier oils
There are no hard or fast rules to selecting the right essential oil to blend with your carrier oil. Most essential oils have many health benefits for your skin. Select one that aligns with your skin type and mood for best results. Let’s have a look at some of our favourites.
Chamomile Essential Oil – Best for sensitive eczema prone skin.
Rosemary Essential Oil – Cleanses and clears congested skin making this ideal for oily acne prone skin.
Frankincense Essential oil – Helps tighten, tone and stimulate cell regeneration, making this a good choice for aging and mature skin.
Lavender Essential Oils – Known for its calming properties as well as skin cell regeneration. Use lavender oil to help revive tired dry skin.
We hope you enjoyed our article on how to use carrier oils with essential oils and we hope we’ve inspired you with selecting the right oils for you to use.
This article is part of our Essential Oils & Aromatherapy guide, where we explore the benefits, uses, and safety of essential oils in everyday life.
About Sacred Zen Shop
Sacred Zen Shop is a UK-based wellbeing brand specialising in aromatherapy, essential oils, crystals, incense, and natural home rituals designed to support calm, mindful living.
We believe in creating simple daily practices that help bring balance, relaxation, and intention into modern life.
Our carefully handpicked collection includes essential oils, carrier oils, incense, candles, and spiritual wellbeing tools, all chosen to support natural self-care and conscious living.
We are committed to mindful sourcing, ethical practices, and offering products that help you create a peaceful home environment.
👉 Explore our full collection at Sacred Zen Shop.
See our full range of base, massage, and carrier oils as well as our popular essential oils for more aromatherapy inspiration!