Dilution is always recommended for topical use!
When you use essential oils diluted with carrier oil you decrease your risk of sensitization.
A carrier oil is a pure, natural oil specifically for blending your essential oils, to help you avoid sensitization. Some popular carrier oil examples are:
Sensitization
can take many forms and usually does not occur at first use. Long-term use of undiluted or neat oils can make a person prone to breakouts, rashes and other skin issues. Eventually this leads to not being able to use certain oils due to the consequences. Click here for more on Sensitization.
To avoid all that, use a good dilution chart in order to properly apply oils to your skin. In case you need more information on carrier oils, you can find that here: A Deep Dive Into Carrier Oils.
How to Read the Essential Oils Dilution Chart
We often get asked just HOW in the world you read this thing. We realize that this might seem intimidating – but we promise it’s not as bad as it seems! It’s important to remember that ANYTIME you apply essential oils to the skin, you’ll want to use a carrier oil. This chart helps you find the right ratio for your situation.
How do I know which dilution rate to use?
For normal, daily use we recommend a dilution rate of 2%. For acute situations, like an injury or temporary condition you can even go up to 5%-10% for a SHORT period of time. How long is this? Typically less than 2 weeks.
How do I get .5 of a drop of essential oil?
You don’t. If you really want to be exact, you need to increase the amount of carrier until you come across a whole number! If you can’t do this, just round DOWN to the next whole number (example 1.5 drops of lavender oil becomes just 1 drop).
What about use on the face?
This normally means you’d like to blend into a facial serum or cream and will be using it daily. Stick to 1% dilution – the skin on your face is more sensitive and you should use a lower dilution.
How do I safely dilute essential oils for my kids?
For use with children, you can see guidelines in the bottom block. For the most part, we feel like a 2% dilution for spot treatments is fine. You’ll notice that this block refers to WHOLE BODY APPLICATION. Since we rarely cover our entire bodies in essential oils – a 2% dilution is fine.
What is “whole body application”?
In the case of a massage (or body cream) where a large portion of the skin is covered, you want to use a lower dilution. Since so much surface area is affected, this increases the total rate of absorption for your body.
Comprehensive Essential Oil Dilution Chart