Aromatherapy Massage

Essential oils are one of the components used in aromatherapy. Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that are used to cure ailments naturally. Essential oils are highly concentrated and strongly aromatic. As such, essential oils must be diluted before topical application on skin as the usage of concentrated essential oils on skin can lead to adverse consequences. This is referred to as sensitization. Skin sensitization that develops as a result of the usage of essential oils without dilution leads to allergic skin reactions, causing irritation, inflammation and rashes.

Essential oils can be diluted with carrier oils to prevent adverse reactions. Carrier oils, also referred to as base oils, are vegetables oils that are extracted from the fatty portions of plants like seeds, nuts, and kernels. Some of the essential oils that are commonly used for diluting essential oils are jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, almond oil, calendula oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, wheatgerm oil and hazelnut oil, among others.

Dilution of essential oils is pretty simple in that you just need to mix essential and carrier oils. However, various essential oils require a specific type of carrier oil and dilution proportions also vary. When you are preparing a blend of essential and carrier oils, you must prepare a simple blend with just one type of essential oil and carrier oil. Also, you must know the recommended proportion of dilution for essential oils. Some of the imperatives of essential oil dilution process are listed as under:

• First and foremost, you must choose a carrier oil that is apt to be used for diluting essential oils.  You should not randomly use any carrier oil to dilute an essential oil.
• The second most important tip for diluting essential oils is to understand essential oil dilution ratios. The dilution ratios vary with the aim of the aromatherapy and consequently the type of essential oil being used. However, if you are not sure about dilution rations, you can opt for a 2% dilution, which is the safe way out. You can make a 2% dilute preparation by blending 15 drops of essential oil in 30 ml of carrier oil, the latter being cold pressed.
• You must avoid essential oils that cause sensitization. Such essential oils lead to adverse results even when used in diluted form.

These are a few ways to dilute essential oils for safe and effective aromatherapy. However, it is always best to consult an aromatherapy specialist for advice on usage of essential oils and dilution ratios.

Tags: diluting essential oils, dilution of essential oils, essential oil dilution, essential oil dilution ratios

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 24th, 2011 at 4:20 am and is filed under Aromatherapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.