Welcome back. This is week 5 of A Mom’s Guide to Getting Started with Essential Oils. So far in this series, we have covered Where to Begin with Essential Oils, How to Safely Use Essential Oils, Inhaling Essential oils., and How to Choose an Aromatherapy Diffuser.

Next to diffusing them, applying essential oils topically is the most common way of using them. This week, we’ll tackle the safe and effective use of using essential oils on the skin.

Topical Use of Essential Oils

I mentioned a few articles back the importance of properly diluting essential oils for reasons of safety.

Preventing topical irritation, sensitivity, photosensitivity, and sensitization are important reasons you will want to dilute your essential oils with a carrier oil. However, in addition to the safety reasons are the financial ones. You have probably figured out that essential oils are not cheap, and since diluting oils does not decrease the powerful effectiveness, it makes sense to dilute them in order to be safe AND save money.

What is a carrier oil?

A carrier oil is simply an oil that is used as a base to dilute essential oils before they are applied to the skin. Probably the most common carrier oil used is Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO). FCO is different from the unrefined (extra virgin) coconut oil you may be familiar with in the baking aisle at your grocery store. FCO is refined to remove impurities and extend shelf life. It will not become solid at room temperature the way unrefined coconut oil does. FCO mixes well with essential oils, absorbs quickly, does not clog pores, and does not stain your clothing.

You can use most any liquid oil as a carrier oil for your essential oils though — jojoba, grapeseed, sweet almond, avocado, and olive are common choices and most of these have healing properties of their own that FCO does not.

Roller Bottles

When it comes to topical use of essential oils, roller bottles are your best friend. I have them in my essential oils storage case, easily accessible in my kitchen cabinets, in my purse, on my bedside table, in the bathroom, in my first aid kit, in my refrigerator . . . I think you get the picture . . .  I have them pretty much everywhere. Many of them travel with me everywhere I go.

Once you have some blends that you love and are using frequently, making roller bottles with those blends makes using essential oils very convenient and portable.

The best roller bottles are the dark glass bottles that better protect the essential oils from light so that they remain effective longer, with steel rollers.

Using Your Roller Bottles

To get started, you’ll need some roller bottles, fractionated coconut oil (FCO), and your essential oils. It’s also nice to get some stickers for labeling your bottles — those round garage sale stickers from the dollar store work just fine. I usually cover them with tape so that the ink doesn’t smear.

For each roller bottle, you’ll add essential oils first, blending according to your expected use, and then the rest will be filled with FCO or another carrier oil. A common formula that works in most situations is a 3% dilution which is equal to 6 drops total of essential oils in a 10cc roller bottle.

To apply, you simply take the cap off and roll the oil wherever most appropriate. It makes for a quick application without fumbling with the carrier and essential oils bottles every time you need them, and as I’ve already mentioned,  is very portable.

10 Simple Roller Bottle Recipes  

As with diffuser recipes, it’s best to start out with a pre-made blend or a simple combination of two to four single oils you enjoy for your roller bottles. My Essential Oils Starter Kit contains 10 simple roller bottle recipes to get you going! If you have not yet downloaded your free copy of the kit, you can do so by entering your email below.  You will soon start to get the hang of what you most enjoy and what works well together and can begin creating your own blends for your roller bottles!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

to Our Essential Oils Starter Pack!

We'll send you this awesome set of helpful printables and simple recipes, plus keep you up to date on all that's happening at Wellness Becomes Her.

Submit

Action Step

Choose three roller bottle recipes you think will be helpful for you and give them a try! Let me know what you think!

Up Next: DIY Natural Household Cleaners  

Precautions

Never use essential oils undiluted or in the eyes or mucous membranes. Do not ingest essential oils unless working with a qualified practitioner. Keep essential oils away from children. If applying an essential oil to your skin always perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body (after you have properly diluted the oil in an appropriate carrier oil).

For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.