Make a Dilution Using Essential Oils and a Base Material

Using essential oils can be very beneficial for your health. From relieving stress to healing wounds to alleviating insomnia – there are many uses for essential oils. Before you start adding essential oils to your health and beauty regimen, it is important that you take some time to learn how to handle and apply them safely, just as you would with any other type of body treatment. Dilution is key to safely and effectively using essential oils.

Steps

Formulating a Mixture

1. Start with a 2% solution. There will be enough essential oils in this blend to be effective for a child. You can make up to 10% solutions as you are more experienced or with very user-friendly essential oils. Stronger solutions are used for therapeutic reasons.
2. Use a formula to determine the number of drops in your dilution. This formula will help you figure out how much of your carrier oil you’ll need to add to create the dilution ratio you want. Total ml of carrier x 20 drops per ml = carrier drops.
   • For example, 1 oz = {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} x 20 drops = 600 drops.
   • This tells you that there are 600 total drops in one ounce.
3. Use a formula to determine the number of drops of essential oil. You’ll need to know how many drops of essential oil to use in your dilution. The amount of essential oils required for various uses can vary, but in general you can use this formula: Total carrier drops x percent = drops of essential oil.
   • For example, to make a 2% solution using one ounce of carrier, 600 drops x 2% = 12 drops.
   • Note: To multiply a percent, you must use a decimal. 2% = 0.02 for the above example.

Making the Diluted Essential Oil Solution

1. Gather the necessary materials. To make the diluted essential oil solution, you’ll need to gather a few items. You’ll need your selected essential oil and your supplemental carrier oil, a separate bottle or container to hold the new mixture, and several eye droppers.
   • Try to get dark colored glass bottles to filter out the damaging UV rays.
2. Make the mixture. Using two separate eye droppers to avoid cross-contamination, make your mixture based on the formula you have already established. If your formula calls for 12 drops of essential oil and 5 drops of carrier oil, use your eye droppers to extract the desired amount of each liquid and carefully squeeze it into the new container – making sure to count each drop carefully.
   • Once you have added both ingredients, put the lid on and give it a good shake to ensure the contents are properly mixed.
   • And don’t forget to label the bottle before you put it away and forget what is in it.
3. Take the proper safety precautions. Be cautious about direct contact to the skin of the undiluted essential oils. You should also carefully weigh your decision to use essential oils if you are pregnant. There is controversy around whether or not essential oils can impact a fetus, so you should carefully consider it for yourself.
4. Store your solution properly. Typically, you need to store your essential oils (including diluted essential oil mixtures) in a cool, dark place. It’s important to keep them out of direct sunlight or away from places that are constantly being cooled and warmed based on exposure to the sun. This will keep them from becoming useless because of increased oxidation over time.
   • Carrier oils should be stored in the fridge during the hot summer months to avoid fatty particles from forming that will need to be re-dissolved before you can use it. But they should still be at room temperature when you use them for mixing, so take them out of the fridge twelve hours before you intend to use them.

Learning How to Safely Handle Essential Oils

1. Dilute essential oils for safety. Some people believe that it is okay to use undiluted essential oils on the skin. However, this is not true. You should always dilute your essential oils before applying them to the skin to avoid any kind of reaction, including sensitization.
   • Most essential oil blends will be 1-5% dilutions.
   • It is not necessary to dilute essential oils if you are using them for inhalation through vapors.
   • When you use essential oils that are not diluted, it is called applying them neat.
2. Use caution when applying essential oils to your skin. Remember that skin is permeable, but it is even more so when it is damaged. So if you have diseased, inflamed, or damaged skin, it will be more susceptible to the effects of essential oils, even if they are diluted before the application.
3. Avoid sensitization to essential oils. Sensitization occurs when your body (especially your skin) is exposed to essential oils that are undiluted and you develop a reaction – almost like an allergic reaction – to the ingredients.
   • Sensitization commonly results in severe rashes on the skin, but it can even lead to respiratory problems or anaphylactic shock in more extreme cases.
   • In addition to sensitization, you can also encounter system toxicity by allowing too much of an essential oil into your body.
4. Use a carrier oil to dilute. Carrier oils are any type of vegetable oil (olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, etc.) that are often used to dilute essential oils. Using carrier oils to dilute your essential oils will ensure that your skin reacts well to the essential oils.
   • Using carrier oils will even save you money by causing you to use less of the essential oils for each application
   • Note: Never use petroleum, margarine, butter, or vegetable shortening in place of carrier oils.

Finding Uses for Essential Oils

1. Take a bath with essential oils. Adding essential oils to your bath can be very beneficial for the body. Use a mild essential oil like lavender oil, rose oil, or sandalwood oil, while avoiding more spicy oils like cinnamon oil or thyme oil as well as citrusy oils like lemongrass oil.
   • Using essential oils in your bath can help with many skin problems, circulation problems, respiratory problems, stress, insomnia, and menstrual cramps.
   • Usually use 5-10 drops of essential oils in a bath.
2. Inhale essential oils through a diffuser. Diffusers are devices that use candles to heat up essential oils so that they evaporate and permeate the air around them. They are easy to use and smell quite nice.
   • Some diffusers use electricity instead of candles.
3. Make a cream or lotion with essential oils. This is a good option for people who do not tolerate carrier oils well. Use an un-perfumed base cream and add some essential oils to it. This can help with many skin conditions, including rashes.
   • Never make a cream or lotion stronger than a 2% dilution.
   • Use between 4 and 10 drops of essential oils per 50 grams of cream/lotion, depending on your age and sensitivity.
4. Make a compress with essential oils. Add essential oils to a hot compress and wrap it around your face or other body part. Use a cloth or washrag that has been soaked in warm water and add the essential oils.
   • This can be good for bruises, wounds, aches, headaches, and other skin problems.
   • Use 3-5 drops of essential oils.

Tips

• 20 drops of oil={{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} and 30 ml=1 ounce
• Buy quality essential oils; you will notice the difference.

Warnings

• Please educate yourself about the essential oil you will be using.

Things You'll Need

• Essential oil and carrier of your choice.
• Eye-droppers if your essential oils do not have droppers of their own.

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References

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