Essential oil dilutions + usage
We only purchase superior quality, pure essential oils from our reputable Australian suppliers as safety for you is of utmost importance at Aromatherapy Dispensary Pty Ltd, which is why we want to explain a little about the usage of essential oils.
Essential oils are wonderful and amazingly powerful whilst being highly concentrated (one drop of Peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) essential oil is the approximate equivalent to just under 30 cups of peppermint tea. To produce one litre of Rose (Rosa damascena) essential oil it can take approximately 4000+ rose petals with the roses being mostly harvested by hand between 5am and 10am when the flowers are open and at their highest oil content! There is a wonderful history and many interesting facts about essential oils and if you have the time and inclination there’s a plethora of information to be read for self-discovery.
Certain oils can be applied undiluted or ‘neat’ although we believe diluting is generally recommended or preferred for topical use. There are two key benefits with this approach in that there is less likelihood of a negative response and it should further increase absorption of the oils by being able to spread over a larger surface of the skin. Essential oils are volatile (they evaporate quickly in normal temperatures) thus diluting them with a carrier oil to apply to your skin prevents them evaporating and also allows the therapeutic properties to be simply absorbed into the skin.
If wanting to apply essential oils to the body, you need to know which dilutions are safe and how to calculate them. With that information, you can follow example dilution guides such as these below, in accordance with advice given from world renowned essential oil safety expert Robert Tisserand*. These dilution values are rounded to whole drops, are approximate only and does not suggest that all these dilutions are safe for all essential oils in every situation, for everyone. When diluting a blend of essential oils these dilution numbers represent total number of drops of all essential oils combined. For daily whole body applications the recommended dilution is approximately 2% although for sensitive skin areas the recommended dilution rate is 1%. Example: 50mL carrier oil + 30 drops of essential oil = 2% dilution.
*Information referenced from “Essential Oil Safety” co-authors Robert Tisserand & Rodney Young, Second edition.
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When applying any diluted oil topically, avoid broken or damaged skin and areas such as eyes, inside nostrils, genitals and inner ears. Each dosage for an individual is different and should be tailored to their individual age and condition. The age and size of an individual as well as their medical circumstances should be considered. If pregnant, nursing, on medication, asthmatic, have high blood pressure or have any health concerns, seek advice from your consulting doctor, specialist or qualified healthcare provider prior to use.
Aromatherapy Dispensary Pty Ltd thinks our oils are amazing but do not suggest the use of our oils to replace medical advice or treatment. For further safety information please see below under General Disclaimer & Safety Information.