There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you should dilute essential oils when you apply them to your skin (topically). And for good reason.
Many essential oil companies sell oils that are not 100% pure and not diluting oils before application can result in skin irritation. This is why I only use and recommend doTERRA’s essential oils. They run every single batch of oil through numerous tests with a third party testing facility to ensure that the only thing in your bottle of lemon essential oil is lemon essential oil.
They’re serious about quality and will only sell 100% pure essential oils.
Because of their purity, you can use many of doTERRA’s essential oils neat (undiluted) when applying them topically.
That said, in most cases it’s still a good idea to dilute.
One drop of oil will deliver 6.1 million molecules to each of the hundred trillion cells of the body. – Emily Wright
doTERRA co-founder, Emily Wright, gave a fantastic presentation at their convention this year about why you would want to dilute essential oils.
Aside from preventing potential skin irritations (especially in children and the elderly), diluting essential oils actually helps you absorb them better.
Diluting an essential oil in fractionated coconut oil helps it penetrate tissues and absorb into your skin more effectively. Otherwise, some of the essential oil will evaporate off your skin.
So how do you dilute essential oils properly? Easy. To apply topically, you just need to dilute one drop of essential oil in three drops of carrier oil.
I recommend doTERRA’s Fractionated Coconut Oil as a carrier oil as it comes in a bottle that makes getting three drops out very easy and the molecule size of this particular carrier oil makes it the perfect choice for combining with essential oils.
Here are some examples of oils you should always dilute:
- Cassia
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Peppermint
- Ginger
- Eucalyptus
- Wintergreen
- Black pepper
These oils have been shown to cause skin irritations when used undiluted, especially in those with sensitive skin. (Source)
Tips for dilution
Lastly, I wanted to leave you with a few handy tips to keep in mind when diluting your essential oils.
- A little goes a long way: These oils are so potent that you don’t need a lot. In fact, one researcher shared at convention that she was able to effectively eliminate environmental threats on her countertops by diluting just 3 drops of On Guard blend in 32 ounces of water! And adding more oils did not make it more effective (that means savings!).
- doTERRA Touch line: If you don’t want to worry about diluting beforehand, check out the doTERRA Touch line. Many of doTERRA’s most popular oils are available pre-diluted in roll on bottles to make topical application super easy. They’re adding Neroli, Jasmine and Rose to the Touch line on October 2nd!
- Massage before: Want your oils to absorb even better? Massage the area for a few seconds before applying to increase blood flow and improve absorption.
Click here to learn more about how to get doTERRA essential oils for your home.
