Organic carrier oils have a wide variety of fine uses and many are used in the natural beauty recipes here at SavvyHomemade.
It’s difficult to imagine exactly where we’d be with our projects if it weren’t for the health benefits and substance that the best carrier oils offer.
So below I’m sharing some in-depth information on carrier oils, followed by an A to Z of more than thirty of the most popular oils, along with their properties, benefits and the best places to buy.
Carrier Oils Overview
Carrier oils, also known as base oils, are the foundation of any good skincare product. While many carrier oils carry their own active properties, their main purpose is to carry other, more potent ingredients onto the skin. An excellent example of this would be essential oils, which cannot be directly applied to the skin.
Carrier oils are made from a whole bunch of different sources, including plants, vegetables, flowers, seeds and leaves. Oils can be extracted from sunflowers, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds and many, many more.
Olive oil, for example, is extracted by a process of ‘cold press’, where the fruit of the olive is pressed and squashed to release the gorgeous oil that we all put on salads or use for light frying. While olive oil is mostly known for it’s culinary uses, these oils can be used for many different things including homemade moisturizers, serums and even soap!
Carrier oils by in large, have no noticeable aroma, meaning they won’t mask the smell of your lovely essential oils! But you don’t have to make use of essential oils to get the most out of your base oils. They can be applied directly to the skin as a lovely massage oil. I like to use something quite luxurious for this purpose, or one that doesn’t absorb quickly into the skin.
Most carrier oils will come as a liquid, but some will be solid when your purchase them. An excellent example of this is coconut oil, which in hot climates are usually liquid but in much of the states and in Europe it comes as a thick, oily paste. Oils that are sometimes solid in certain climates are so because they have a high content of stearic fatty acid. The removal of this substance is possible, and the process is called ‘fractionation’. You may have come across fractionated coconut oil on Amazon, which is great for use in anything you need to be a bit more liquidy (I’ve invented a word!).
As carrier oils are the building blocks of a whole range of skin care products, it’s important to learn about their different properties and which are suitable for different skin types. When you understand this, you can use your knowledge to get the most out of your homemade skin care products. But first, let’s discuss the behaviours of different oils, and the difference between ‘long oils’ and ‘short oils’.
Long and Short Oils, what’s the difference?
Some oils will start sinking into your skin immediately, and before long there is almost no trace of it on your skin. Others take longer, and require a bit more elbow grease to work into the skin. Although it may sound appealing to have a skin care product that immediately sinks into the skin, there are times when you want spend a bit more time applying your products. A good example of this would be a cleanser. This is what we mean when we say is this a ‘short’ oil or a ‘long’ oil.
Long oils are simply that, oils that take longer to absorb fully into the skin. Let’s take the example of a cleanser again. When applying a cleanser, you need time for the oil to pick up dirt, grime and excavate those pours so you aren’t left with nasty blackheads. This would just not be possible with a short oil. Grapeseed oil is an excellent example of a long oil. While grapeseed will absorb into the skin eventually, this process just takes a bit longer. This also makes it a great choice of oil for a massage, and I have used it myself many times for this purpose. You’ll get plenty of ‘rubbing’ time with this oil.
Now if long oils are absorbed slowly, short oils are absorbed quickly! I like to call these ‘on-and-gone’ oils, leaving absolutely no greasy residue at all. Avocado oil is a great example of a short oil. Don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Take a little and rub it onto your forearm. Before long, it will have completely vanished!
Like most short oils, avocado oil has a ‘total’ absorption rate, meaning all the oil will fully absorb into the skin. We also call this the ‘ability’ of the oil. This kind of oil is fantastic for making high quality skin care products that need to sink in quickly. For example, your daily face cream. The last thing you want to be doing is wandering around your house in the morning, waiting for the oils in your skin care products to absorb into the skin so you can put your damn make up on already. This has happened to me before with store purchased products, believe me!
So, as you can see, it’s important to understand the behaviour of certain oils when designing your own skin care products. However, you’ll also need to know their different properties, so let’s take a look at that.
Last update on 2020-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
A to C Carrier Oils
Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis)
This really is among the most useful, practical, and commonly used carrier oils. It’s excellent for all skin types as an acting emollient and it’s most commonly known for an ability to soften, soothe, and recondition the skin. It’s genuinely wonderful as a carrier oil and is just as fantastic for body treatment creams.
In my opinion sweet almond oil is defiantly one of my must have carrier oils, especially when used for face and body treatment creams.)
Where To Buy:
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Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus armeniaca)
A delightful oil comparable to Sweet Almond, yet more suitable for delicate or prematurely aged skin. Apricot Kernel oil is usually a deep gold colour, and can also be applied liberally in many bodycare recipes.
Where To Buy:
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Argan Oil (Argania spinosa)
This superb and uncommon oil is carefully expeller pressed from the fruit kernels of Moroccan Argan trees. Argan oil can be rich in natural tocopherols (vitamin e) as well as phenols, carotenes, squalene and fatty acids, creating a very luxurious oil.
Argan oil will absorb rapidly so is frequently found in skin, nail and hair treatments to provide deep hydration, reinforce brittle hair and nails, and lessen stretch-marks.
Where To Buy:
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Avocado Oil (Persea americana)
This extremely rich oil really is a wonderful treasure comprising higher levels of Vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E. Additionally, it contains amino acids, pantothenic acid, sterols and lecithin, along with other fatty acids.
Valued by folks with skin difficulties like eczema and psoriasis and helps make a splendid salad oil for dressings and condiments.
Where To Buy:
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Black Seed Oil (Nigella sativa)
Equally referred to as Black Cumin oil, this is a remarkable nutritive oil which you can use along with your normal diet routine. Due to the unique cell structure of this oil, as well as its high vitamin, mineral and fatty acid content, it’s used in many remedies and is being looked at by the scientific community. Their discoveries have become very significant.
Where To Buy:
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Borage Seed Oil (Borago officinalis)
Borage oil is produced from organic cold pressed seeds that have a nice strong colour, along with a pleasant flavour. It’s a cherished oil for its dietary, health, cosmetic and medicinal advantages.
Where To Buy:
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Camelina Oil (Camelina sativa)
Comparable to Flax in character and attributes, but with a whole lot more shelf life. This delightful oil may be used in foodstuff as well as cosmetic applications and will come loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin e along with anti-oxidants. It’s good for your skin, locks and eyes, and is an excellent option for alternative cosmetics and treatments.
Where To Buy:
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Calendula Oil (Calendula officinalis)
A Very effective oil that makes for an excellent base for creams, salves and facial recipes. It cooling and gentle on the skin which makes it fantastic for baby oil recipes.
Where To Buy:
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Carrot Oil ((Daucus carota))
Carrot Macerated Oil is an oil that has been infused with carrots, usually in sunflower or vegetable oil and should not be confused with carrot seed essential oil. Its color can vary from yellow to orange, which will determine the color of your finished product.
Carrot oil is great for revitalizing and regenerating the skin. It’s ultra-rich in Beta carotene and packed full of vitamins and fatty acids, which makes it a great all-rounder for any skin that is prone to looking dull and dry in the winter.
Where To Buy:
- Botanical Name: Daucus carota
- Extraction Method: Macerated in sunflower oil
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Castor Oil (Ricinus communis)
All natural oil made from Castor beans. It’s a tough and glistening oil present in several makeup products. It works as a barrier agent and protective medium against extreme and harsh conditions, and is really soothing on the skin whenever added to cosmetic products.
Where To Buy:
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Coconut Oil – Refined Solid (Cocos nucifera)
Best Coconut Oil For Soap Making
This can be a fantastic oil for all-around moisturising and works as a great defensive layer. It helps to keep the moisture within your skin and helps with irritated or inflamed skin. Coconut oil is undoubtedly the primary lather producing agent employed in soapmaking. And is often first choice in many people’s cosmetic recipes.
Where To Buy:
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Coconut Oil – Unrefined Solid (Cocos nucifera)
A genuinely stunning oil possessing the mildly intoxicating aroma of 100 % pure Coconut pulp. It’s among the most highly regarded natural oils for nutritional applications. It has almost identical advantages as the refined coconut oil above, however, it’s more effective in foodstuff due to its cold pressed technique of manufacturing, along with its increased fatty acids.
Last update on 2020-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Thanks for posting this list of carrier oils. Very informative! I recently discovered another fantastic carrier oil that is not on this list unless it goes by another name. Baobab Seed oil is one that I plan to always have on hand. It is on the expensive side but well worth it!!!!
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the suggestion. I just had a quick look and it looks like a great carrier oil! I’ll do a bit more research and add it to the list asap.
Thanks again!