Carrier Oils – Aromatherapy’s Unsung Heroes

The base oils used in aromatherapy are more commonly known as ‘carrier oils’ and are fundamental to aromatherapy itself. Not only do they help to dilute essential oils and ‘carry’ them into your body’s systems, but many of them have therapeutic and healing properties that can be used on their own as well.

Technically classed as fixed oils because they are more dense and do not evaporate like essential oils, carrier oils are also known as vegetable oils due to their origin. These oils are largely derived from nuts and seeds, although there are a few exceptions to this generalisation. For example, coconut oil is not extracted from the nut, but instead it is obtained by a special process from the white flesh which is known as ‘copra’.

Virtuoso performance

Carrier oils play a far more significant role in aromatherapy than at first it may seem, often appearing to be of much less importance than the essential oils. To believe this though would be a mistake, because they too offer a wealth of health-giving benefits and are absolutely vital to aromatherapy itself. They are indeed, the unsung heroes of aromatherapy.

They contain vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, provide the necessary lubrication to allow the hands to glide freely over the skin and not drag, they soften and improve the condition of the skin, and at the same time help with the absorption of essential oils into the body. Carrier oils are nothing if not versatile.

During an aromatherapy massage treatment, not only do you enjoy the therapeutic properties of the carrier and essential oils, but you also get the added benefits that the massage brings to the circulatory system as well. This is true whether you visit an aromatherapist, or mix and apply them for yourself at home.

In fact, through skilled massage using the correct techniques, all the functions of the organs of the body, skin, muscles, nerves and glands in the body are stimulated. The increased circulation of the blood and lymph also assists with the clearing away of toxins from the body. All of this would not be possible without the help of carrier oils. Not a bad performance – despite playing ‘second fiddle’ to essential oils!

Methods of extraction

The oil obtained from nuts and seeds are usually extracted by one of two different methods. The first process is known as ‘cold pressing’ and is restricted to relatively small scale production these days due to the higher cost of manufacturing. The nuts or seeds are placed in a horizontal press with a rotating screw known as an ‘expeller’ and the oil is literally squeezed out.

Despite the processing name, a certain amount of heat is actually produced during the process due to friction, but this is typically around 45º and rarely exceeds 65º causing virtually no damage to the essential fatty acids and minerals contained in the oil. The extracted oil is then filtered and sold as a finished product.

Large scale industrial production uses a method called ‘hot extraction’ and uses a similar process, but tremendous heat is applied during the process to increase the yield of oil, and temperatures used can reach up to 200ºC which destroys the important vitamins and fatty acids.

The waste product from both methods of extraction, known as ‘cake’ is often re-processed using solvents to extract even more oil. This oil is re-heated again, refined, deodorised and the colour is bleached out. Finally, artificial colour, preservatives and vitamins are added back.

These highly refined, solvent extracted oils usually end up on supermarket shelves for use in cooking and are fine for this purpose, but totally unsuitable for use in genuine aromatherapy. All the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids have been destroyed during the extraction process and they are literally a dead product.

You should always buy cold pressed oils for aromatherapy and your skin will be sure to feel the benefits. Grapeseed oil is not usually produced by cold pressing since a realistic yield of oil can not be obtained without applying heat.

Refined or unrefined?

Some oils such as avocado, coconut and wheatgerm are available in both a ‘refined’ and an ‘unrefined’ form, and wherever you do have a choice you should always choose the unrefined oil. However, unrefined coconut oil is almost impossible to use since it sets solid like butter, and is therefore made available in a form known as ‘fractionated’ oil. Fractionated coconut oil is and excellent carrier oil due to the fatty acid triglycerides it contains and its indefinite shelf life.

Unrefined avocado oil is a dark green colour and has a very strong odour which is not to everyone’s liking, but nonetheless is rich in lecithin and vitamins A and D. Likewise, unrefined wheatgerm oil is a dark orange colour with a strong fragrance typical of the cereal, and contains high levels of essential fatty acids and some vitamin E. The claim that wheatgerm oil contains high levels of vitamin E are greatly exaggerated, and it is not particularly effective as an antioxidant. However, wheatgerm oil is very good for moisturising dry, mature skin.

The cosmetics industry prefers refined oils since the darker colours and heavy odours can have an adverse effect on the final product. Because of this, unrefined oils are not produced in the vast quantities that refined oils are, which makes them a little more difficult to find – especially if you only buy your aromatherapy products from health shops and not specialist suppliers.

Fortunately, most aromatherapy stockists who supply to qualified practitioners will normally offer a range of unrefined, cold pressed vegetable oils to the retail sector too. If you want to get the maximum benefits out of your carrier oils, be sure you know exactly what you are getting before you buy them.

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2010