Essential oils much more potent than the botanicals from which they are extracted so applying undiluted essential oils can potentially cause skin irritation and even sensitization.
Factors To Consider When Diluting Essential Oils
When deciding the proper dilution for a single essential oil, an essential oil blend, or any product containing essential oils there are a few main factors that need to be considered.
Which essential oil or oils are being used? Since not all essential oils are equal in potency, each oil has a different maximum percentage that can be used in skincare products before you risk skin irritation This is called the maximum recommended dilution rate.
These maximum dilution rates are based on the chemical composition of each essential oil. Since individual essential oils often have different safe dilutions for skincare products, it is important to research the proper dilution for each essential oil. For example, so-called “hot” essential oils like Cinnamon, Clove Bud, and Oregano will require a much larger dilution than others.
How is the final product being used on the skin? All essential oils are not the same. It is important to research the basic properties of each oil in a recipe to ensure that they are appropriate for the intended use of the final product. Some essential oils are not recommended for use on the skin even if diluted.
Some good questions to ask would include: Does the product remain on the skin after application, such as a body cream? Is the product readily washed off like soap? Is it generally applied to small localized areas like perfume or a spot treatment oil?
Where is the final product being used? For example, is the product being used on the face, the lips, the whole body, or a small localized area?
How to Use an Essential Oil Dilution Chart
As you can see from the example chart taken from the Tisserand Institute, dilution chart percentages are based on the number of drops of essential oil to use per a small amount of carrier oil.
The setup of most dilution charts is fairly standard. There are three pieces of information available
- the amount of the carrier oil you are using (indicated by the green bottles at the bottom of the Tisserand chart)
- the total percentage of essential oil you want in your carrier oil (on the left)
- the number of drops of essential oil needed to obtain that percentage.
So let’s look at the dilution chart.
In my first set of examples, we are keeping the percent of the essential oil the same but increasing the amount of carrier oil.
Example 1: If you want to use 10 ml of carrier oil and you want a 2% dilution, then you would need to use 6 drops.
Example 2: If you want to use 30 ml (1 oz) of carrier oil and you want a 2% dilution, then you would need to use 18 drops.
In the second set of examples, we are keeping the amount of carrier oil the same but increasing the percent of the essential oil by increasing the drops.
Example 1: If you want a 2% dilution in 20 ml of carrier oil then you would need to use 12 drops.
Example 2: If you want a 3% dilution in 20 ml of carrier oil then you would need to use 18 drops.
Aromatherapy Oil blends are a bit different. They are generally applied sparingly to small localized areas and their function IS aromatherapy.
In order to experience the benefits of these aromatic products, we need to use a higher proportion of essential oils. There seems to be a general consensus that for spot use of an aromatherapy roll-on, a dilution of up to 5% is safe for adults and still allows for gentle aromatherapy.
There are also charts using teaspoons and tablespoons instead of ml for the amount of carrier oil. If you like working with teaspoons and tablespoons here are some approximate values:
- 5 ml = 1 teaspoon
- 10 ml = 2 teaspoon
- 15 ml = 3 teaspoon (1 tablespoons)= 1/2 oz
- 20 ml = 4 teaspoon
- 25 ml = 5 teaspoon
- 30 ml = 6 teaspoon (2 Tablespoons) = 1 oz
Conclusion
Applying essential oils directly to your skin without proper dilution significantly increases the risk of irritation or adverse reactions.
People using essential oils in topical treatments should always use carrier oils, follow the proper dilution guidance, and always use the lowest dilution possible that gives you effective results.
It is a good idea to do a Patch Test before using any new products, especially if you have sensitive skin. A skin patch test, recommended for the first-time use of anything new to your skin, allows you to determine how your skin reacts to a particular oil or product before general use.
Cover photo by Christin Hume
