Our family has safely and effectively used essential oils for over ten years under these general guidelines. We feel it is part of the freedom of the country we live in to have access to alternative natural health methods, to research and understand their use, and implement this use. It is part of taking responsibility for our health and saving our medical system for appropriate life saving measures and emergencies. We encourage you to take the same sort of responsibility for your family.
Neat: means to use without diluting. Most oils are safe to use neat on the bottom of your feet.
Essential oils must remain undiluted for use in a diffuser. We also use them neat in our nasal inhalers.
Diluted: means to dilute with a carrier oil like olive, coconut, almond, jojoba, etc.
TIPS: Some references talk about diluting 50/50 but we often find that even a 1-3% dilution is adequate in most instances. It depends on the oil, the person, their condition, their age, what they are addressing. We use a 1-3% dilution rate most often with seniors, preg women, children under 12, general health support, skin care, natural body care such as homemade deodorant, every day blends, bath oils, general massage oil. Often 3% is enough when creating a blend to address a specific acute health concern such as pain relief or getting thru a cold/flu.
- An example of 50/50 is 10 drops of essential oil and 10 drops of carrier oil
- 1% dilution would be 5-6 drops per 1 oz of carrier oil
- 2% dilution is 10-12 drops per ounce.
- 3% dilution is 15-18 drops per ounce.
Sometimes oils are used neat but we find this to not be necessary very often and only with wisdom on which oils are going to be used and why. In fact, dilution may help oils work more effectively. This is not like diluting your orange juice and having a weaker flavor. Essential oils are very concentrated. A carrier oil helps the molecules spread out and work more effectively. It keeps “hot” oils (like oregano, clove, cinnamon bark,etc) from “burning” sensitive skin. If you
accidently get a hot oil on your skin, use a carrier oil to soothe it rather than water.
Internal use:
We believe that many essential oils can be used internally with appropriate knowledge and respect for how concentrated they are. Even used internally, it is best to dilute them in a carrier oil. According to Kurt Schnaubelt, PhD, only one drop is generally necessary at a time. Consulting a certified aromatherapist or health professional is generally advised for appropriate dosing. While internal use may be appropriate in few instances, we find topical and aromatic use to be our preferred effective way to use most oils. See our blog post at www.lchaimessentialoils.wix.com/lchaimoils on inhalation as a primary way for using oils.