Carrot Oil - Carrier Oil or Essential Oil?

Carrot oil is both a carrier oil (or massage oil) and an essential oil. The two are very different in chemical make-up and extraction and should be used with caution. In addition, both carrot carrier oil and carrot essential oil are extracted from the wild carrot - not the domestic carrot.

As you can see, confusion between carrier oils and essential oils is common as well as the confusion between similar essential oils! Last week I profiled the differences between the different types of rose oil and a profile on rose hip carrier oil. Previously, I have written articles on oregano and marjoram, pelargoniums and geraniums, the chamomile essential oils, the lavender essential oils and the sage essential oils.

Knowing these similarities and differences between many carrier oils and essential oils, it is advisable to learn all you can about any carrier oil and/or essential oil before using them to avoid the confusion.

To learn more read carrot oil - massage oil and essential oil.....

and leave me any comments below!

Do Essential Oils Work?

Aromatherapy, like many other alternative/complimentary medicine practices often receives 'bad press' about whether it actually works. Many people believe aromatherapy to be 'just a pretty smell'.

Some of this 'bad press' may come from the fact that aromatherapy is not regulated in the USA; anyone can set up and claim to be an aromatherapist with little or no training. In addition, some essential oil suppliers, who claim to supply 'pure' essential oils, are actually selling adulterated or unpure essential oils.

Pure essential oils are obtained from plants; plants possess essential oils for a number of reasons. Botany and aromatherapy are closely interlinked because essential oils are extracted from plants. The therapeutic powers obtained from essential oils often had an original purpose in protecting the plant too.

Scientists in many countries have conducted many experiments to try to prove or disprove the value of essential oils in certain circumstances. Sometimes the results are inconclusive, due to various factors, but many experiments end in a postive result for the power of essential oils. The International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics carries many indepth studies on essential oils.

Often essential oils are confused with fragrance oils; fragrance oils, although pleasant smelling, do not carry the therapeutic properties of essential oils and should not be used in the practice of healing aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is also a phrase which is often misused. True aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic practice but often people talk about aromatherapy when they are really talking about fragrance oils or perfumery.

Essential oils are used medicinally in France and are becoming more popular in medical practice in the U.K. too. I don't beleive that essential oils are in common practice in the U.S.A. in medical settings as yet (please let me know if you know different!) and perhaps the aromatherapy profession needs to be regulated more firmly before this can happen.

For this reason, I am planning on doing further aromatherapy training next year to greater understand the complexities in the chemical make-up of essential oils so that when people ask if essential oils really do work, I will have the knowledge and further experience to expand on my answer!

If understood correctly, and if used correctly, essential oils can be beneficial to a great many people in a number of health problems.

If you have any comments please post them below!

Rose Hip Carrier Oil

I finally managed to find time to post my first carrier oil profile! I started with rose hip oil not because its one of the most popular carrier oils but because it linked in to my article earlier in the week on the different types of rose oil. Although I don't think many people confuse rose hip oil with rose oil it does start to get complicated with similar sounding names!

Rose hip oil is a favorite oil to be used in skin care creams and lotions but it can also be used as a massage oil, either on its own or with complimentary essential oils. To learn more more the profile Rose Hip Carrier Oil...

Do You Know Your Rose Oil?

When is a rose not a rose? When its adulterated or something else.

Rose oil is one of my favorite essential oils and is probably one of the most popular oils. However, due to its high cost of production, rose oil may not actually be rose oil. It may be a fragrance oil or indeed actually another essential oil all together. Confused?

I know I was when I first started studying essential oils and I have been asked this question several times by people as well. So, I finally put all I know about rose oil in a complete article to help you identify the different types of rose oil.

Let me know what you think, after reading the article, by posting a comment below!

Aromatherapy for Feet - New Article!

As a reflexologist, as well as an aromatherapist, I have a fascination with feet! Not an unhealthy obsession, I hasten to add, but a genuine interest! Aromatherapy can work well with feet and there are many essential oils which can help with a good foot soak!

To learn more read my newest article in the Sedona Aromatherapie Library - Aromatherapy for Feet.

Let me know what you think by posting a comment below!

My Favorite Essential Oils

We probably all have a favorite essential oil; however my favorite essential oils seem to change with season and my mood!


Ultimely, I would say that my top ten list of favorite essential oils are:

• rose


• geranium


• ylang ylang


• neroli


• orange


• patchouli


• grapefruit


• peppermint


• sandalwood


• frankincense.

For anyone who knows anything about essential oils, you can probably see that my taste is pretty expensive! However, I like different essential oils for different things; the citrus oils (of which orange is my favorite) are versatile and uplifting at any time of the year.

Some of my other favorites, such as rose, frankincense and sandalwood, are 'heavy' essential oils and I certainly wouldn't use them in excess (if not for the price alone!).

Geranium essential oil is an essential oil which I use a lot in blends for different things so for me it is a versatile and reasonably priced essential oil to have on my 'favorite' essential list.

If you have a favorite essential oil please post me a comment below and tell me why!

Essential Oils for the Menopause

Women going through the menopause can get help and relief in the form of essential oils. There are many essential oils which help with the common problems of the menopause including sweating, hot flushes, depression and decreased interest in sex.

If you are using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or any other prescribed medication it is best to check with your doctor as to the suitability of using with essential oils.

To learn more read Essential Oils for the Menopause...

Please post me any comments below!

How Do I Store Essential Oils?

I often get asked how long essential oils last. Of course, it depends on the essential oil in question but an essential oil is often affected by how it is stored.

Before you buy an essential oil, you can't know for sure how it has been stored, or for how long, by the supplier. So, buy from a reputable and trusted supplier, or ask the questions before buying! Some essential oil suppliers will add a 'use by' date on essential oils, but again this is only a guideline and it depends on how you store the essential oil once you acquire it.

Essential oils should ideally be stored in dark colored glass bottles; these are usually colbalt blue, amber/dark brown or dark green. Essential oils should also be kept in a cool, dark place. Essential oils do not fair well in sunlight or heat and this will diminish both the shelf life and the quality and effectiveness of the essential oil.

Citrus essential oils, even when stored in ideal conditions, do not have a long shelf life; often the maximum shelf life of a citrus essential oil is one year. Grapefruit essential oil in particular can go 'off' very quickly.

On the other hand, some essential oils can be kept for years, if stored under the right conditions. These are often the base essential oils such as sandal wood, rose and patchouli.

I have been asked if it is safe to store essential oils in the fridge. I have mixed feelings about this personally. Some of the citrus oils may last slightly longer if stored in the fridge but it is crucial that the temperature in the fridge is not too low. I have made this mistake in the past and still ended up with unusuable essential oils.

Once essential oils have been mixed in an carrier oil, it is still important to store the essential oil blend correctly. I make my blends in colbalt blue glass bottles, although I do use plastic bottles for some of my creams and lotions. Just make sure the bottles meet PET standards to avoid contamination of the plastic and the essential oil blend.

When I moved from the UK to the USA, I had many of my precious essential oils shipped over with the rest of my personal possessions. However, I couldn't trust the effectiveness of them because they had endured conditions over which I had no control. They were shipped from the UK to Los Angeles by boat (6 weeks plus at sea) and then sat in a warehouse in Los Angeles before being trucked across 2 states to another warehouse of the blazing desert heat of Phoenix before I picked them up and brought them home to Sedona, Arizona! By the time they reached me they had probably suffered excessive heat and cold, amongst other things.

So, it may seem like a little thing, but the storage of your essential oils is crucial to how long your essential oils will last and the effectiveness of your essential oils!

Please post me a comment on the storage of essential oils below!