Full Disclosure: I am a Young Living Essential Oils Distributor.
Not “DEluded”. DIluted. Big difference! Just pointing that out.
So why is “D” for “diluted”? Because today I’m telling you how and why I dilute my oils and why I think you might want to consider doing the same. In the picture above, you see a bottle of Frankincense essential oil, an oil my DH uses every day (which is another story for another day). I’ve marked it with a “D” to help me remember that it’s diluted, so I don’t get it confused with the bottles that have the straight essential oil.
Why I Dilute My Oils
Really, it all boils down to two facts that support each other:
- The oils can be diluted and still be effective.
- Diluting the oils makes them last longer, which saves money.
In other words, instead of asking “Why should I dilute my oils?”, the question is, “Why wouldn’t I?”. The only time I wouldn’t dilute an oil is if it really doesn’t seem to be working as effectively as the undiluted version. But honestly, if they work undiluted, and it saves money… why not?
Someone also mentioned to me that there is a chance that using the oils undiluted on a regular basis could cause a person to become de-sensitized to a particular oil in much the same way that some people have become de-sensitized to antibiotics because of overuse. There is apparently less chance of that occurring if the oils are diluted. I haven’t had time to research that so I don’t even know if it’s true. I just go back to the previous point… if the diluted oil is just as effective as the undiluted oil, why not just dilute it and bypass the risk?
Another thing for me is that I use the oils quite frequently on my children, and for children the oils should be diluted in any case. Having diluted oils ready just makes it easier to use on whomever, whenever, and wherever the need arises!
How I Dilute The Oils
Essential oils can be diluted in water or in a carrier oil. If I’m wanting to spray the oil, I dilute it in water in a 2-4oz essential oil spray bottle. Usually a few drops of oil in the bottle will suffice.
If I’m wanting to apply it topically, I mix it with a carrier oil, usually jojoba oil because it doesn’t go rancid and it’s good for the skin. Young Living also carries a blend of oils they call V-6, which I have and like but don’t use it too often because it has almond oil and my boys are allergic to tree nuts. If you don’t have nut allergies, though, it’s a great carrier oil. You could also use olive or coconut oil (I use coconut oil with some lavender in it for my son’s eczema).
If you read a book, or browse through websites, or follow the directions on the bottle, you’ll find a whole rainbow of dilution ratios. At the risk of sounding careless, I don’t really bother with those too much. I just know that “hot” oils (like Thieves or Peppermint) need more carrier oil than other gentler oils like Lavender. Generally speaking, 5-10 drops of oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil will be plenty and you could probably even use less. If one of my boys has a cold, for example, I swirl about a tablespoon of carrier oil into an opaque container that has a lid, add a few drops of whatever essential oil I want to apply on them throughout the day, close the lid and shake it. That amount will last for a couple days of frequent generous application.
Storing Diluted Oils
I wouldn’t keep the diluted oils forever, especially if they’re made with carrier oils that go rancid, like olive oil. In fact, I wouldn’t store them long-term in any case. Generally speaking I only dilute the amount I plan to use over the next few days in the method I described above.
However, for some oils that we use on a regular basis - like lemon and frankincense - I love this little trick that a friend taught me. Once I have an empty or near-empty bottle of essential oil, I fill it part way with the essential oil on the label (so as not to get confused and also so as not to mix the oils) and top it off with a carrier oil. For example, the bottle in the above picture is a bottle of Frankincense that was almost empty. I added a little more Frankincense until it was about 1/3 of the way full, and then filled the rest with the V-6 oil. I put the dropper back on, screwed on the cap, and wrote a big “D” on the top so I know that this bottle of Frankincense is diluted. I love the simplicity of this little system, and do the same thing with lemon and lavender oil, which we also use quite frequently.
When Not to Dilute
Now don’t go around your house diluting ALL your essential oils! The dilution is only for topical application purposes. You’ll want some straight essential oils to use in your household cleaning, or to make various concoctions like bug spray. You’ll also want to use undiluted oils in diffusers, so make sure you keep undiluted versions of all your essential oils on hand to use in whatever way you need them.
For more information on essential oils, visit my Young Living website here. And of course, please do keep in mind that I’m not a doctor or a medical expert of any kind and I’m not offering medical advice. Just sharing what I do in my home!
Hi Anne!
I love this article. I started researching how to make our own blends and make the oils last and came across your article. I have been using YL oils for a bit now and a couple weeks ago my boyfriend and I discovered the Frankincense and LOVE it. Unfortunately we went a little crazy and went through the 5ml bottle in like 2 weeks! As you know it is pretty pricey so I had to seek out how to make these expensive oils last. Just a quick question for you-you mentioned putting a few drops with a carrier oil in an opaque container with a lid..can you be more specific? Do you just put your finger in the container and apply that way? Can I put this in a 5 ml bottle and will it come out through the hole on the normal caps they have on the YL bottles? Sorry if this seems silly I just want to make sure I do this correctly and not waste any of my precious oils! Thanks again for any help you can offer
It’s best to have some kind of container like an old oil bottle or a roll-on bottle (you can buy those on Amazon or https://www.discoverlsp.com/) so that you don’t have to put your finger in it. Unfortunately, when you put a carrier oil into an oil bottle, it does make it a lot thicker and it doesn’t come out of the bottle as readily. You can just remove the stopper, but then of course, the oil comes out very quickly, so you have to be aware of that. Ideally, a roller bottle (or a roller cap fitted onto an oil bottle) is the best way.