Carrier oils (base oils) and Essential oils - What's the difference?

In some cream recipes I am talking about carrier oils and essential oils and I would like to give you guys some explanation about the difference.

Carrier oils (Base oil):

Carrier oils are vegetable (and some animal-based) oils that are used to dilute essential oils. (Before essential oils can be used in aromatherapy they must be diluted in a 'carrier', since they are too powerful to use neat. Essential oils can cause skin irritations or itching when used in undiluted forms.)

They carry the essential oil onto the skin. If it's a vegetable oil, then it's derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds, kernels or the nuts. It it's an animal-based carrier oil, then it comes from the rendered and refined fat of the animal.

Carrier oils give the necessary lubrication to allow the hands to run smoothly over the skin and not 'drag' whilst massaging.

They contain vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

Carrier oils:

• Sweet Almond oil
• Peach oil
• Apricot oil
• Sunflower oil
• Black Seed oil
• Borage Seed oil
• Evening Primrose oil
• Jojoba oil
• Rosehip oil
• Avocado oil
• Wheatgerm oil
• Camellia Seed oil
• Cranberry Seed oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Hazelnut oil
• Hemp Seed oil
• Kukui Nut oil
• Macadamia Nut oil
• Meadowfoam Seed oil
• Olive oil
• Pecan oil
• Pomegranate Seed oil
• Seabuckthorn Berry
• Sesame oil
• Watermelon Seed oil

Buy carrier oils that have been cold pressed or cold expeller pressed. This indicates that the oil has been pressed from the fatty portions of the botanical without the use of added heat. The high temperature degree and duration of the processing method can harm the fragile nutrients in the oil.

When you buy organic carrier oils, verify if the oil is certified.

Carrier oils should be natural and unadulterated.

Essential oils:

Essential oils are distilled from the leaves, bark, roots and other aromatic portions of a botanical. They obtained by steam distillation although other methods are used too (cold-pressing method and solvent extraction method). After extraction nothing should be added or removed from this oil if it is to be used in aromatherapy. An essential oil should be extracted from a single botanical species that has been botanically authenticated, and derived from a known country of origin.

Essential oils are not really oily-feeling.

Some Essential Oils:

• Lavender oil
• Bergamot oil
• Mandarin oil
• Rosemary oil
• Sandalwood oil
• Ylang Yylang
• Myrrh
• Rose Geranium oil
• Roman Chamomile
• Neroli oil
• Tea tree oil
• Aloe Vera oil
• Ginseng oil

During the whole pregnancy you should avoid these Essential oils:

• Savory oil
• Sassafras oil
• Pennyroyal oil
• Laurel oil
• Mugwort oil
• Nutmeg oil
• Gaulteria oil
• Oregano oil
• Thyme oil
• Thuja/Cedar oil
• Myrrh oil
• Wormwood oil
• Rosemary oil
• Tans oil
• Rute olil
• Sage oil

During the first trimester you should avoid these Essential oils:

• Aniseed oil
• Basil Oil
• Juniper oil
• Cedarwood oil
• Fennel oil
• Cinnamon oil
• Garlic oil
• Hyssop oil
• Camphor
• Bitter Almond oil
• Caraway
• Marjoram oil
• Myrrh Oil
• muscatel sage oil
• Calamus oil

During the whole pregnancy you can use these Essential oils:

• Cypress oil
• Mandarin oil
• Lemon balm oil
• Petitgrain oil
• Geranium oil
• Attar
• Ylang-ylang
• Sandalwood oil
• Lavender oil
• Tea Tree Oil

Essential Oils what everyone should avoid at all times, internally and externally:

• Cade (Contains Benzo[a]pyrene, a known carcinogen)
• Sassafras (Contains Safrole, a possible carcinogen)
• Ravensara anisata (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen)
• Basil (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen)
• Tarragon (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen)
• Camphor (Contains Safrole, a possible carcinogen, and contains Camphor [the compound] which is a neurotoxin and convulsant)
• Calamus (Contains Beta-asarone, a possible carcinogen)
• Tarragon (Contains Estragole and Methyleugenol, possible carcinogens)
• Snakeroot (Contains Methyleugenol, a possible carcinogen)
• Malaleuca bracteata (Contains Methyleugenol, a possible carcinogen)
• Bitter Almond (Contains Hydrocyanic acid, which is highly toxic)
• Armolse (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Sweet Birch (Contains Methyl salicylate, which is highly toxic)
• Boldo Leaf (Contains Ascaridole, which is extremely toxic)
• Buchu (Contains Pulegone, which is toxic to the liver)
• Cassia (Contains Cinnamaldehyde, a liver toxin and skin sensitizer)
• Cinnamon Bark (Contains Cinnamaldehyde, a liver toxin and skin sensitizer)
• Costus (Contains Costuslactone, a strong skin sensitizer)
• Elecampane (Contains Alantalactone, a strong skin sensitizer)
• Horseradish (Contains Allyl isothicyanate, extremely toxic and irritating to skin and mucous membranes)
• Lanyana (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Mustard (Allyl isothicyanate, extremely toxic and irritating to skin and mucous membranes)
• Pennyroyal (Contains Pulegone, which is toxic to the liver)
• Dalmatian Sage (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Tansy (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Thuja (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Wintergreen (Contains high amounts of Methyl salicylate, which is highly toxic)
• Wormseed (Contains Ascaridole, which is extremely toxic)
• Wormwood (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions)
• Garlic
• Rue
• Melilotus
• Mugwort
• Jaborandi
• Ajowan
• Arnica
• Deertongue

The list may not be complete!

Fragnance oils:

Fragrance oils (or perfume oils) are usually synthetic. They contain artificial substances or are diluted with carrier oils and don't offer the caliber of therapeutic benefits that essential oils offer, because the synthetic versions have different structures and the body can't absorb them like natural molecules.