Base and Carrier Oils

There are so many different grades, qualities and brands of base or carrier oils that deciding which oil to use can be quite overwhelming. The general rule of thumb is that the less processing the oil has undergone the better the oil and potentially the higher in nutrients it will be especially as certain vitamins are heat intolerant and will be destroyed by heat. The more organic the seed, nut or plant, the darker the oil usually is and the stronger the odour. This can have a deleterious effect on the end product for creams and lotions if you are trying to achieve a certain colour or scent.

Base oils should be pure and preferably cold pressed and, especially with olive oil, extra virgin. Oils that have been heat extracted or solvent extracted (usually with petroleum derivatives) have lost a lot of their vitamins and other nutrients as the heat and chemicals destroy these. Cold processing is where the nut or seed is crushed or pressed in temperatures below 80°C. Manufacturers found that heating the seeds and nuts to 100°C made the extraction of the oil easier and there was less waste. Solvent extraction started from the manufacturers desire to extract every amount of oil possible from the seeds and nuts. The solvent usually used is hexane which is a petroleum product. Another extraction method is using steam distillation for oils that are difficult to extract, such as grapeseed oil.

Mineral (or baby) oil is made from petroleum and is relatively useless because, although essential oils will dissolve in it, it has very low penetration power so you won't get the absorption for the essential oils into your skin. They are dead oils and diminish the positive effect of essential oils. Since the human body cannot cope with mineral oils when they are absorbed they are deposited in the tissues as toxins and can accumulate there and cause skin eruptions. For this reason it is important to read the labels of any commercially made product (especially if using the product on a baby) to ensure that it does not contain parafin or petroleum based mineral oils.

As yet I have been unable to find conclusive proof that all of the nutrients contained in base oils are actually absorbed into the skin and then transported to the organs of the body that the oil is said to aid but my personal preference is to try and decrease the number and amount of toxins that I come into contact with. For this reason I try and use mainly organic oils or extra virgin oils.

When blending essential oils with a carrier oil it is important to blend at the appropriate dilution taking into account the following:

• the person's age
• the part of the body the oil will be used on
• the persons physical complaints
• the emotional state of the person it is for.

All edible oils and fats come under the biological description of 'lipids' and are largely composed of fatty acids with small amounts of glycerine. The fatty acids themselves are large molecules made up of long chains of carbon atoms. Fatty acids vary in structure and may be saturated or unsaturated. Just as the composition oils differs from one kind to another, so do the effects they have on the body.

Saturated fats are mostly of animal origin such as red meat and dairy products and are the easiest to identify as they tend to be solid at room temperature (for example lard, cheese and butter). The exceptions to this rule are coconut and palm oils, both from the plant kingdom and both also high in saturates.

There are two types of unsaturated fats - poly and monounsaturated - most of which are vegetable in origin. The term saturation describes how many hydrogen molecules are attached to the carbon chain, or, how saturated the chain is with the hydrogen molecules. Unsaturated chains have one or more double bonds between their carbon atoms so they have less hydrogen atoms, hence referred to as unsaturated. Monounsaturated have one double bond, poly unsaturated have more than one. If you would like more information on this or pictures to explain it more clearly, click here.

Apart from vegetable sources, fish also contains significant levels of polyunsaturates although these have a slightly different structure to those from vegetable sources. Polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower or safflower oil, reduce the levels of harmful LDL in the bloodstream and are often promoted in low-fat diets.

Saturated coconut palm butter lard margarine	Polyunsaturated safflower sunflower walnut grapeseed soya bean pumpkin corn rapeseed (canola)	Monounsaturated olive almond hazelnut avocado groundnut (peanut) pistachio sesame

There are a few ground rules to follow to help decide what oils to buy:-

• Choose oils that are naturally darker in colour and have a nutty smell. These qualities indicate that the oil has not been bleached or deodorised
• Stick to the single oils instead of those that state they are a blend of several different varieties
• Look for dark-coloured glass bottles or metal containers to protect the oil from rancidity caused by exposure to the light
• Every time you take the top off an oil bottle, the contents come under attack from oxygen molecules so choose smaller bottles and replace more frequently instead of buying in bulk
• Try and avoid plastic containers as some of the plastic is absorbed into the oil
• Store oils in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and, with oils that easily become rancid, keep refrigerated.

Borage Seed Oil (Starflower Oil)
The Romans called borage the herb of gladness and used an infusion from its leaves to treat depression. Its flavour is similar to that of cucumber. During the Middle Ages borage was a popular anti-inflammatory agent and was also used to treat rheumatism and heart disease. Borage seeds contain over twice as much GLA as evening primrose oil.