The two kinds of oils that we all know about are the essential oil and the carrier oils. Essential oils are the extracted elements of a plant. Essential oils capture the essence of a plant as well as its flavour. The particular fragrant elements give the oil its facet and also its essence. Essential oils are also a regular part of aromatherapy which is a form of alternative medicine. The essential oils are obtained via water distillation or stem or by also using mechanical methods, for instance, cold pressing. After the aromatic chemicals are extracted from the plants, they are combined along with the carrier oil which makes the oils ready to use. The significance of essential oils lies in the extraction process of the essential oils from the plant as extracting them via chemicals destroy the important compounds of the oils.
On the other hand, Carrier oils, which are alternatively called as vegetable oils are the oils which are extracted from the fatty parts of a plant which are generally the nuts, seeds as well as the kennels. The oils like essential oils or aromatic oils can cause severe irritation, redness and even burning sensation if they are applied directly on the skin, in an undiluted form. These are the major reason why the vegetable oils are being used for adulterating them which enables them to be used on the skin as well as on other natural products. The name itself answers the usage of the oils. As the name suggests, the job of carrier oils is to carry the essential oil into the various part of the skin. The most common kind of carrier oils that are used for these purposes are the unscented body lotions as well as the Aloe Vera gels.
Now, let us have a look at the difference between the two form of oils in terms of :
1. Source
Essential oils are derived from the non-fatty areas of a plant which are the barks, roots, leaves, stems and the other aromatic parts of a plant. While on the other hand, carrier oils are mainly extracted from the fatty parts of a plant such as the nuts, seeds or the kennels.
2. Packaging
Essential oils which are specifically made for the consumers are generally sold in a 10 ml dark colored glass bottle while on the other hand, the carrier oils are sold in clear plastic bottles in 60ml packages.
3. Potency
Generally, organic carrier oils are not potent or highly concentrated and can be directly applied on the skin, while on the other hand, essential oils are highly concentrated and can severely cause harm to your skin if applied directly on the skin in undiluted form. The essential oils need to be diluted with carrier oils in order to make them usable on the skin.
4. Lifespan
Carrier oils have a longer shelf time and don’t evaporate easily. While on the other hand, natural essential oils rapidly degrade and easily get evaporated.
So, essential oils are the thin form of oils which have strong aromas while the carrier oils are the thicker one and have little or no aroma at all.