Almond, Sweet |
Botanical Name: Prunus amygdalus var. Dulcus Aroma: Light, slightly sweet and nutty. Texture: Slightly oily, leaves a slight oily feeling on the skin. Absorbs semi-quickly. Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow. Notes: Sweet Almond oil is considered to be a good all-purpose carrier oil to keep on hand and is moderately priced. |
Apricot Kernel |
Botanical Name: Prunus armeniaca Aroma: Faint Texture: Somewhat oily, absorbs semi-quickly. Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow. Notes: The semi-oily texture makes this oil helpful in massage blends. |
Avocado |
Botanical Name: Persea Americana Aroma: Medium. Somewhat sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma. Texture: Thick, leaves a fatty, almost waxy feel to the skin. Color: Deep olive green. Notes: If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend. |
Borage |
Botanical Name: Borago officinalis Aroma: Light and sweet. Texture: Thin to medium, leaves a somewhat oily feel to the skin. Color: Light yellow. Notes: Is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. Borage oil is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid rather quickly. |
Cocoa Butter |
Botanical Name: Theobroma cacao Aroma: Unrefined cocoa butter is rich and very sweet . It has a chocolaty, "cocoa" aroma. The cocoa aroma is less noticeable in refined cocoa butter. Texture: Solid and hard to work with at room temperate. Breaks into pieces. Color: Yellowish tan. Notes: Cocoa butter needs to be blended with other materials/oils to be workable. Suitable for use in lotions and creams. |
Evening Primrose |
Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis Aroma: Light and sweet Texture: Thin, leaves only a trace of oiliness on the skin. Color: Medium yellow. Notes: Evening Primrose is also said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid quickly. |
Grapeseed |
Botanical Name: Vitus vinifera Aroma: Light, slightly sweet with a hint of a nutty aroma. Texture: Thin but leaves a glossy film on the skin. Color: Virtually clear, has an almost unnoticeable tinge of yellow/green. Notes: Unlike most other carrier oils, grapeseed oil is solvent extracted and may have trace amounts of chemical solvent remaining. I have heard mixed reports on the shelf-life of grapeseed (some have said it goes rancid rather fast). I usually go through a bottle of grapeseed once each six months and have not discovered any problems with rancidity when stored in an amber bottle in a cool dark area. |
Hazelnut |
Botanical Name: Corylus avellana Aroma: Light, nutty, somewhat sweet. Texture: Thin and only leaves a slightly oily film on the skin. Color: Light yellow. Notes: It is said to be a good choice for those with oilier skin. |
Jojoba |
Botanical Name: Simmondsia chinensis Aroma: Light to medium in aroma, not as sweet as the nut oils. The aroma is distinct but pleasant. Texture: Light and silky. Absorbs well. Color: Yellow. Notes: Jojoba "oil" is actually a wax. It is a somewhat pricier oil and is frequently blended in a small dilution (10%) with other oils. It has a very long shelf-life. |
Kukui |
Botanical Name: Aleurites moluccana Aroma: Light, sweet, pleasant, nutty. Texture: Thin. Absorbs well, leaving only a trace oily feeling on the skin. Color: Clear with a hint of yellow. Notes: It is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is a somewhat more pricier oil. It goes rancid rather quickly. |
Macadamia Nut |
Botanical Name: Macadamia integrifolia Aroma: More fragrant than sweet almond and some of the other nut oils, it is very sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma. Texture: Thick and leaves an oily film on the skin. Color: Clear with a tinge of yellow. Notes: If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend. |
Olive |
Botanical Name: Olea europaea Aroma: Typical aroma of olive oil used in cooking (smells somewhat like olives). Texture: Heavy and rather oily. Color: Light to medium green. Notes: If not carefully used or used in a small dilution with another carrier, it may overpower a blend. |
Peanut |
Botanical Name: Arachis hypogeae Aroma: Like Pecan, it is extremely light in aroma with a slight fatty, nutty quality. Texture: Thick and leaves a very oily film on the skin. Color: Virtually clear. Notes: Peanut oil should not be used by anyone that has an allergy to peanuts. Because of it's oiliness, it is said to be a good choice for inclusion in massage blends. It has been said that it is a good oil to use for those with arthritis. |
Pecan |
Botanical Name: Carya pecan Aroma: Extremely light with a hint of a fatty, nutty aroma. Texture: Medium thickness, leaves a slight oily film on the skin. Color: Virtually clear. Notes: It is said that it goes rancid somewhat quickly. I have used only one bottle of Pecan oil and did not discover any problems with rancidity when stored in an amber bottle in a cool dark area during my use of the oil over about 4-6 months. |
Rose Hip |
Botanical Name: Rosa mosqueta Aroma: Mild and perhaps earthy aroma. Texture: Light and leaves only a hint of oil on the skin. Color: Virtually clear. Notes: It is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid rather quickly. |
Sesame |
Botanical Name: Sesamum indicum Aroma: Medium with a distinctive sweet, nutty sesame scent. May overpower a blend if not diluted with another carrier oil. Texture: Mildly thick, leaves an oily film on the skin. Color: Light yellow. Notes: Sesame oil may overpower a blend if not diluted with another carrier oil. |
Shea Butter |
Botanical Name: Butyrospermun parkii Aroma: Nutty, fatty. Texture: Solid but permeable at room temperature. Leaves an oily/waxy feeling on the skin. Color: Off-white/cream. Notes: Suitable for use in lotions and creams. |
Sunflower |
Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus Aroma: Faint and sweet. Texture: Thin and does not leave an oily residue. Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow. Notes: When choosing sunflower oil, strive to get unrefined oil. |