Diluting Basics

Many times, we will have people ask us how much to dilute Young Living Essential Oils for someone's child, pet, or themselves. We thought it would be great to have some of that information right here, so you can each read, reference, and re-read it as necessary. There's three big things to remember with diluting basics: go low and slow, oils are concentrated, and age matters.

First things first...go low and slow. What does this mean? Young Living Essential Oils are concentrated and pure - a little goes a long way. In fact, one drop is extremely potent. You can always add another drop, or two, if you you feel you need more for the desired result. But, you cannot remove a drop once it is absorbed into your skin. The best thing is finding the smallest number of drops that are still effective! It helps you to stretch that liquid gold even further by making it last longer.

Knowing and recognizing the concentrated potency of Young Living Essential Oil is important! Make sure those sweet smelling bottles are kept out of the reach of young children who may decide it's okay to self apply a little more than they need. (Wives...This may apply to husbands as well. Mine used his bottle like an after shave. I immediately put a stop to that.)

Each Young Living bottle has recommendations right on the label. Looking there is a great place to start. Many times it will tell you a ratio like 1:1. This means that you use one drop of Young Living essential oil to one drop of carrier oil.

Along with the strength of the oils and how much you use, there are also age guidelines to observe. We have put together this handy, simple little chart that can help you figure out the dilution based on the age of the person using the oil. The ages on the left are your guidelines and let you know how to dilute appropriately for that age level or other factors that need to be considered. For example, in the age group 6+, it also states extra information that this is the best dilution for pregnant women or daily skin care. This should indicate to you that age is not the only factor to consider when deciding on how and when to dilute an oil.

The numbers across the bottom of the graphic are for the container size. Once the appropriate number of oil drops are added, the container is filled the rest of the way with a carrier oil (such as grape seed oil, jojoba oil or olive oil). A lot of us like to use the 10 ml roller ball bottle because they fit a good amount while still being able to be carried around easily in a pocket or purse. This, of course, is personal preference and will depend on what you are making. For example, I use either a 2 or 4 ounce dropper bottle for my daily face serum.

In each of the droplet images you will see a number. That number helps you see the maximum number of drops that you would use in the container size for the age of the person.

While you cannot take drops out of your creations, you can always add additional carrier oil if you need to dilute it further. Should you feel any discomfort, apply additional carrier oil directly to the area where you initially applied the oil. This can be particularly helpful when using some of the "hot" oils like Peppermint and Thieves. Remember water and oil don't mix, so rinsing the oil will not remove or dilute it from your skin. A carrier oil will dilute an essential oil.

Some people choose to make a carrier oil stick so they can carry their full oil bottles and dilute as needed. This stick works like a lip balm, but is larger and is made from a carrier oil. You apply the carrier to your skin, then place a drop of oil, like Young Living Lavender Essential Oil, directly to the area with carrier oil.

Need A Starter Kit?

You can obtain a starter kit by going to the order tab on the essentiallyeducated.info site. Once you are on the order home page, you can follow the directions and click on the links to select your Young Living consultant. If you don't have a consultant, click here and one will be assigned for you. You can even sign up for Essential Rewards (Young Living's customer loyalty program that lets you earn free products, pay less in shipping charges and more) when you get your kit and have the 100 PV points from your kit apply to that first order!

Oily Update

We chatted with Charlotte Sandy, a past Blog Giveway winner, about how she is using her prize. "I love the Giveaway!" she says. "Especially because in the Winter Season, I apply lip balm often to keep my lips soft and smooth. The car diffuser is great. I love how my car smells without all the chemicals."