Vital Force Naturals

Having been an aromatherapist for about 25 years I’ve tried many different carrier oils (and essential oils) and there’s always new ones coming on the market but I always come back to a few favourites that I have as my staples. Maybe it’s because they do exactly what I want and I know how they’re going to act (react) in a mix or maybe I’m just a creature of habit but there’s some oils I just can’t do without.

One such oil is jojoba. Not strictly an oil but a liquid wax, jojoba is very versatile. Because of it’s composition it doesn’t oxidise very easily so it keeps really well, useful when adding to other, less stable oils or if it’s going to sit on a shelf for a while. It’s highly compatible with the skin and helps to balance the acid mantle so is very useful for both dry and oily issues. This anti-inflammatory action also helps with joint problems like arthritis and rheumatism and can be very beneficial when coupled with massage and gently rubbed into the offending area. Traditionally used in shampoos and skincare (remember that Billy Connelly sketch – ‘in Glasgow jojoba is the month before November :-D) it’s excellent to condition the hair and nourish the skin and I use it in my body butters and lotions for it’s anti-ageing properties. It’s a great all round oil, if a little pricey, but used on it’s own in a massage has a lovely soft feel and absorbs well into the skin leaving a silky sheen.

Along with jojoba another of my staples is sunflower. As with jojoba it resembles sebum and mirrors the skins natural lipids which makes it really good for skincare. But it’s less costly and a thinner oil than jojoba so it makes a good ‘bulk’ oil – use it as your main carrier then add small amounts of other carrier oils to it to enhance it’s properties. Not too many though, I’d suggest only a couple along with your main carrier (sunflower). As with essential oils, less is often more and if you use all your carriers at once you won’t know what works best!

Both apricot and sweet almond oils are both very similar and I switch between the two depending on my mood! Both are emollient and nourishing and good for skin protection and because of the anti-inflammatory action on the skin excellent to relieve itching in dry skin conditions. I’ve also used them in my after sun mixes as they’re both soothing and healing for sunburn.

Just as some women take evening primrose oil as a supplement so the carrier oil can help with issues such as PMT, cramps and menopausal symptoms. This is due to it’s high essential fatty acid content but that also means it oxidises easily so I tend to buy small amounts and store in the fridge. It’s also rather an expensive oil to be going off on your shelf! It is excellent, though, in a mix especially for women, with jojoba which helps prolong it’s life and permeate the skin.

Coconut oil has become extremely popular over the last few years and I can see why, it’s so useful. Hard at room temperature (in the UK) it melts easily on the skin and smells divine. Used extensively as a hair and body conditioner it’s extremely beneficial to dry hair and skin and helps to keep skin supple, but some find it a little too heavy. It lathers easily so is great for making soaps and I use it a lot in my butters, scrubs and balms as it gives a lovely smooth texture. In aromatherapy a fractionated oil is available which means it’s been processed so that it’s always liquid, but this isn’t a complete oil so us purests tend to stick with the solid fat.

The 3 macerated oils I use are calendula, hypericum and carrot. Calendula and carrot are usually macerated in sunflower oil and hypericum in olive oil. The end product takes on a fantastic colour – calendula yellow, carrot orange and hypericum red. I’ve been known to add a small amount to a basic white lotion just for it’s colour. Calendula is from the marigold family and enhances the powers of chamomile essential oils (and vice versa) Great for dry cracked skin it’s a powerful wound healer and excellent on broken veins and as an aftersun. Hypericum is St Johns Wort and i’ve mainly use it for treating nerve pain – neuralgia, fibromyalgia and sciatica, but it’s also known as an antidepressant. How effective that is, going through the skin rather than ingesting, I don’t know, but I like to think the placebo effect is very powerful and if you believe it’s helping, then it is. It’s very soothing and antiseptic and great for stomach cramps, muscle spasms and burns. Carrot is a fantastic skin healer and helps delay the aging process – find it in my face scrub and it gives a lovely orangey colour. A real tonic for the skin it helps soothe irritation and a little goes a long way which is just as well as it’s quite an expensive oil. These macerated oils are best used in small amounts in a mix, they’re too heavy and expensive to use on their own.