question on essential oils

[neno]

is it better to use uncut oils for rituals what is the difference

[Eeluna]

You must dilute most essential oils before applying to your skin. They are usually much too strong and concentrated to be applied directly to your skin. I know that lavender can be applied neat (full strength).

Carrier oils are often used to dilute essential oils. One of the most common carrier oils is sweet almond oil. Essential oils can also be diluted in water--as in your bathwater or mixed with water in a spray bottle. There are many different methods for using essential oils.

Essential oils are not actually an oil but are the pure essence extracted from a particular plant. You can buy them already mixed with a carrier oil. I don't see any problem with using that type in ritual. What you should probably be wary of is the synthetic oils, which are cheaper, sometimes a lot cheaper. They may smell the same as the essential oils, but they don't have the same effects, and in my opinion would be useless in either aromatherapy or ritual.

[Flar's Freyja]

Merry Meet and Welcome, Neno.

Lavender is the only E.O. I'm aware of that can be used directly on the skin and some people may be sensitive to that. Some of these oils are quite caustic and abrasive, such as oil of clove. Best to mix them with carrier oils as Eeluna has already said.

There are tons of discussions on essential oils in the Green Room forum :)

[SylverStar]

Also some of the oils you can buy in stores are synthetic. I beleive these do not work as well as the true oils. You can tell by the smell. Synthetic oils do not smell as pure. This is kind of vague but I really do not know how to describe it.

[Flar's Freyja]

You can also tell by putting a drop of the oil on a piece of paper. If there is an oily residue, the oil is synthetic. Natural e.o.'s will completely evaporate and leave nothing but their fragrance on the paper.

[Theres]

the only time i have a problem with any undiluted oil is if i'm using oils associated with the element of fire. these can be quite uncomfortable when applied to the skin.
but generally the only reason i use a 'carrier' oil is if the main oil is too expensive, or (most often) if the oil is just TOO pungent. i often use a carrier such as almond or olive, or jojoba (which is not really an oil at all, but a wax. it also does not go rancid with time.) to 'adjust' a scent.

as far as synthetic oils, i do try to avoid them whenever possible. but there are times when they are actually more desirable than their natural counterparts. ambergris, for instance. or musk. these are only available in their natural state at great sacrifice to the animal in question, and so i prefer to use synthetics.
or rose, which is SO damned expensive in it's natural state that i could never possibly afford it!

[VelvetBlade]

Tea tree oil can also be used "neat", but remember...just because something is natural does not mean you won't react to it. I use only pure essentials when making health care or cleaning products, but I do use fragrance oils in ritual. If your goal is to use a corresponding fragrance for a ritual, than I don't see any reason you can't use a fragrance oils. Some corresponding scents do not have an essential oil to them.

~AW