Essential oils are not usually applied in an undiluted form to the skin except for emergencies such as burns, cuts or a sting. They must be blended with a suitable carrier oil in the appropriate dilution.
When blending essential oil with a base oil, the essential oil content is usually between one per cent and three per cent.
A massage takes between 10 ml and 20 ml of oil.
Since a teaspoon holds approximately 5 ml, a treatment will require only two to four teaspoons of base oil.
| Carrier Oil | Essential Oil Dilution | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oz. | Measure | 1% Dilution | 2% Dilution | 3% Dilution | 4% Dilution | 5% Dilution |
| 1/6 oz. | 5mls | 1 drop | 2 drops | 3 drops | 4 drops | 5 drops |
| 1/3 oz. | 10mls | 2 drops | 4 drops | 6 drops | 8 drops | 10 drops |
| 1/2 oz. | 15mls | 3 drops | 6 drops | 9 drops | 12 drops | 15 drops |
| 2/3 oz. | 20mls | 4 drops | 8 drops | 12 drops | 16 drops | 20 drops |
| 5/6 oz. | 25mls | 5 drops | 10 drops | 15 drops | 20 drops | 25 drops |
| 1 oz. | 30mls | 6 drops | 12 drops | 18 drops | 24 drops | 30 drops |
| 1 2/3 oz. | 50mls | 10 drops | 20 drops | 30 drops | 40 drops | 50 drops |
| Dropper measures / Conversions | ml / cc | Measure | Drops | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
This chart assumes that 20 drops of essential oil = 1ml. For example 1% dilution of lavender will be obtained by mixing: |
1 ml | N/A | 20 drops | N/A |
| 5 ml | 1 teaspoon | 100 drops | 1/6 fl. oz | |
| 7.5 ml | N/A | 150 drops | 1/4 fl. oz | |
| 10 ml | 2 teaspoons | 200 drops | 1/3 fl. oz. | |
| 15 ml | 1 tablespoon | 300 drops | 1/2 fl. oz | |
| 30 ml | 2 tablespoons | 600 drops | 1 fl. oz | |
| 100mls | 3 2/5 fl. oz | |||
| 250mls | 8 1/2 fl. oz | |||
| 1000mls | 33 4/5 fl. oz. | |||
| 5000mls | 1.32 gallons (US) |