Massage oils lend themselves as a base in which to dilute essential oils: since the latter are too concentrated to be used directly, the base oils make it possible to add the specific oil essential qualities to the base oil.
Massage oils
All the base oils are massage oils, and they are many. However, each base oil has particular characteristics and applications .
Here are the oils that can be found on the market, and that can be used as base oils in aromatherapy massage .
Sweet almond oil
Sweet almond oil is the most widespread and the best known and easily available. Contains and vitamins, glucosides and minerals.
It is rich in protein and suitable for all skin types. As a base oil it is the most used because it helps to relieve itching, dryness and inflammation.
Olive oil
Olive oil: green in color is extracted from olives. Massage oil extracted from olives and for aesthetic purposes is very different from what is normally used in the kitchen.
Contains protein, vitamins and mineral; together with sweet almond oil it is widely used in cosmetics as a base oil, although it is more fat and has a particular smell: for this last reason it can be used as a massage oil but only diluted in another oil in a proportion of 10% and never in the presence of oily or comedonal skin.
Oils, oleolites and essential oils: the differences
Jojoba oil
Jojoba oil is extracted from the fruit and is known primarily for its anti-aging qualities; in fact it contains a waxy substance that is very similar to collagen and is specifically used in time-marked or eczema and psoriasis . It penetrates very quickly and is suitable for all skin types.
Hazelnut oil
Hazelnut oil has the same characteristics as almond oil, but unlike it has astringent properties . It can be used diluted with other base oils or 100%.
Apricot oil
Apricot oil: together with jojoba oil, it is useful in the treatment of precomient skin aged by time or stress . Moisturizes dry skin, soothes inflamed and sensitive skin. It can be used as a pure base oil.
Wheat germ oil
Wheat germ oil: particularly rich in vitamin E, together with jojoba oil, it is indicated for skin marked by skin aging . It penetrates deeply and can be used diluted because it is too fat if used pure.
Avocado oil
Avocado oil: it is an oil with strong moisturizing properties. It is very fatty and provides nutrients to dehydrated or eczema skin, but it is also used for oily skin, for which it is particularly effective.
Its use must however be limited to a concentration of 10% and then added to another base oil: used alone it can be too fat, suffocating the skin rather than hydrating it.
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Advice on buying massage oils
These basic oils are easy to find in the Mediterranean basin where we live: apart from the avocado, all the plants from which they are extracted grow and live in our latitudes.
It is necessary that they are organic and obtained by pressure or cold pressing, without adding chemical agents and without the use of high temperatures, which alter the chemical structure of the oil.
We always remember that everything we spread on the skin is absorbed and enters the body, just like the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. We pay attention therefore to the composition of the oils and to their origin.
