Dilution and Carrier Oils

[Pauline]

Dilution ratio I would recommend is 1:2 at first. So 1ml perfume, 2 ml carrier. Then, if that is still too strong, then up the carrier content. But if say, you do 1ml into 10ml carrier and that is too diluted, there is no turning back.

 

As to how it effects the scent... it depends on the carrier oil you use. Peanut oil and apricot kernel oil has a scent. Slight, but still. Jojoba oil's scent is negligible and so is Shea butter oil.

 

Another thing to consider is that the oils may affect the scent in another way... it may upset the balance of the original oil... the different layers of scent (top, mid and base notes) may not evaporate at the same rate thus changing the drydown. I have not experimented with it too much, I'm just throwing ideas out there.

 

If you put the oil in a roller ball bottle, there is a high possibility that it will not roll anymore, or will not roll easily. If that doesn't bother you, than why not. If that will bother you, than I suggest using a dram vial with a tester rod cap. You can find them at the sunburst bottle company. However, I hear that if you use BPAL oil straight, it does not affect the roller ball (that is if you don't use an especially thick oil).

[magikfanfic]

If you put the oil in a roller ball bottle, there is a high possibility that it will not roll anymore, or will not roll easily.  If that doesn't bother you, than why not.  If that will bother you, than I suggest using a dram vial with a tester rod cap.  You can find them at the sunburst bottle company.  However, I hear that if you use BPAL oil straight, it does not affect the roller ball (that is if you don't use an especially thick oil).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So I can put the BPAL oil into the roller bottle directly without causing any adverse side effects?

[Eldritch]

I got a rollerball of Mabon that is just straight. I didn't decant it--got through swaps--but it works just fine. Mabony goodness on the go. Mmm.

[Pauline]

If you put the oil in a roller ball bottle, there is a high possibility that it will not roll anymore, or will not roll easily.  If that doesn't bother you, than why not.  If that will bother you, than I suggest using a dram vial with a tester rod cap.  You can find them at the sunburst bottle company.  However, I hear that if you use BPAL oil straight, it does not affect the roller ball (that is if you don't use an especially thick oil).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So I can put the BPAL oil into the roller bottle directly without causing any adverse side effects?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Believe so! It all depends on how viscous your BPAL is. -some of the blends are really thick and some are just like water. Best way to tell is how fast the bubbles move in the bottle... if it acts like bubbles in water, roller ball should be fine. If the bubbles act just like the ones in a bottle of cooking oil, then maybe not.

[magikfanfic]

Believe so!  It all depends on how viscous your BPAL is.  -some of the blends are really thick and some are just like water.  Best way to tell is how fast the bubbles move in the bottle... if it acts like bubbles in water, roller ball should be fine.  If the bubbles act just like the ones in a bottle of cooking oil, then maybe not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'll keep that in mind. Also, I tried to do conversions and I suck at them, so does anyone have any idea whether the 1/3oz, 1/6oz or the elusive 1/8 oz roller bottles would be best for the purpose of decanting a 5ml? Thanks.

[silverangel]

you don't NEED a carrier oil unless the scent is too strong for your tastes and you still like it but just want to bring it down a few notches. Roller bottles rock! I adore my 1/8 oz ones, but I also love my 1/8 oz wand cap bottles from sunburst. I've never used a carrier oil so I can't say for sure but I can't imagine WHY the roller wouldn't roll unless it's an uber thick oil but even then it'd had to be like lotion-thick.

[Pauline]

ok, so there are 32mls in an ounce. So 1/3 oz bottle will hold just over 10ml, 1/6oz will hold little over 5ml.

 

Not sure why the oils stop the roller ball from rolling, but I got a swapped sample of Old Morocco in 5ml of apricot kernel oil in a rollerball bottle and the ball doesn't roll. it moves if you turn it manually, but it doesn't roll like one I have with an alcohol based perfume.

[silverangel]

ok, so there are 32mls in an ounce.  So 1/3 oz bottle will hold just over 10ml, 1/6oz will hold little over 5ml. 

 

Not sure why the oils stop the roller ball from rolling, but I got a swapped sample of Old Morocco in 5ml of apricot kernel oil in a rollerball bottle and the ball doesn't roll.  it moves if you turn it manually, but it doesn't roll like one I have with an alcohol based perfume.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well, I don't know about apricot kernel oil. I have straight BPAL oils in 1/8 oz roller bottles and they all roll just fine. I would say it may be the roller ball itself unless the apricot oil is just really thick.

[Pauline]

To each their own then! To Dilute or not to Dilute, to Rollerball or not to rollerball.

 

I wish I could somehow fit a wand into the BPAL 5ml bottles instead of my current method of decanting them into other vials. It just creates more and more and more bottles. I'd like to consolidate a bit better.

 

Any ideas?

[silverangel]

I believe somwhere in this thread there is speak of wand caps that fit on the bpal bottles, but i may be remembering incorrectly.

[amrita]

heres another question - has anyone refridgerated jojoba-diluted oils?  I read somewhere about how jojoba oil is a preservative - but how much longer does it make it last?  Im freaking out because i have way too many oils more than i will ever use in my life and it gets pretty hot here, so i want to try to preserve them as much as possible!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I haven't refrigerated diluted BPAL, but I *always* refrigerate my carrier oils. I've stored them in there longer than 6 months and haven't had anything go bad yet. This also goes for butters (coconut, shea, cocoa, etc). I absolutely can't stand the smell of rancid oil (especially olive oil for cooking) so I'm very AR about keeping it fresh!

 

I bet storing your carrier-diluted BPAL would be a good idea for the long term, but you would have to wait for them to warm up and mix before applying, to keep them smelling the same, I think...?

Maybe you could try using an oxygen barrier...

[ipb]

It seems that the jojoba oil is the most highly recommended. However, if I use this in a roller bottle with the scent, will the roller still roll?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

for what it's worth, i'm going to try diluting with the fragranceless neutragena body oil that andra mentioned, and see if it does a decent job of rolling. i just need to remember to stop by walmart/target/walgreens to get some

[eclecticaurora]

I have a question for all you diluters (?!). I recently was going about diluting some of the scents I have that are a bit on the "tangy" side and it helped immensely with the scent (I'm using Jojoba oil), but the carrier and the oils still seem to separate bigtime. I roll the imp around in my hand and it still is separated. Is this just because I used Jojoba oil? Or is it just because I JUST added it? And what about shaking it to mix? I thought shaking EO's is a no-no...(as you can see, I'm a bit confused).

 

Thanks!

[Pauline]

Try not to shake them much. Just roll them, and then tip them end to end - upsidedown, right side up (got the info from an aromatherapy book on blending eo's into a base)

 

The separation might just have to do with the fact that your oils are of very different densities. And also that Jojoba oil is not actually an oil per se - it's a liquid wax. Though I have used jojoba in the past without separation - so maybe your oil is so newly mixed?

[modesty_blaise]

Ok, so I tried to dilute one of my imps, cause my nose is such a fragile little thing. The only thing that happened, as far as I can tell, was that it didn´t last very long on my skin.The smell was just as strong, or at least so close that I couldn´t tell the difference. And after about half an hour, I could hardly smell it at all. This is weird, concidering that almost any scent seem to last very long on me. And, of course, I curse the thing, cause what I liked about the oil in the first place, was the way my skin smelled after a while, when the fiercy notes disappeared.

 

Have any of you experienced this? Or is it just me? I should add that I´ve also diluted a non-bpal oil once and same thing happened, only this time it was much more noticable.

[Honor]

Wow this is an old thread. Hope people still read it.

 

 

Anyway, I hope no one else has asked this before, but I scanned through all three pages and didn't quite see my question addressed. Apologies if I missed the answer.

 

 

My biggest problem with the BPAL oils is even with the "rich" or "deeper" oils, they fade away before middday on my skin. I have fairly "Acidic" skin pH so I suspect that has something to do with it.

So would adding a carrier oil help to "retain" the scent in my skin? Or make it worse? I know it dilutes the scent so I'd have to put more on my skin itself, but that wouldn't bother me since adding the carrier "creates" more volume.

 

 

Also, for those of you trying to find a carrier oil, I do know the Jojoba is one of, if not the oil closest to our skin oils and grapeseed oil can have theraputic properties.

[OriginalWacky]

Wow this is an old thread. Hope people still read it.

 

I stop through every so often. <g>

 

My biggest problem with the BPAL oils is even with the "rich" or "deeper" oils, they fade away before middday on my skin. I have fairly "Acidic" skin pH so I suspect that has something to do with it.

So would adding a carrier oil help to "retain" the scent in my skin? Or make it worse? I know it dilutes the scent so I'd have to put more on my skin itself, but that wouldn't bother me since adding the carrier "creates" more volume.

 

 

Also, for those of you trying to find a carrier oil, I do know the Jojoba is one of, if not the oil closest to our skin oils and grapeseed oil can have theraputic properties.

 

I haven't done any diluting yet (I lurve the oils just as they are, and use a tiny drop, so I should, but haven't had much time lately), so I don't know about this. However, I was reading about making sprays earlier, and several folks in there stated they get much longer lasting scent with sprays. Perhaps that's another idea you can try?

 

And I do have fractionated coconut oil for now, which is what I'll likely use to dilute if I ever do get around to it. I can't smell ANYthing out of it, so hopefully it won't bother anything else. Matter of fact, while I'm thinking if it... I might just go try it out right now.

[Honor]

However, I was reading about making sprays earlier, and several folks in there stated they get much longer lasting scent with sprays. Perhaps that's another idea you can try?

 

Yea, I was looking in the thread about sprays too....was thinking of diluting with the jojoba oil and putting it in a spritz bottle (somone posted a website that sold them bookmarked it)

 

Would it spritz w/ oil you think? I don't really want to dilute with vodka and can't afford to buy the "perfumers" alcohol.

[OriginalWacky]

Yea, I was looking in the thread about sprays too....was thinking of diluting with the jojoba oil and putting it in a spritz bottle (somone posted a website that sold them bookmarked it)

 

Would it spritz w/ oil you think? I don't really want to dilute with vodka and can't afford to buy the "perfumers" alcohol.

 

I'm not so sure that pure oil will spray very well, but it might be worth a shot. Some folks said they even used water, and just had to shake it up to use it. I can't afford supplies either, I managed to cneak out enough to get a dozen roller bottles a couple months ago, but had only put a couple scents in there pure. Tonight I diluted a couple 1:1 (I love my scents fairly strong) into those roller bottles with the fractionated coconut oil my sweet 'daughter' sent me. So far they seem to be nicely scented, and I can use more than just a drop to get scent. I dont know if there will be lasting power more than usual or not.

 

I'm hoping like heck that my yule presents will be stuff for making incense, candles, soap, and other yummy smelling products. I'm sending The Mate links to various sites with specific lists to make it easy. Tee hee. (There's a story behind that.)

 

If I can manage to remember, I'll drop back in and post if the dilution helped, hindered, made a difference at all.

[Honor]

Tonight I diluted a couple 1:1 (I love my scents fairly strong) into those roller bottles with the fractionated coconut oil my sweet 'daughter' sent me. So far they seem to be nicely scented, and I can use more than just a drop to get scent. I dont know if there will be lasting power more than usual or not.

 

And this is what confuses me.... whether or not the carrier oils increase the duration of the scent, or (using the same amount of diluted as you would non) do the carriers decrease?

 

 

What I'm really not understanding is why normal "perfume" lasts anywhere from 6-8 hours on me... but the oils(non diluted), when I apply the same amount or MORE only last about 4 hours? shouldn't the oils last longer on my skin than diluted down perfume?

I was trying to figure out what I could do to turn my BPAL oils into "perfume" do I add water or alcohol? and in what amounts?

Nevermind. Found the thread with a link for alcohol dilution content.

Edited November 7, 2005 by HonorAlexandria

[Pauline]

And this is what confuses me.... whether or not the carrier oils increase the duration of the scent, or (using the same amount of diluted as you would non) do the carriers decrease?

 

I think the carriers usually increase the duration of the scent, but is less intense. But I don't know about the pH factor question.

 

What I'm really not understanding is why normal "perfume" lasts anywhere from 6-8 hours on me... but the oils(non diluted), when I apply the same amount or MORE only last about 4 hours? shouldn't the oils last longer on my skin than diluted down perfume?

 

"Normal" perfume lasts so long because the companies put in a fixative to 'fix' the scent onto your skin (well, general idea). BPAL perfumes don't have fixatives. This is also the reason that natural perfumes changes so much from person to person whereas the store bought perfumes don't vary that much...

 

The "oils" are really essential substances, and they are highly volatile - meaning they evaporate very quickly. Basically they are the concentrated smells of flowers and trees and plants. They are not really the same kind of "oils" we think of as in olive oil.

 

Another reason that 'normal' perfumes lasts a long time is because they are a purely man-made chemical. And thus, while they have an aromatic structure, they may not be as volatile as their natural counterparts.

[darklorelei]

I can't speak to ph, but I think that carrier oils would increase duration. Many of us with really dry skin will apply lotion before applying to decrease the skin's absorption, and using a carrier oil is a similar effect.

[Honor]

And thus, while they have an aromatic structure, they may not be as volatile as their natural counterparts.

 

I'm horrified with myself because the word "Aromatic" brings up an image of aromatic (i.e. benzene and the like) rings and resonance.

 

I actually DID learn something in organic chem. Imagine that.

 

 

And thanks for the reply, that makes sense....shoulda figured it out on my own. LOL.

 

and thanks to darklorelei as well.

 

 

I do think the carrier will help the duration as it may allow the oils to seep further into my skin and be released more slowly ....working on hour 5(w/ a carrier) and I can still smell it more than I could before so hopefully it's not just a fluke effect.

 

I think my pH will still degrade it faster than "normal" people but the carrier does indeed seem to be helping.

[Caletara]

I know some of you have answered this question but whats your recipe for diluting BPAL scents? Thanks!

[Chouchen]

To each their own then! To Dilute or not to Dilute, to Rollerball or not to rollerball.

 

I wish I could somehow fit a wand into the BPAL 5ml bottles instead of my current method of decanting them into other vials. It just creates more and more and more bottles. I'd like to consolidate a bit better.

 

Any ideas?

If people are still looking for lids with wands TheApothecarysCat.co.uk (I think!) does replacement caps with little glass wands for 50p and they sell mail order

 

HonorAlexandria - I share your anguish, some of my fave BPALs sink into my body chemistry so fast it's heartbreaking. I loved the first whiff of my new Black Lotus imp but it was fading before the oil was dry on my wrist there's only the ghost of a scent left clinging to my skin now. It didn't occur to me that diluting would make them linger longer I must admit, or that priming my skin with something else would help. Maybe I'll try making a solid perfume and see if it holds the scent better.