List of Essential Oils

Looking for a list of essential oils? Well, you have certainly found one! My list of essential oils has about eighty of the more popular oils on the market. Check them out and let me know if I have left out any of your favorite oils.

I have also added the botanical names too. These names are important when buying essential oils.

Why? Well, say you want to buy chamomile essential oil. Did you know there are a few oils that are sold as chamomile oil? Roman chamomile, German chamomile and Moroccan chamomile (blue tansy). Each have very different properties and benefits.

So it is important to double check the botanical name when buying an essential oil to make sure you are getting what you want. And... the list of essential oils below has all the botanical names you will need. Check them out now.

List of Essential Oils

Ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi or Carum copticum)
Allspice (Pimenta officinalis or Pimenta dioica)
Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum)
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Bay (Pimenta racemosa)
Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
Black pepper (Piper nigrum)
Cabreuva (Myrocarpus fastigiatus)
Cajeput (Melaleuca cajuputi or Melaleuca leucadendra)
Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)
Caraway (Carum carvi)
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
Carrot seed (Daucus carota)
Cedarwood Virginia (Juniperus virginiana)
Celery seed (Apium graveolens)
Chamomile Roman (Chamaemelum nobile)
Chamomile German (Matricaria chamomilla)
Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum verum prev. C. zeylanicum)
Citronella (Ceylon: Cymbopogon nardus & Java: Cymbopogon winterianus)
Clary sage (Salvia sclarea)
Clove bud (Syzygium aromaticum)
Copaiba Balsam (Copaifera officinalis)
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
Costus root (Sassuriea costus or Saussurea lappa)
Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
Cypriol (Cyperus scariosus)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
Evening primrose (Centhera biennis)
Fennel (sweet) (Foeniculum vulgare dulce)
Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)
Galbanum (Ferula galbaniflua or Ferula gummosa)
Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)
Juniper (Juniperus communis)
Labdanum (Cistus ladanifer)
Lavandin (Lavandula hybrid)
Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
Lemon (Citrus limon)
Lemongrass (East Indian: Cymbopogon flexuosus & West Indian: Cymbopogon citratus)
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
Mandarin (Citrus reticulate)
Manuka (Leptospermum)
Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
Mugwort (Artimisia alba)
Mimosa (Acacia dealbata)
Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
Myrtle (Myrtus communis)
Neroli (Citrus aurantium)
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
Orange (Citrus sinensis)
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Petitgrain (Petitiprain bigarde)
Pine (Pinus sylvesrtris)
Rose Absolute (Rosa damascene)
Rose Otto (Rosa –)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora)
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Sandalwood (Sandalum album)
Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
Sweet Birch (Betula lenta)
Tarragon (Artimisia dracunculus)
Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)
Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)
Violet leaves (Viola)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata)
Zanthoxylum (Zanthoxylum alatum)

Don't forget to dilute your essential oils with carrier oils before applying them onto your skin. And always do a skin patch test to make sure you aren't allergic to any of the oils.

What did you think of my list of essential oils? Am I missing any?

Carrier Oils List

If you are looking for a good carrier oils list, then you have certainly come to the right place. I've got about twenty-one of them listed out below.

These are some of the more popular oils on the market. Which ones am I missing? Leave me a comment and let me know. I'll definitely add it in.

For the aromatherapy and essential oil newbies, you should know carrier oils are really important. On their own, they moisturize, prevent wrinkles, and even help with healing cuts and wounds. They are also used to dilute essential oils so that you can safely use them on your skin or in the bath. Without carrier oils, essential oils can damage your skin really badly.

Don't believe me? Well check out my post about ways you shouldn't use essential oils. It's a real eye opener.

Each carrier oil has its own unique properties and benefits. Some are thick and very moisturizing, while others are light and fast absorbing. Some can cause you to break out and others work wonders for your skin. So you really have to patch test, monitor and experiment with carrier oils to choose the best oil for you.

I should also mention that I have only plant-based oils in my carrier oils list. The reason is that mineral oils (which are petroleum based products) - like baby oil - can form a barrier on your skin and block essential oil compounds from being absorbed into your body. And, seeing that I'm all about essential oils, I've decided to exclude those non plant-based oils.

Ok, without further ado, here is my carrier oils list:

Apricot kernel (Prunus armeniaca)
Avocado (Persea americana)
Argan (Argania spinosa)
Black currant seed (Ribes nigrum)
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Carrot seed (Daucus carota)
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Grapeseed (Viti vinifera)
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)
Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia)
Olive (Olea europaea)
Passion fruit (Passiflora incarnata)
Rosehip (Rosa rubiginosa)
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
Sesame (Sesamum indicum)
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet almond (Prunus dulcis)
Wheat germ (Triticum vulgare)

I'm sure you already have a few of these at home (like olive and coconut oil). But remember, if you are trying a new carrier oil on your skin, ALWAYS do a skin patch test to see if you are sensitive or allergic to the oil. I can't stress this enough!

I've been guilty of not patch testing and had to deal with terrible breakouts for a month. So be smart and test first!

When you're done with choosing from the list of carrier oils, head over to the essential oils list to learn about the ones there.

Have fun with your oils!

What are Essential Oils?

If you take a lemon and scratch its skin, you will see tiny droplets oozing out of the scratch. When you smell it, that so familiar lemony, fresh scent hits you. Well, those little droplets that hold the lemony smell make up the essential oil or essence of the lemon.

So essential oils are the concentrated collection of compounds that hold the unique smell of the source plant.

These compounds can be found in any part of the plant. The fruits, peels, seeds, flowers, leaves, bark and even roots can each or altogether contain these fragrant compounds. Of course, it makes sense to extract the compounds from the parts they are most concentrated in. That's why lavender essential oil is extracted from flowers and ginger oil comes from the root (rhizome).

Now, going back to the scratched lemon, you'll notice the droplets don't stick around for very long. That's because the aromatic compounds in essential oils are volatile. So they evaporate quickly into the air; which is why you get the smell almost immediately.

And you should know ALL PURE essential oils are plant based. So they're all natural, non-synthetic compounds. Which is probably why so many people (myself included) are moving away from the synthetic pharmaceuticals to these natural wonders.

Carrier Oils

Essential oils are super concentrated. So rubbing them onto your skin is a big no no! The best way to 'carry' or apply essential oils to your skin is to dilute them in a carrier oil.

The words are silly, I know. But, it is serious! If you don't dilute essential oils, you can end up with serious, sometimes permanent skin damage.

Carrier oils are much more stable than essential oils. They don't evaporate quickly and can even be heated. In fact, some carrier oils (like coconut oil) are used for cooking.

And they are safe to use for everyone. Chances are you're using them already. Coconut, grapeseed, jojoba, olive and sweet almond oils are actually the more popular carrier oils.

Related: 19 Commonly Used Carrier Oils

Absolutes

In your research into essential oils, you'll come across absolutes. They are very popular in the perfume industry and are similar to essential oils in that they are concentrated, aromatic compounds taken from plants. But, how they are extracted from the plants is a little different.

Usually, steam is used to 'pull' the essential oils out of the plant material (flowers, leaves, etc). But some oils are too unstable and can actually breakdown with heat (e.g. lily).

So manufacturers use solvents (like hexane and ethanol) and filtration to remove the unnecessary compounds. The result is a thick mixture of the plant's aromatic compounds.

While absolutes smell more like the source plant than essential oils and use no heat, there has been concern about the types of solvents used in the extraction process. And there are trace amounts of solvents left in the absolutes after.

So when buying absolutes, find out more information about the extraction process before paying. It's good practice to know what you're exposing your body (and family) to.