You can select a blended oil by examining its many attributes, including base oils, its essential oils or its fragrance. How you intend to use your oil will help dictate which types of oil to pick. Most blended oils have at least a base oil and a fragrance. Generally, blended oil is used for aromatherapy and massage and as a moisturizer for the skin on your face and body.
Learning to identify the different types of ingredients used in blended oils can help you choose the best ones for you. These oils can be made from all-natural ingredients, or they can contain other ingredients, like chemical fragrances or stabilizers. When buying blended oils, make sure the blend has the type of oils that are effective for your intended purpose. It is also important to understand and examine the ingredients in the oil to ensure that it does not contain anything that might irritate your nose or skin.
If you're doing aromatherapy, you may want to use essential oils. Pure aromatherapy oils are used for their scent, and though some oils can be applied to skin during an aromatherapy treatment, this is not always the case. Oils that are typically applied to the skin sometimes contain aromatherapy oils for an added scent therapy effect. Oils used for massage are often fragrant essential oils in a base of moisturizing oils, as are the blended oils used for hair and skin care. Often blended from common cooking oils, base oils are lubricant oils that are rubbed on the skin for healing or massage.
Essential oil is a highly concentrated fragrant plant extract that is different from base oil in many ways. Many essential oils are so highly concentrated that they are classified as flammable. Essential oils that are used in blended oils are many, but common choices include floral scents like lavender, rose or carnation or fruity scents like orange, lemon or cherry. Fragrances from essential oils are often combined to create custom scents. Not all fragrance in blended oils comes from essential oil. You may want to choose an oil based off of the reported benefits of its scent, or simply because you like the smell.
When the scent you want is not available, you can opt for a blended oil made without fragrance, to which you can add scent on your own. Likewise, when you cannot find the blended oil you want, or if it is prohibitively expensive in stores, you can make homemade blended oil by choosing and blending your own ingredients. Common oils chosen for hair and skin care blends include pure cooking oils like coconut oil, olive oil and almond oil. These mixtures of blended oils can be scented by adding a drop or two of essential oil.