You have your essential oil and carrier oil ready, but how many drops should you use? Every article you open answers with a percentage. Dilution percentages can be difficult to apply when you are preparing a blend.
So here is the number for every bottle size you are likely to own. Below the chart is the arithmetic behind it, the percentage to pick for each job, and the handful of places people go wrong when they work out how to dilute essential oils. Bookmark this essential oil dilution chart and you will never do the maths again.
The Chart
Drops of essential oil to add to each carrier oil quantity.
| Carrier oil | 0.5% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| 5 ml | 1 drop | 1 drop | 2 drops | 3 drops | 5 drops |
| 10 ml | 1 drop | 2 drops | 4 drops | 6 drops | 10 drops |
| 15 ml | 2 drops | 3 drops | 6 drops | 9 drops | 15 drops |
| 30 ml | 3 drops | 6 drops | 12 drops | 18 drops | 30 drops |
| 50 ml | 5 drops | 10 drops | 20 drops | 30 drops | 50 drops |
| 100 ml | 10 drops | 20 drops | 40 drops | 60 drops | 100 drops |
Screenshot it. Stick it inside the cupboard door. The sizes cover what people own, from 10 ml roll-on bottles through the 50 and 100 ml carriers to the little 5 ml ones used for a single week's mixture.
How the Arithmetic Works
One number does all the work here. A millilitre of essential oil is roughly 20 drops.
From there, it is multiplication. Take a 30 ml bottle of carrier, which holds about 600 drops in total. Two per cent of 600 is 12, so 12 drops of essential oil goes in.
Two things make that a guide instead of a law. Thick oils such as sandalwood and vetiver drop more slowly and give fewer drops per millilitre than thin citrus oils do. Dropper design varies too, so an orifice reducer from one supplier will not match another exactly.
Neither variation is large enough to matter at these percentages, which is the whole reason aromatherapy works in drops and not in laboratory measures. If precision matters for a particular product, the label will say so, and the label beats every essential oil dilution chart on the internet, including this one.
Which Percentage for Which Job
Picking the strength is where most people hesitate. An essential oil dilution chart gives you an approximate number of drops, but the appropriate dilution depends on the application, the area of skin, how often it will be used, the individual oil and the person using it.
| Strength | Suits | Typical use |
| 0.5 to 1% | Face, sensitive skin, older adults | Facial oils, daily leave-on products |
| 2% | Whole body, daily use | Massage oil, body oil, everyday roll-ons |
| 3% | A small area, short term | A specific spot, used for days not months |
| 5% | A small area, very short term | Adults only, and not on the face |
There is no single dilution percentage that is right for every essential oil or every person. A lower concentration is generally the more cautious starting point, particularly for facial products, sensitive skin and frequent or long-term use.
Higher concentrations should not automatically be assumed to be more effective. Increasing the amount of essential oil can increase the risk of skin irritation or sensitisation, and some individual oils have specific safety restrictions that apply regardless of a general dilution chart.
Choosing the Carrier Oil for Essential Oil
The carrier is not a filler. It carries the oil into the skin, slows evaporation, and decides how the finished product feels.
Lighter carriers such as apricot kernel absorb quickly and suit the face and anything worn under clothes. Heavier ones stay on the surface longer, which suits dry skin and a proper massage.
Shelf life matters as well, since a carrier that has gone rancid ruins the essential oil in it. Most keep six to twelve months once opened. Our guide to base oils runs through which one suits which skin.
Where People Get It Wrong
Five essential oil dilution mistakes account for most of them.
Counting drops into a moving bottle
Add the essential oil first, then the carrier. Counting drops into a part-filled bottle is how you lose track at seven and start the essential oil dilution chart again from the top.
Assuming more is better
Doubling the dilution does not double anything except the chance of irritation. Above roughly 5 per cent, extra oil mostly evaporates or stays on the skin unused.
Treating every oil the same
Some oils are far more likely to irritate at a given strength. Oregano, cinnamon bark, clove and lemongrass all want treating with more care than lavender at the same percentage.
Ignoring the total across a day
A body oil, a facial oil and a roll-on all used on the same day add up. Consider your overall exposure rather than assuming that every individual product can be assessed in isolation.
Mixing in plastic
Essential oils can interact with or degrade some plastics. Glass is generally a sensible choice for blends you intend to store, particularly when the blend contains oils known to be aggressive toward plastics. Amber or other light-protective glass can also help reduce exposure to light.
The Cases That Need More Care
Some situations fall outside any general essential oil dilution chart, this one included.
Children need far lower strengths than adults, and several oils are not suitable for them at all regardless of dilution. Use a product formulated and labelled for the child's age instead of diluting an adult product down.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, prescription medication and existing health conditions all warrant a conversation with your doctor or a qualified aromatherapist before you start. So does any history of skin reactions.
Then there is photosensitivity, which almost everyone forgets. Sunlight reacts with several citrus oils on skin, so read the label before putting anything on an arm that will be bare on a bright day. Patch test anything new and wait a full 24 hours before committing to it. Our guide to the safest oils for everyday use covers the gentlest places to start.
Keep the Chart, Forget the Maths
Dilution is the least glamorous part of aromatherapy, and the part that decides how well the rest of it works. Get the percentage right and an oil does its job comfortably for months. Wrong, and you either waste the bottle or end up reacting to something you used to enjoy.
Keep this essential oil dilution chart handy, choose the right carrier, and follow the recommended dilution for your intended use. A little care goes a long way in making aromatherapy a safe and enjoyable part of everyday life.
If you are mixing your own, the carrier matters as much as the oil, and a fresh bottle of a light base oil will do more for the result than an expensive essential oil in a rancid one. At Amrita Court Global, you can browse our base oils and pick the one that suits your skin.
Our range extends from essential oil blends to waterless diffusers and aroma accessories. You can discover thoughtful ways to bring fragrance and wellbeing into your daily routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens if I use too much essential oil?
Usually nothing immediately, then redness, itching or a rash. The greater risk is sensitisation over time, where an oil you tolerated becomes one you react to permanently.
2. Do I need to dilute essential oils for a diffuser?
No. Diffusers take pure undiluted oil, and adding a carrier will clog a nebuliser. Dilution applies to anything going onto skin.
3. How long does diluted oil last once mixed?
As long as the carrier does, usually six to twelve months. Make small amounts, label the bottle with the date, and store it away from heat and sunlight.
4. Is there a difference between diluting for massage and for a roll-on?
Only in strength. Roll-ons go on small areas at around 2 to 5 per cent, while massage oil covers a much larger area and usually lands at 1 to 2 per cent.
5. Can I mix several essential oils in one dilution?
Yes. Count the total drops of all oils together against the percentage, not each oil separately. Three oils at 2 drops each in 10 ml is 3 per cent, not 2. It's easy to overshoot when blending, so work out the total number of drops first and check it against the strength you want.
6. Which carrier oil should a beginner start with?
A light, low-scent one such as apricot kernel. It suits most skin types, absorbs cleanly, and will not compete with the aroma of whatever you add.
7. Do I need to dilute essential oils before adding them to a bath?
Not strictly. Fill the bath, then add 5 to 8 drops of essential oil to the water and swirl the surface with your hand to disperse it. The warm water helps release the aroma, and the oils will penetrate the skin to some degree.
For a gentler option, first mix the 5 to 8 drops into 1 to 2 ml of a good-quality vegetable oil, such as apricot oil, then stir that into the bath. This removes any small risk of irritation from undiluted essential oils and adds the skin benefits of the vegetable oil.