Can You Use Baby/Mineral Oil for Reed Diffusers?

You are currently using coconut, grapeseed, almond, and jojoba carrier oils with your reed diffuser for quite some time now. You recently read that some people use baby oil as their carrier oil instead.

Can you use baby oil for reed diffusers? That is a terrific question. Let’s check it out!

Baby Oil for Reed Diffusers

The quick and simple answer to this question is, yes. You can use baby oil as a carrier oil for your reed diffuser, but should you? Is it even effective?

A lot of people use baby oil over recommended carrier oils like fractionated coconut, because it costs half the price. Sure you are getting a great deal on price, but the problem lies in the differences between baby oil and coconut carrier oil.

Baby oil is mineral oil, while your typical carrier oils like coconut, almond, jojoba, grapeseed, and other recommended carrier oils are made of vegetable oil. This is an important distinction as you will come to find out the further down the article we go.

What is Baby Oil Made Of?

Baby oil is mineral oil. Mineral oil is made from petroleum. Many manufacturers use baby oil in their products and according to Healthline, it is considered safe for babies, children, and adults.

Baby oil ingredients come from distilling crude oils which are by-products made from an extraction process for gasoline. The majority of baby oils are made of 98% mineral oil and 2% fragrance. Many people rub baby oil on their skin for a protective layer and softer skin.

Mineral vs Vegetable Carrier Oils Table

Before we dive into more details about mineral oils and vegetable oils, we put together an easy-to-see table to help you understand the pros and cons of both. Check out our table below.

Mineral Oils for Reed Diffusers

So, should you use baby oil for reed diffusers? The answer is probably not. Young Living also disapproves of baby oil used as a carrier oil.

Baby oil should not be the first choice and I’ll tell you why. Mineral oils are inert substances and non-comedogenic, which means they will not interact with other substances and will not clog your pores.

What happens is baby oil sits on top of your skin and creates a barrier. So, when you place your reed sticks in your reed diffuser filled with baby oil, the same thing happens here.

Baby oil is not as easily absorbed through your reed diffuser sticks like vegetable oil is. It was created to prevent other substances from coming in and going out and it works the same way for your reed sticks.

Vegetable Oils for Reed Diffusers

Most people are more familiar with vegetable oils than they are with mineral oils. The reason being, we use vegetable oils almost every day when we cook.

Vegetable oils are made from plant sources like seeds (grapeseed, jojoba, apricot kernel), nuts (almond, sunflower, pistachio), and fruit (coconut, olive), and normally they don’t contain toxic substances. They are organic, biodegradable, reusable, and contain fatty acids.

Here are some reasons vegetable oils should be the first choice for reed diffusers:

• You are inhaling plant sources instead of other harsh sources

• Carrier oil scents work faster making your essential oil scent more immediate
• Typical carrier oils are designed for reed diffusers

7 Fastest Absorbing and Most Commonly Used Vegetable Carrier Oils for Reed Diffuser

To help you visualize the common fast-absorbing vegetable carrier oils for reed diffusers, we put together a quick chart. Fractionated coconut is not on this table because it was not listed in the absorption rates article.

• Grapeseed oil

• Apricot kernel oil

• Safflower oil

• Fractionated coconut oil (needs to be fractionated)

• Kukui nut oil

• Almond oil

• Jojoba oil

Of the seven fast-absorbing vegetable oils, grapeseed, apricot kernel, and safflower were the three faster absorbing oils. These three carrier oils will give you the quickest fragrances from your reed diffuser.

Fractionated coconut oil, kukui nut, almond, and jojoba are average absorbing carrier oils. There are other great carrier oils advertised, though these are considered the most commonly used carrier oils for your reed diffuser.

We also put together a short table of the fastest absorbing oils below. They are less commonly used and known but will make your room smell amazing within seconds.

Hazelnut and rosehip carrier oil are fairly easy to find online. Eden’s Garden offers a wide variety of carrier oils. Abyssinian, baobab, and sacha inchi are harder to find, but you can still find them sold online.

Mineral vs Vegetable Oil: Which is Better for Reed Diffusers?

You can use mineral baby oil for reed diffusers, but it’s not as effective as vegetable oil. So when considering the “better type” of oil, vegetable oils are preferred over mineral oils.

Conclusion

We’ve explained the difference between mineral oils and vegetable oils. Baby oil is mineral oil, which means it works differently from vegetable oils.

So, can you use baby oil for reed diffusers? You can use baby oil as a carrier oil but typical vegetable oils should be used first. Many people still use baby oil for reed diffusers, so ultimately, the decision is left for you to decide which option is best for you.

Emily Cummings

I currently work as a medical receptionist, but my ultimate goal is to work as an occupational therapy assistant. Helping others achieve a better quality of life is something I’m after. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. Learn more about me.