Carrot Oil, typically derived from the species of cultivated carrot, Daucus carota supsp, is the perfect carrier oil for making salves or using essential oils for skin problems.Some of the uses of the oil are:
•Wound healing
• Burns
•Mature/aging skin
•Impetigo
•Dermatitis, eczema o Improve appearance of scar tissue
•Dry skin
•Rashes, itching
What’s the difference between Carrot infused oil and Carrot Essential Oil?
Wild carrots, also called Queen Anne’s Lace, (Daucus carota) are the same species as the cultivated carrot and are differentiated only in the subspecies. Wild carrots have white roots and are smaller than the orange edible roots of cultivated carrot. It is the root of the cultivated carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativa) that bears the edible orange carrot. “However, since the bulk of essential oil commercially available is obtained from the seeds of the commercially cultivated carrot, the name Daucus carota alone signifies, that the source is the cultivated carrot.”
Carrot essential oil is rich in the sesquiterpene alcohol, caratol (upwards of 70% in subsp. carota) although the chemistry can vary quite considerably between subspecies and location grown. The essential oil is renowned for its cell regenerative properties and is used extensively in regenerative skin care, post surgical wound healing, dry skin, and for eczema.
Making Carrot Infused Oil
An important starting to point is to recognize that carrots hold between 90-92% water. And since water and oil do not mix and water is a source of potential bacterial growth, it is important to dehydrate or dry the carrots prior to infusing.
- The first step is to grow or buy fresh carrots.
- Next process and dry the carrots.
- After peeling the carrots (you don’t have to peel them) and cutting them into thin slices, I placed the carrots onto a tray and put them in a dehydrator however your c
an also oven dry them by placing the carrots on a tray and set the oven on its lowest setting.lowest setting . Either way, it takes about 9-12 hours for the carrots to be completely dried. - Once dried, the carrots can be place in a clean (sanitized) canning jar. Pour in enough olive oil to just cover the carrots.. Note: Other oils such as Aloe Vera Oil. Sunflower Oil or Sesame Oil can be used for additional (corresponding) therapeutic benefits. For an extra strength carrot infused oil the dried carrots can be ground with a mortar and pestle to provide additional surface area for greater transfer.
- Allow the carrots to infuse in the oil for about 4 weeks.
Botanical description: Carrot is an annual or biennial plant widely cultivated all over Europe, the USA and Central Asia. The orange-red taproot of Daucus carota subsp. sativus is the well known edible carrot. The essential oil, on the other-hand, is extracted from the species Daucus carota subsp. carota. The herbal oil is extracted from the edible fruit.
Therapeutic benefits:
Beta carotene is the precursor for the provitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for the skin and promotes healthy tissue formation as well as protects the skin from ultra-violet radiation. beta-carotene also exhibits antioxidant activity.
Active components:
Carrot herbal oil is rich in the fat soluble β-carotene which is the most well-known provitamin A carotenoid . β-carotene is the component responsible for giving Carrot infused oil its rich red/orange color as well as its therapeutic benefits.
Above information from the School of Aroma therapy (www.aromaticstudies.com)