Roller Bottles

Ok, so you've got your new oils in hand and you're excited to get started. You've been inspired by their many uses and can't wait to really try them out for yourself.

Roller bottles are one of the most convenient ways to use essential oils. They're affordable, quick to fill, and are very portable.

The most common size of roller bottle is 10 ml. I like to buy them from My Essential Business Canada and Voyageur Soap and Candle. I prefer to buy the coloured glass ones because the tinted glass helps to shield the oils from light. I've had great experiences with those that use a plastic or stainless steel roller ball (I think I prefer stainless steel). I have not yet tried glass roller balls. My Essential Business Canada has a nice explanation on their website about when to use which type of roller ball. Long story short, glass lets out the least amount of oil, then stainless steel. Plastic roller bottles release the most about of oil (so they type of ball you want depends on where you're applying the oil and how much oil you want to apply).

I like to make single oils up in roller bottles such as tea tree, lavender, and frankincense. I also enjoy using pre-made blends in roller bottles, such as On Guard, Zengest, Easy Air, Cheer, Peace, and Balance.

There are also some blends that I make up myself. For example, during allergy season, we use a blend of lavender, lemon and peppermint. My friends that frequently complain of headaches receive gifts of roller bottles containing lavender, frankincense and peppermint.

The bottles themselves can be finicky to fill. I like to use old infant medicine syringes or these little funnels from Voyageur Soap and Candle.

As a carrier oil (you add the essential oils to this oil to dilute them to be gentler on skin and body systems), I like to use fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, or jojoba oil (or similar). In a pinch I've even used sunflower oil.

For a 10-ml roller bottle, I start by adding the carrier oil using a syringe or funnel until it is nearly full. If the roller will be used on children (2+ years), I add 5-10 drops of essential oil. Ok, who am I kidding - I do that for adults too! Some people will add 15-20 for adults. For babies, I add only 3-5 drops.

Once that's done, I gently push the roller fitment into place, screw the cap on and put a label on the side or top. And that's IT!!