What are the Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage: Benefits, Uses & Blends

Elizabeth Starns
Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage

There seem to be five reasons why someone would want to know about the best carrier oils for clary sage essential oil, specifically over any other oil.

Perhaps you want to make a massage oil to encourage labor, or you have read about how great it is for hot flushes and menopausal symptoms. I know some people will be at the end of their tether with the monthly agony of menstrual cramps or would like to see if you can improve your fertility levels.

Maybe someone told you it would be fantastic for greasy skin, acne, or restless legs. These are brilliant applications for clary sage since constituents in the essential oil mimic estrogen.

This article will look at the different applications for the best carrier oils for clary sage.

Since this is a complex article, let’s break down what we plan to cover in each section so you can jump to where you need to.

  • A quick warning about clary sage generally, then…

What are the best carrier oils for clary sage if….

  • You’re eager to get to the end of your pregnancy
  • Menstrual cramps have become overwhelming
  • Fertility needs some support
  • Hot flashes and mood swings are doing your head in
  • Sleep’s a thing of the past from leg cramps
  • You found an article that told you how great clary sage is for greasy skin and acne. 
  • Recipes to make it simple for you to get the most from the best carrier oils for clary sage.

A Clary Sage Warning…

Before we begin, a point about clary sage is relevant every time you use it. Clary sage does not go well with alcohol. In days of old, brewers used it as a cheap alternative to hops. They would add it to beer because it tastes similar. It was a good seller because you got drunk very quickly on it.

The next morning, you would wake up feeling like someone had buried an ax in your head. Clary sage has a euphoric effect that makes you feel light and dreamy, but mix it with booze, it is mildly hallucinogenic, but it is the worst hangover you would ever dream of.

How Do You Use Clary Sage for Labor? 

As aromatherapists, we recommend not using clary sage until you are 37 weeks pregnant because it is a uterine tonic. One of the constituents, sclareol, mimics it, so the body mistakes it for the hormone. The problem is that pregnancies require a high progesterone environment to survive. So we certainly don’t want to play around with those levels before 37 weeks.

Next, a baby takes as long to cook as a baby, so irritating that it is foolhardy to trick nature. In addition, I have it on very good authority from aromatherapists who are also midwives that contrary to popular belief that clary sage seeds labor,  the body seems to go into reverse if you use high levels of clary sage and the baby is not ready.

When labor is established, though, clary sage will strengthen contractions. Consider whether that is something you want to happen. It’s wonderful for problematic slow labor, but it may mean more intense pain than a normal one.

With all that said, clary sage is fantastic support during the early stages of the birth. It’s soothing, calming, and helps you feel more level in what would otherwise be a scary time.

The Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage in Labor

Aside from clary sage, your body naturally makes prostaglandins that are involved in triggering labor. Of course, having sex will trigger them, so that might be a good plan, but the body also makes them in response to agents found in evening primrose carrier oil.

A soothing massage with one drop of clary sage in Evening primrose carrier oil will not only nourish taut belly skin but may also support healthy labor.

Both evening primrose and clary sage are tremendous skin conditioners, so the best practice is also to massage the perineum twice a day. Soften the skin and stretch it with your fingers slightly to prepare it for the rigors of a baby's head.

You might also consider adding a little rosehip oil, which is probably one of the best carrier oils for clary sage for labor because rose tends to have a very similar support mechanism to clary sage. Again though, the rose is restricted in the same way. Not before 37 weeks, please.

These oils are super-rich; to be honest, making an entire mix out of them is overkill and wasteful. You only need to use them to make about 5% of your blend. Otherwise, top up with something a bit more mainstream and cheaper. Sunflower, olive, or our personal favorite to make a lovely silky, easy-to massage and absorb grapeseed blend.

Clary Sage for Menstrual Cramps

Monthly agony, right? Let me ask you, is it just the cramps, or is there other stuff going on? Do you feel moody, tense and upset, or even irrational? Perhaps your digestive system also feels like it’s been kicked in the belly, or if you’re a gifted bleeder, you have been awarded migraines too! (Given away my sex now, haven’t I? You know there’s no way a bloke could write that!)

Essential oils are fantastic support for hormonal balance. For example, Clary sage contains antispasmodic constituents, which help with cramps. Blend it with geranium, lavender, or rose essential oils especially. If your PMS experience is wider than just the cramps, you might also want to consider splashing out on some Melissa oil or some Lemon Balm tea. Research shows that drinking Lemon balm tea in the first eight hours of cramps can be more effective than a prescription for mefenamic acid.

So, an aromatherapy massage across the pelvis and the lower back can be very helpful. The best carrier oils to use are probably the same for labor here, evening primrose, rosehip, and maybe even a little passionflower.

Your skin will be adorable with that cocktail! All three oils are too delicious to make a complete blend. However, you could dilute them with something less luxurious to decrease the price. I love clary sage and grapeseed.

Two Final Points About Your Choices Of The Best Carrier Oils For Clary Sage To Try And Improve Your Monthlies…

The effects of essential oils are cumulative, which means they increase the more you use them. So worry less about the best carrier oils for clary sage and more about thinking of ways you can use them. Ideally, you want to get them onto your skin six or seven times throughout the day. If you can do back and belly, fabulous, but sometimes that may not be possible if you are at work, for example.

It’s always worth making a little handbag edition roller blend that you can apply to the insides of your wrist. It won’t be as fast, but it gets the oils into your blood system and allows them to circulate to their job. Note that the main oils we have recommended, evening primrose, rosehip, and passionflower, are very thick. You will need to use mostly grapeseed to get the consistency thin enough to come out of the bottle.

Second, an extension of the cumulative thing, have some faith. Regardless of how perfect your blend of essential oils is and your efforts to find the best carrier oils for clary sage…you’ll see more improvement next month than you see during the first one you start using it...

Over and over, we see this in clinical trials. When subjects use their blends, they see a slight improvement in the first month, but their pain levels are significantly improved by the second. So we would recommend keeping on using your blend right through the month to get the best effects.

Fertility Issues?  The Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage are Easy

Check what we have noted for Menstrual issues; the guidelines are the same. 

One small point, though, is worth considering that clary sage would be contra-indicated if you try to get pregnant. The best practice is to use oils like clary sage, rose, ylang-ylang, and myrrh to tone and prepare your uterus.

In which case, it makes sense to set aside six months where you stop trying to get pregnant. Then, when you’re ready, stop using your oils to give any possible pregnancy the best chance it can have.

Best Carrier Oils For Clary Sage For Menopausal Symptoms

Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage

Don’t tell me, you know you came searching for some kind of information, but now you have forgotten what it was! The hot flashes are getting you down, and as for sleep, well…let’s not even go there. We hear you, girl. We got you. Been there, done that, and worn the wringing wet T-shirts.

Massage with essential oils is well recommended for menopausal support, so you have done exactly the right thing coming here. But, if your quest is about menopause, the first question we need to ask you is when was your last period…roughly?

If you have bleeding in the last year, the chances are you are perimenopausal rather than menopausal. If that sounds right to you, put that clary sage bottle down. Step right away from the table. Nothing to see here…

Aromatherapy for Perimenopause

Increasing the body’s estrogen tone when it’s already struggling to find balance can be problematic. A good percentage of women feel worse if they use clary sage during menopause.

If that sounds like it might be you, try a bit of rose or geranium essential oils instead, some ylang-ylang for hormonal support, or a lesser-known essential oil Chasteberry, also known by its Latin name Vitex agnus castus.

All of those would be wonderful.

Likewise, inhaling neroli essential oil for five minutes daily can help—no need for carrier oils. One drop on a tissue relieves anxiety and sadness and settles many other menopausal symptoms.

Choosing The Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage if You are Post Menopausal

You know, we’re not even sure that it matters with this one. The clary sage will do its thing, but carrier oils have so much more to offer than just hormonal support.

Vaginal dryness, we’d suggest choosing coconut oil and a bit of shea butter to make some pessaries.

Are you nourishing dry skin? The rosehip or apricot kernel might be the best carrier oils for clary sage, although if we were being a bit extra, we’d say hunt down some raspberry seed. It is incredible for dealing with the cracked paving effect on your legs. In addition, it will nourish the skin and restore some of the skin’s natural flexibility.

If the memory stuff is an issue, clary sage can be very helpful. However, you’d probably best stick it in a roller ball and massage it into the back of the neck when you feel you need it. The oil must be quite thin for the rollerball to work, so grapeseed or sunflower will be fantastic.

For your complexion, the best carrier oils for clary sage would be apricot kernel or peach kernel if you can find it, or we always love a bit of argan oil. Then, blend them with rosehip, a bit of rose absolute (or jasmine absolute if your skin has become sensitive or reactive), and some myrrh.

Need To Know The Best Carrier Oils For Clary Sage And Restless Legs? 

Clary sage and magnesium are a combination made in heaven if you are kept awake by leg cramps at night.

Stick a few drops of clary sage essential oil in a teaspoon of the carrier, then pop them in the bath, if you can, with a tablespoon of Epsom salts. They both have antispasmodic natures and relieve pain. Magnesium works best if it is skin absorbed. (Although you can get very effective oral supplements.) So if you can get a magnesium oil, it makes a superb carrier.

Otherwise, borage, St John’s Wort, Tamanu, or Sea Buckthorn would probably be the best carrier oils for clary sage. But, again, these are high-grade ones that you only need about 5% dilution with (see recipes below), and you can cut it with something much cheaper like jojoba carrier oil.

Rosehip, evening primrose, and passionflower will be top of the list of the best carrier oils for clary sage if you are trying to get pregnant. 

The Best Carrier Oils for Clary Sage for Skin Care

Clary sage is very astringent, so it cuts through grease and grime. It’s great for greasy skins, but especially if you have acne. In both cases, we want to be careful not to exacerbate the oiliness or clog the pores. The last thing we want is to cause a zit breakout.

Jojoba is one of the best carrier oils for clary sage because it isn’t an oil. We call it that, but it’s a floral wax, so it is often solid when you receive it. It softens from the heat of the skin. Jojoba’s consistency is very close to sebum, so the skin accepts it to nourish it without clogging the pores.

The other two best carrier oils for clary sage, if you’re dealing with a greasy skin issue, would be castor or coconut oils, but they would be way down the list in comparison.

Use a drop in a teaspoon of jojoba carrier oil to massage the skin once a week. Otherwise, put one drop in a teaspoon of aqueous cream (available from the drug store) to make a great moisturizer.

Finally, add one drop of tea tree for any underlying infections and a drop of jasmine absolute to protect against scarring.

Gorgeous Massage Oil for Labor

Method of Use: Smooth gently into the belly and lower back twice a day. Also, use it for intimate massage of the perineum. If a midwife has confirmed full labor, use as often as is required. 

Safety: Not suitable for use before 38 weeks of pregnancy.

Menstrual problems 

Method of use: Massage the abdomen and lower back twice daily throughout the cycle. Use as many times as required when the cramps are painful.

Safety: A moot point, but not suitable for use during pregnancy.  

Not suitable for use with alcohol.

Fertile Momma Massage Oil 

Method of Use: Use as a gorgeous body massage oil after your bath and shower each day. Slather it on to feel sensual like the fertile mother goddesses of antiquity. 

Safety: Not suitable for use during pregnancy or if you fancy any evening worshiping with the god of the grape. 

Perimenopause

Method of use: Massage as a serum over your whole body daily. Invite the crone wisdom in! 

Safety: Not suitable for use during pregnancy, and do not celebrate the end of the bleeding with clary sage and bubbly. 

Post Menopausal 

Method of use: Use as a gorgeous daily oil for your skin after the bath or shower.

Safety: Avoid drinking at the same time. 

Restless Legs Oil 

Method of use: Massage the legs about twenty minutes before bedtime.

Safety: Not suitable for use during the first 37 weeks of pregnancy. It will not mix well with an alcoholic nightcap.

Conclusion

I guess the message of this post is less about which are the best carrier oils for clary sage and more about understanding the circumstances that help you choose them. Of course, in the end, the best carrier oil you have is the one you have to hand. But, if you want to build on the effects of clary sage, then pick luxurious ones that work on the right bodily systems.