Neem oil dilution?

by Abby
(Canada)

I noticed on your website that you do NOT recommend using undiluted neem oil. Why is this?

I was mistaken and purchased neem oil for my gums originally (thanks for setting me straight there!) and now that I will not be doing that, I was looking at what I could use it for. On the bottle it recommends it for skin problems mainly but it says to 'apply liberally'. It mentions nothing about diluting it and it is labeled as Organic Neem Oil-100% pure unrefined neem seed kernel oil. So far I have just tried it on my hands. And yes, it STINKS!

For a body 'lotion' I now use straight organic almond oil. Would I just add some neem oil to help with moisturizing?
Thank you for your great information!
I hope you had a good holiday. :-)

Comments for Neem oil dilution?

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Neem oil dilution
by: Birgit

Hi Abby,

Thank you very much, I did :-).

OK, let's see why I recommend to dilute neem oil.

There are two reasons. One is that the undiluted oil can cause a skin reaction. For most people the undiluted oil will cause no problems, but you never know. Better safe than sorry.

The other reason is that you just don't need that much. Neem oil is very powerful and a 1:10 dilution is still strong enough. The stuff is not cheap, so why use more than you need to?

Almond oil is a great body oil and also a great carrier oil if you want to dilute neem oil. Yes, you could add neem oil to your almond oil (but then you'll stink).

You could also add it to shampoo for your hair, massage it into your scalp for a deep treatment, use it on your cuticles for healthy nails, spray it on your pot plants or in your garden, mix it with lamp oil to repel mosquitoes outdoors. It has so many uses, I'm sure you'll find something to do with it.

If you keep the bottle in a dark cool place the neem oil should last at least a year, maybe longer.
What is an example of a light oil that can be used to dilute neem oil.Thank you
by: Anonymous

What is an example of a light oil that can be used to dilute neem oil.Thank you
Neem oil dilution
by: Birgit

Almond, apricot kernel, jojoba...
Straight Neem Oil Reaction
by: Suzanne

Well, I seem to be one of those people who can have a reaction to straight neem. After a friend told me about Neem, I started taking the capsules and was so happy about it, I bought a bottle of the undiluted oil, thinking I'd smear it all over my face to make me beautiful, right?

Undiluted. Rubbed it into my hands and then around my face. I followed that with washing with Neem soap, which I had been using. Within a few hours, my eyes were swollen, like with conjunctivitis. Between the last two fingers of my right hand, there was a rash.

I kept my face cooled off with frequent rinsings of cool water and the swelling and redness left within a day. The fingers have never really quite healed. I went to the doctor twice. First, I got antibiotic, which I could see relieved the internal inflammation. But it wouldn't completely heal. I went back and he gave me prednisone, which helped, and if I'd gone back for a few extra days' worth of that, I'd probably be past it.

But I see the sensitivity remains and I hate to do more prednisone. I've been battling this for four months! I guess I'll have to give in and do it, though I don't like to, but at this point, the inflammation on my hand ebbs and flows and a third of it is involved. And I foolishly put a little makeup on my face the other day... The pain was excruciating!

I've never seen anything but good posted anywhere about Neem oil -- just a caution in passing about diluting it. I'm pretty sure if I'd done that at first, I wouldn't be writing this to you now!

Just felt I should share.
100% organic neem oil?
by: Birgit

Hi Suzanne,

Thanks for chiming in and sorry to hear about your reaction to the oil.

Just a question: Was the oil you bought pure, cold-pressed neem oil? Because there are oils out there that are extracted with solvents and therefore contaminated with solvent residues. And those could themselves cause reactions or aggravate an existing sensitivity to neem oil. Solvents are the very last thing you want on your skin.

Apart from starting to use neem oil carefully, in its diluted form, and obviously not around the eyes, it is also important to make sure you buy a pure, organic product.
Pure and cold-pressed
by: Anonymous

Yes. With just a comment that if you should have a reaction, consult your physician (not your brand).

I went back to the doctor a few days ago. The burns on my hand were second-degree with my face not quite as bad with prednisone until they are completely healed (I stopped taking it too soon last time).

It's been peeling and flaking off and peeling and flaking off again. My face has gone through this about 8-10 cycles. I can use gentle lotions to soothe it including arnica cream, msm cream and Aveeno lotion. I need anti-inflammatory and take arnica internally to deal with the pain.

I'm probably that rare person who's incidentally ultra-sensitive to this. Usually I'm not sensitive to much of anything but this has truly affected my quality of life for several months now.

Thanks for your response.

Suzanne
Thanks
by: Birgit

Thank YOU again for sharing your experience! I do hope that your sensitivity will subside for good, soon.
neem oil/soap/toothpaste and pesticide
by: Anonymous

I have read with great interest the "neem comments" and I thank you all! The reason why I need to dilute "neem" has got nothing to do with skin or brushing my teeth with "neem toothpaste" which is here (Malaysia) available! I need "neem" to wash the leaves of my orchids and to deter whatever creepy crawlies intend to set up home in my creeping jasmin. I have travelled extensively in Kenya. In that beautiful country "neem" is used, apart from the above, for malaria prevention. The under priviledged people of Kenya do not have the cash to buy malaria drugs. Often the way to the local doctor is too far or the price for a consult too high. "Neem" has been used throughout the centuries. The people of Kenya make an infuse of the leaves by boiling water and throwing the leaves in. Once cold they shower with the "neem" water. I'm not claiming that you don't get malaria if you take a "neem" shower, only that "neem" is used as a sort of anti-mosquito lotion. I'll be using it to get the creepy crawlies of my jasmin and I thank you all for sharing valuable info on this site. Take care and God bless!
Neem uses
by: Suzanne

Well, now I know what to do with that leftover bottle of Neem oil... wash my plants with it. Thanks ;-)
insect spray and use on gums
by: Wynne

Thanks for all this good info. I purchased a 1oz bottle of natural 100% neem oil in a bottle with a dropper. I am used to reading a certain number of drops so I don't know how to translate 5ml neem oil or for that matter I use a measuring cup with ounces as measurement. Again how do I convert onces to ml.?

I would like to massage neem oil diluted with olive oil on my gums to help prevent my gums from pulling away from my capped teeth. Do you recommend this and how many dropper drops per amt of olive oil? Also will once a day do the trick?

Thanks so much,
Wynne
neem oil dilution
by: Birgit

Wynne, the original poster said he MISTAKENLY purchased neem oil for his gums.

Please read the pages on neem and gum disease. Neem bark is the recommended neem product for gum problems, and if not available neem leaf (usually used as extract).

Also see this previous question about the use of neem oil for dental care.

Regarding neem spray dilution rates: 5 ml is a teaspoon, 1 litre is equivalent to a quart (roughly).
Sweet itch on horses
by: julie Edwards

I have just ordered a large bottle of neem oil to use on my horse as insect repellent. He has really suffered with sweet itch this year. My question is; what do I use with the neem oil to make up a good midge repellent? Many thanks in advance for your replies.
DO YOU EXPORT NEEM SOAP?
by: Anonymous

I have a friend here in Taiwan who would wish to import NEEM SOAP to Taiwan. How much is the price for exportation from Kenya?
Please reply to my email address; rogerlupia@yahoo.com

Roger Lupia
Kenyan living in Taiwan
Concerned
by: Anonymous

Good afternoon. I purchased a 8oz 100% pure Neem Oil. Should I dilute it before I use on my 14 year old? It's from organeem.com.
Cured Reaction
by: Janette

I had a severe reaction to hot peppers and my mouth turned white. I had used all kinds of things for a week and nothing was even starting to move it to get well.

I found Neem at a herb/grocery store and when it said turned the body back to alkaline, I thought that is what I need to do, because the mouth is acid from eating.

I used it before I went to bed, and the next morning 2/3 of the white was again red. I used it two more nights and all the white was gone.

I hate the smell but love what it does.
Great luck with Neem oil
by: katiec

I contracted scabies from someone at work. I can't afford $130 for Permethrin and when I did use it, it was effective for a time, then re-occurence! I have been in agony and the only thing that was working was coating myself in bleach every night - which gave me relief but such discomfort, and I have felt like a pariah plague carrier. I have recently been using Neem soap, and then added Neem oil and capsules a little over a week ago. While still suffering I have seen a vast improvement, and my life is bearable. The Neem lotion I bought immediately helped and only smells faintly of Nag Champa (nice!), so I can apply it in the morning before work. I mix the Neem oil with body lotion and a bit of Bay Rum cologne, but still the smell is odd... Not as distressing as some people seem to find, more like I've coated myself in beef bouillon, is the closest I can relate to it. Though I am still depressed and desperately unhappy with this condition I did nothing to deserve, this HAS made things so much better and I'm hoping with time for a complete eradication. Even if I'm that lucky I will continue to use the lotion and soap because the effects on my skin are just wonderful! Neem Soap is great, makes me feel luxurious with how it foams up and leaves my skin so soft!
neem oil and lotion
by: Anonymous

Could I use hand lotion on top of the neem oil? I just started using the oil for my psoriasis and I want to cover the smell.
the unfortunate case of scabies :(
by: Anonymous

Yay, a houseful of potential scabies cases! Can you sense the sarcasm. n summation, my family came into contact with scabies, thus far only one family members is showing visible signs of the pest. I refuse to use harmful pharmaceutical pesticides on my infant and child, and after much research came across neem. My question is, how much oil should I be applying on myself and my family members? Currently I am just rubbing it on as is, and then came across this forum that says it should be diluted with a "carrier oil".

How much neem oil is needed to effectively treat scabies topically?
How much neem oil to carrier oil ratio?

As a side note, I am treating every one of my family members from head to toe... Full body neem treatments.
oil dilution
by: anonymous

How do I dilute neem oil?
diluting
by: Suzanne

Blend a drop or two in with some neutral lotion, like Arnica.
Horse mites
by: Anonymous

Can you tell me how much neem oil I mix with a carrier oil, and which carrier oil should I use, and do you need to melt the neem oil.
For mites/lice on horses
by: Anonymous

For curing lice in a horse we covered him in vegetable oil and left this on for 2 days, and then washed it of with baby shampoo. He was cured, so adding 5-20 ml of neem oil will only make this even more effective.
Carrier oils for neem oil on face (ance)
by: Addi

Hello! I bought some organic neem oil and am planning on applying a tiny bit on my face at night. I have moderate acne (one of those people who have had mild-severe acne since I was 16 and I'm 26 now... tried everything, even accutane twice, which did wonders but I don't want to do it a third time and I'm still breaking out here and there). I did apply straight neem oil to my face last night and did not have a reaction. But I'm wondering, what carrier oil should I dilute the neem oil with? I would love it if this oil is also good for acne... I'm nervous about putting olive oil on my acne prone face. Let me know what you think!

Thanks!
Bad reaction
by: Krsity

I bought virgin cold pressed neem oil and put way too much on face. I have a gigantic welt that's red and itchy. I should have diluted and read here first. I don't know what to do. I'm putting hydra-cortisone cream on it and aloe but it's not going away?
Bad reaction
by: Anonymous

Sounds like you had the same experience I did. Keep with the hydrocortisone cream. I would suggest some gentle ice packs (i.e. rice packs) to draw out the heat from the inflammation. I would stick with the aloe vera and avoid oils while your skin is red, with the possible exception of coconut oil. I've had good success with Shea Butter as well. Oh, and use Aveeno to wash. You could use Aveeno oatmeal bath soak as a paste on your face to also draw the heat away without irritating it. You can't miss with any Aveeno lotion fomula. Good luck. Poor baby. Sorry.
Thanks so much
by: Krsity

I can't believe how itchy this is. I'll do all you said. Wow never again. It's been days!!
long time neem user had reaction to undiluted
by: Victoria

I have been using neem for years on myself & dog. I didn't realize the pure neem I was using on my skin & occasionally face was diluted in a carrier oil. When it ran out I bought a qt of cold pressed neem seed oil online. I put it on my face undiluted. My face turned red, but no pain or burning because neem has incredible pain killing effects. Few hours later it begins to burn. I put more on, because it is immediately soothing, takes pain away. I did this 3 times before I realized I was making my condition worse. Googling found I should have diluted. My face was so burned, swollen, eyes swollen shut, blisters, whole face was one hard scab. I mixed turmeric with coconut oil & began applying every 1-2 hrs. Within 2 days swelling began to go down, still scabbing over, but inflammation receding. I was worried that my skin would be scarred but as patches stop scabbing over the skin is beautiful!!! Like an expensive chemical peel!!
Mrs
by: Melinda

I just bought neem oil to apply on my son's skin and face due to severe eczema. When I received it it's not liquid and says must be diluted to a carrier oil.
My question is what oil is suitable for 5 yr old child and what is the dilution?
neem dilution for a 5-year-old child
by: Anonymous

Rather than oil, I would try something like Aveeno children's eczema lotion
Neem in cleansing oil?
by: revilo727

I use oils to clean my face and just added 10 drops neem oil to approximately 2 oz. of cleansing oil. Is it now safe to clean off eye make up as it was before? I use avocado, grape seed and almond oil and my skin looks awesome. I have a 13 year old grandson, so added the neem to help keep acne in check.
neem oil as cancer treatment
by: Anonymous

Hi, I was told neem oil can be used as cancer treatment, is this true because I have just bought a bottle of cold pressed, organic neem oil. How do I use it?
DONT USE concentrated on your face!!!!
by: Anonymous

My teenage daughter bought this and put it all over her face. Her face is beet red and looks like a severe chemical burn! I had her apply aloe vera and use cold compresses. She insists on going to school with make up covering the worst of it while I want to go to the E.R. !!!! I HATE this "FAD" stuff-DANGEROUS!!!! And to the commenter who asked if this cures cancer-who ever told you that is evil! I will post a great acne solution that will work but not harm you later today but people stop this craziness with untested products! -A very concerned mother!
Lice Treatment
by: Anonymous

We’ve successfully used diluted neem oil to treat lice in the past. We bought it at the coop, and it was already cut with other oils. Today I bought 100% pure neem oil and am not sure how many drops to mix with vegetable oil. Again, this is for spraying on our scalps, not on our faces. We use a spray bottle to apply the mixture. Any idea the ratios of vegetable oil to neem oil? (It is wild crafted and cold pressed. No additives.) Thanks!
Organic Cold Pressed Undiluted Neem Oil
by: Priscilla

I just got two 16 oz of bottles which I will probably return now as I see that I for myself and my dog will not be needing that much. My dog caught mange two weeks ago and gave me scabies. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. Went right away to Google and did some reseach. Wish I found this first for treatment instead of when it was over. BTW the chew medicine that the Vet gave the dog sucked and didn't work. They also let him go two months with the sarcoptic mite manifesting because they misdiagnosed him with allergies when he had mange. I treated the dog with 1 cup borax and 2 cups of peroxide rinse left on after I shampooed my dog regular. This had to be done twice before it was effective enough to cure him of this. However wear gloves it's brutal on your hands my cuts are still curing, ouch. I used the permethrin 5% creme and slept in my office for a week and a half quaurantining my dog and me while we treated this mess. I don't wish this on my worst enemy. I hope the neem oil keeps my dog's coat and my hair and body free off these mites for the next month that I will be using it. I will be mixing it with some tea tree oil and water and using that on my dog and myself after showering with the neem oil and castor soap that I'm preparing to shower with. GOOD LUCK AND KEEP THIS GOING :)
Neem oil...
by: Anonymous

Neem oil... a small teaspoon full. Add to cup Aussie conditioner 2 caps 6 squirts. Jojoba, coconut etc. Stir mix and place in bath before warm water.
For child and adults for skin. Cheers.
Acne
by: AnoSharonnymous

My bottle says Neem Oil Cold Pressed Carrier Oil. I want to use it for my acne! I’m just wondering if this already has the carrier oil already in it, or do I still have to dilute it before I put it on my face.
Thank you
Lime sulfer dip kills scabies NEW
by: Anonymous

Neem did nothing to cure the scabies that i have had for over a year. If you recently got scabies im so sorry to tell you that they are incredibly hard to get rid of. I have tried literally everything, alot of things help but nothing so far has cured. I oredered a bottle of sulfur lime dip and just got it yesterday and while im not cured yet, i would bet that i will be in a week. This stuff has made a huge difference over night. You must dilute it or its dangerous, but once diluted it is not hard on the skin (not mine anyways) it is nontoxic and the best part is that it really works. I put a little bit in a spray bottle and filled it with water and spray it everywhere and then when ever i feel them wiggling around on me i spray that spot. Im telling you nothing, not even harsh chemicals (bleach, permethrin, ivermectin) work even half as well as this does. Im so excited to have hope of actually getting rid of these demon bugs, i had no idea of how difficult this would be to get rid of. Its been a living nightmare. Its lime sulfer dip that is used on pets who get mites, it stinks like 100 rotten eggs but at this point i dont care, i dont go anywhere anymore anyways because i dont want to give anyone scabies.
To the Person with SCABIES (Also how to cure) NEW
by: Anonymous

Hi!

Neem is extremely good for scabies! BUT it does not kill them. It just sterilizes them so that they cannot make more eggs. (which is great!)

I had scabies and could not cure them, until i ran across a page that told me this:

make a paste with vaseline (to smother them) and Tumeric (to burn/kill them) and neem (to make them infertile and it alleviates the death itch almost instantly). Mix it up. You put this paste on your body overnight (i slept in a fitted sheet as to not ruin my other sheets) and the next day you wash it off.

In the daytime you put neem in your lotions (something like lemongrass or lavender), i also bought or made my own neem shampoo and conditioner cuz they live in your scalp as well. I also kept a mixture of vasaline and neem with a little tumeric for spot shots.

This cured my scabies in less than a week. Something I lived with for almost a year was cured in a week!

Neem is also very good for your skin. What the scabies destroyed, the neem brought back to health.

ALSO you need to wash all your clothes and have a spray bottle with neem and water to spray on furniture and and carpet (make sure to vaccuum).
Something being natural doesn’t mean it’s not harmful NEW
by: Anonymous

After reading this entire thing, the biggest takeaways should be that: just because it’s a plant (not a man made chemical) doesn’t mean it’s completely harmless.

After finding two case studies of people who had been comatose with encephalitis following taking neem oil internally, my snap judgement opinion would be that it may be best to limit the usage of this oil to external only, and keep it highly diluted.

And since you can be allergic or sensitive to anything, apply a small smear of the dilution to the inside crease of your elbow, and let it be for 24 hours. If you want to be safe, do this three times because it can sometimes take three doses for an allergy to show up.

A 1:10 ratio, as suggested by another, seems like safe range, but this’s something that’s best to research.

If you want to use this without a carrier oil, dilute it in water.

It’d be so cool if people saw all of this information BEFORE smearing it, undiluted, on their faces and are just now doing the research because they didn’t know they could be hurt; always do the research before using something new.

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