Table of Contents
- Fractionated Coconut Oil vs Jojoba Oil at a Glance
- Which One Should You Choose?
- What Is Fractionated Coconut Oil?
- What Is Jojoba Oil?
- Shelf Life and Storage
- Which Carrier for Your Skin Type
- How Many Drops in a 10 ml Roller?
- Good Essential Oils for Roller Blends
- Making and Caring for Your Rollers
- More Carrier Oil Posts
- FAQs
Updated November 2026
Both make good roller bases, and choosing between fractionated coconut oil vs jojoba oil mostly comes down to feel. Fractionated coconut oil (FCO) is thin and scentless, soaks in fast, and stays liquid even in a cold car. It’s the carrier I use most often in my rollers. Jojoba is a liquid wax with a silkier finish that feels a lot like your skin’s own oils, and it keeps for years. Below you’ll find a side-by-side chart, which one fits your skin, and how many drops go in a 10 ml roller. Jump to the comparison chart.
For more options, see my list of carrier oils, where you can compare 25 carriers side by side.
Fractionated Coconut Oil vs Jojoba Oil at a Glance
Here’s how fractionated coconut oil vs jojoba oil compare in a roller bottle.
| Fractionated Coconut Oil | Jojoba Oil | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Coconut oil with the long-chain fats removed | A liquid wax pressed from jojoba seeds |
| Texture | Thin, light, non-greasy | Silky, a little richer |
| Absorption | Fast | Medium |
| Scent | None | None (clear) or faintly nutty (golden) |
| In the cold | Stays liquid | Can turn cloudy or solid below about 50°F |
| Comedogenic rating | 2 | 2 |
| Shelf life once opened | 2 years or more | 2 years or more, often much longer |
| Best for | A light, fast-drying roller in any season | A softer, silkier roller and dry or sensitive skin |
Which One Should You Choose?
With fractionated coconut oil vs jojoba oil, there’s no wrong answer. It comes down to how you want the roller to feel.
- Pick fractionated coconut oil if you want a roller that glides on, dries fast, and won’t change the scent of your blend. It’s also the better choice for a roller that rides in your purse or car in winter.
- Pick jojoba if you like a softer, more cushioned feel on your skin, or if your skin runs dry.
- Can’t decide? Use half of each. You get FCO’s light glide with a little of jojoba’s silkiness.
What Is Fractionated Coconut Oil?
Fractionated coconut oil starts as regular coconut oil (Cocos nucifera), which is solid at room temperature. The oil is separated so that mostly the medium-chain triglycerides, caprylic and capric acid, are left. Those stay liquid at any temperature, so FCO won’t harden or clog a roller ball the way virgin coconut oil can.
Because the long-chain fats are gone, FCO also loses the coconut smell. It’s clear, thin, and scentless, so your essential oils are the only scent in the bottle.
What Is Jojoba Oil?
Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is pressed from the seeds of a desert shrub, and it’s really a liquid wax, not an oil. Your skin’s own oil, called sebum, contains wax too, so jojoba feels balanced on skin rather than heavy or greasy.
Golden jojoba is unrefined and has a faint nutty scent. Clear jojoba is refined and has no scent at all. Both work in rollers.
Jojoba has a melting point of about 50°F (Wikipedia), so a bottle left in a cold car or the fridge can turn cloudy or even solid. That’s normal and doesn’t hurt the oil. Warm the bottle in your hands and it clears again.
Shelf Life and Storage
Both carriers keep far longer than most. Fractionated coconut oil is stable because medium-chain fats are slow to go rancid. Jojoba’s wax structure resists going rancid even longer; in a 2022 study, crude jojoba oil held up better against oxidation than most other plant oils tested.
That makes either one a good base for a roller you use slowly. Keep rollers capped tight, in a cool, dark place, and toss any blend that smells sharp, sour, or like old crayons. See my carrier oil shelf life and storage guide for more.
Which Carrier for Your Skin Type
Both carriers have a comedogenic rating of 2 on my non-comedogenic carrier oils list, so most people can use either one. Here’s how they tend to feel:
- Oily or combination skin: FCO dries fastest and leaves the least shine. Jojoba works well too, since it doesn’t feel greasy.
- Dry skin: Jojoba leaves a soft, smooth layer that helps skin feel more comfortable. For very dry skin, see my essential oils for dry skin post.
- Sensitive skin: Both are gentle. Jojoba has almost no scent, which suits sensitive noses as well.
- Breakout-prone skin: Start with a small amount of either and see how your skin does.
Whichever you choose, patch test a new blend on your inner forearm for 24 to 48 hours.
How Many Drops in a 10 ml Roller?
Every roller recipe on my blog makes one 10 ml glass roller. Count every essential oil in the blend toward the total.
| Dilution | Drops in 10 ml | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 1 drop | Kids 2 to 4, six starter oils only, after checking with your pediatrician |
| 0.5 to 1% | 1 to 2 drops | Face, sensitive skin, older adults, kids 5 to 11, pregnancy after 16 weeks |
| 2 to 3% | 4 to 6 drops | Everyday use for adults and teens 12+ |
| Up to 5% | Up to 10 drops | Ages 15+ only, short-term, on a small spot |
Not sure about the math? My dilution chart and calculator does it for you.
Good Essential Oils for Roller Blends
These oils work well in either carrier. Check the age before you make a roller for someone younger.
| Essential oil | Scent | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) | Soft floral | 2+ |
| Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) | Sweet apple | 2+ |
| Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) | Cheerful, sweet | 2+ |
| Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) | Warm, lemony resin | 2+ |
| Cedarwood Atlas (Cedrus atlantica) or Virginian (Juniperus virginiana) | Warm wood | 2+ |
| Bergamot FCF (Citrus bergamia) | Bright, floral citrus | 5+ |
| Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) | Rosy, green | 5+ |
| Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) | Warm, gentle herb | 5+ |
| Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) | Cool, sharp mint | 6+ |
| Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, formerly Rosmarinus officinalis, ct. cineole) | Fresh herbal | 10+ |
Use bergamot FCF on skin, since regular bergamot can cause a sun reaction. Atlas cedarwood is on the endangered list, so if you already have a bottle, use it up, and choose Virginian when you buy new. For blend ideas, try my essential oil roller bottle recipes, or the roller recipes in my jojoba and fractionated coconut oil posts.
Making and Caring for Your Rollers
Filling a Roller
Start with a clean, dry glass roller bottle. Add the essential oils first, then fill with FCO or jojoba to just below the shoulder, leaving room for the roller ball. Press the ball in firmly, cap it, and roll the bottle between your hands to mix. Wipe the neck clean, and label the bottle with the name, the date, and the dilution.
Storing Rollers
Glass is best, since some essential oils can break down plastic. Store rollers upright, capped tight, in a cool, dark place, and out of reach of kids and pets. If a blend changes color, smells off, or starts to irritate your skin, toss it.
Common Roller Fixes
- Sticky roller ball: Pop it out, rinse it in warm, soapy water, and let it dry completely before putting it back.
- Leaking: The ball isn’t seated tightly, or the bottle is too full. Pour off a little oil and press the ball back in firmly.
- Too strong: Pour some out and top it off with more carrier.
- Too weak: Add a drop, but stay within the dilution chart above.
- Cloudy jojoba: It got cold. Warm the bottle in your hands.
A Few Safety Basics
• Keep essential oils away from babies under 2, including diffusing in a room they’re in.
• Always dilute oils before they touch skin, and patch test a new blend on your inner forearm for 24 to 48 hours.
• Check the age on each oil. Kids 2 to 4 use only six starter oils at 0.5%, after checking with your pediatrician. Kids 5 to 11 stay at 0.5 to 1%.
• If you’re pregnant, check with your doctor or midwife first. For the first 16 weeks I use only six oils, and only in a diffuser or inhaler: lavender, sweet orange, lemon, ginger, cedarwood (Virginian), and frankincense. After that, skin blends stay at 0.5 to 1%.
• Never put oils on pets, and diffuse with a door open so they can leave. Cats are especially sensitive, including to tea tree, citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, pine, wintergreen, cinnamon, clove, and ylang ylang.
• Never swallow essential oils. If someone does, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
More Carrier Oil Posts
- List of Carrier Oils: 25 Best Carrier Oils
- Jojoba Carrier Oil
- Fractionated Coconut Oil Uses and Benefits
- Why Use Fractionated Coconut Oil With Essential Oils?
- Fractionated Coconut Oil vs Virgin Coconut Oil
- Carrier Oil Shelf Life and Storage
- Best Carrier Oils for Massage
Ready to make your own blends? Browse my roller bottle kits and my free essential oil guides.
DIY Essential Oil Welcome Kit: Blank Aromatherapy Inhaler and Roll On Bottles
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