In short, the answer is that they come from plants. Essential oils are typically extracted from the bark, leaves, flower, roots, or other parts of the plant, by steam or heat distillation or cold pressing, boiling in water or even soaking in alcohol. They are extremely concentrated and contain both the aromatic and chemical properties of the plant.
Simply put, if it is a fresh, quality essential oil and it smells bad to you, it could very likely be personal taste. I know that sounds oversimplified, but it’s generally true. There’s a number of essential oils that I personally don’t care to smell, but I still use them because of their beneficial properties.
Most of your essential will be good for up to 3 years if stored properly. They need to be kept cool, and the lid should always be tightly sealed. There are many oils that are good for 10 years or more. The exceptions to this rule are tea tree and lemon. You can expect them to be good for a year or two, but again, they must have been stored properly.
Essential oils expire because of a process called oxidation. Oxidation is the process set in motion by oxygen and moisture. For instance, rust in metal is caused by oxidation, as is a patina on silver and copper. If the scent of essential oils can change or weaken. Perhaps you notice they’ve become cloudy or viscous; In such a case, they are likely no longer good.
The takeaway here is to keep your oils in a cool place. NOT in the freezer. Freezing oils can damage the Oils’ properties you hope to benefit from.
Note: if you keep your oils in the refrigerator, it may be wise to store them in a double heavy duty/freezer zip top plastic bag, or your food might taste like the oil you store!
It’s commonly accepted that oils are absorbed faster through the soles of the feet because it has a lot of pores — or because the pores are large. Others say oils put on the bottoms of your feet bypass the liver. There are also abundant nerve endings in the feet.
While it is true that the feet absorb the oils very well, it has nothing to do with how many pores you have or how large they are. The pores on the soles of your feet and those on the palms of your hands do not contain sebaceous glands. In other areas of your body, these glands secrete an oil called sebum which acts a barrier.
Essential oils will absorb into any part of your skin, but they absorb more fully where sebum is not present. Because of this, the soles of your feet are an excellent place to apply your oils!
Essential oil is a bit of a misnomer because essential oils are not “essential” to the plant. For this reason, the preferred term by professionals is “volatile oils.” Volatile can mean a lot of different things. In this instance, the term “volatile” refers to a characteristic that the oils possess: they rapidly evaporate in air.
Many people use essential oil sprays to get rid of pests around their homes and in their garden. It’s a great alternative to chemical pest sprays. But, will essential oils kill houseplants?
Plenty of people diffuse their oils in places that have beautiful houseplants in it with no adverse effects. Keep your eye on your plants when you use your diffuser to be sure they’re still thriving, but you shouldn’t have any problem with this!
If oil spills it may cause a stain on clothing or damage finishes. If an essential oil spills on washable fabric, dry dab as much as possible without spreading the oil. Apply an appropriate detergent as soon as possible and wash according to the manufactures directions.
You can! There are great ways to use oils without a diffuser too
No, they aren’t. Remember, essential oils are derived from plants. Fragrance oils are synthetically created in a laboratory. A chemist manufactures a scent so it smells like something else. Ever had a candle that smells like apple pie? That was a fragrance oil at work.
