How Essential Oils are Made
Essential oils are actually extracted from certain plants, trees, and fruits using a technique called distillation. Since plants contain such a small amount of extract, several pounds of plants are needed to provide a small bottle to consumers. The essential oils are then refined and distilled and packaged in containers that help maintain the scent and fragrance for a good amount of time. The following is a list of treatments and extract procedures that produce the essential oils for our use in aromatherapy or creams.
Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is the most popular and the oldest distillation process available. Old-time, traditional aromatherapy professionals believe this method is the best way to produce the most quality extracts. This system takes dried or fresh plants and places them into a steam chamber. The steam is put under pressure and then circulated in and out of the plant material. The heat from the pressurized steam causes the plant’s cellular structure to open and the essential oils pour into a holding container. This is a delicate method since the heat must be well balanced to open the plant but not too hot causing destruction of the delicate oil.
After the steam and oil are distilled into a container, the steam returns to a liquid while the oil creates a film at the top of the solution. Both the liquid and the oil are both therapeutic by-products of the process. The oils can be packaged as a pure essential oil extract. The water still holds a lot of the oil properties, so it is used by cosmetic companies in toners or skin creams.
Cold Pressing
Extracts from fruits such as bergamot, grapefruit, lemon or limes use different forms of processing. The essential oils are mainly in the fruit’s peel, so they need to be penetrated. The fruit’s peel is rolled over a large array of sharp objects that cause the peel to burst and the oils extracted. Then the fruit is squeezed and the juice contained. Like steam distillation, the essential oils rise to the top of the juices as a film. They are separated by centrifugations into containers that are packaged to consumers.
Enfleurage
This method of extraction is used for flowers or plants that are very delicate. Some plants are too delicate to withstand the heat from steam distillation. Enfleurage uses animal fat to absorb the essential oils from the delicate flowers. As the petals are depleted from their oils, more are placed on the animal fats until it is completely saturated with the extract. After the fat is saturated, the fat is treated with alcohol which solvates the essential oils. Once the mixture is contained, the alcohol will evaporate leaving behind the essential oil product.
Solvent Extraction
Solvent extraction is the most efficient and affordable way to separate the extract from the plant. In this method, a solvent is used to saturate the plant and absorb the oils. After saturation, it is then treated with alcohol. Like enfleurage, the alcohol eventually evaporates and it leaves only the essential oils for packaging. This method is especially useful for more expensive extracts where each plant needs to be squeezed for its extract as much as possible. Although this method is the most cost-efficient, it can leave solvent in the product which can cause side effects.
You’ll learn which oil does what and also learn which may be best for your unique use and application.
How to Choose Essential Oils
When you decide to use essential oils to help your mood, stress, or physical illness it is hard to decide from the many available products which one is right for you. Essential oils come in a variety of scents and fragrances and the different extracts act on different components. Some help your mental fatigue, others relieve stress, and others can be used as topical creams that help you alleviate scars or acne.
The first thing to consider when choosing an essential oil is to inhale the fragrance. Some scents are very pungent, others are citrus, and others have a flowery smell. If any of these scents bother you, then the essential oil will not help with the relaxing effects. Make sure to be familiar with the fragrance before you make your purchase. When testing the scent, make sure to keep it a few inches away if it is not diluted. Undiluted essential oils can give you a headache.
When testing scents, make sure to take a break from the testing. Do not continually inhale too many fragrances or they will ultimately cause you to get dizzy or give you a headache. You also may not be able to distinguish between the scents after saturating your senses.
Avoid buying essential oils that do not have a variety of prices. You may ask why that is important. Some essential oils are rare and expensive. If a company is selling essential oils at a consistent price, the chances are that the more expensive oils are not authentic. They may also have been distilled with cheaper methods that leave some of the by-products in the packaging.
If you are sensitive to oily solvents, then avoid using essential oils that are diluted with vegetable oil. Although this is a recommended way to dilute the extracts, it leaves an oily residue behind. To test if an essential oil has been diluted this way, place a tiny drop on a piece of paper. If it leaves behind a residue as the drop slides off the paper then it has likely been diluted with vegetable oil.
When shopping for bottles, use manufacturers that list the Latin name on the bottle. This leaves no confusion on the actual extract that is contained in the bottle. Some extracts are closely related to the common names that we know, so they are falsely advertised as the real thing. Also, take note of the country. Some essential oils come from exotic places such as Africa while others are native to France. This will give you an idea if it is authentic as well.
The best essential oils are pure. Some companies sell synthetic essential oils which can be dangerous. The synthetic oils do not contain the therapeutic effects that pure essential oils contain. Also, synthetic oils can cause allergies or painful headaches.
Choose pure essential oils over synthetic essential oils. Aromatherapy experts prefer pure oils, saying that synthetic oils do not have the same therapeutic properties as pure essential oils. Also, synthetic oils are thought to cause more headaches and allergic reactions.
Containers used to keep essential oils should be dark or navy blue. Clear bottles allow sunlight to enter the oils and they can spoil the extracts more quickly. Make sure to keep extracts out of sunlight and in a dry, cool place.
Whatever your situation, you will learn which essential oil can be used to better your life and your health quickly and easily.
How to Make Your Own Essential Oils
Essential oils are homeopathic ways to help mental issues, fatigue, stress, or even physical conditions. Essential oils are extracts from certain plants or fruits that are distilled and placed in a container. Packaged essential oils are highly potent and very concentrated. Below are basic instructions on how to extract, distill, and cultivate your own essential oils.
Buy a Distiller
The first important item you will need to make your own essential oils is to purchase a distiller. Distillers cost a few hundred dollars, so make sure the one you choose is durable and will do the job well. Distillers have several components to consider. The heater is important to properly steam and heat the plants so that you can extract the oils. The holding tank will decide how much water you will be able to use. Smaller holding tanks will mean less steam. The condenser collects the steamed mixture. The condenser collects the steam and holds it for cooling. Finally, the separator is used to separate the water from the oil.
Decide what plant you would like to use. You can also buy the harvested plants or you can choose to grow them yourself. Some expensive essential oils are only available from other countries such as France. Africa is also a host of several essential oil plants. Make sure to research which essential oil is most useful for the illness that you need to alleviate.
When you receive the plant, you need to dry the plant for the distiller. Drying the plant will dry some of the oil, but it will yield a higher extract product. Drying is a slow process and it should never be done via sunlight. Sunlight can damage the oils and render the plant useless. The distilling process should be done immediately after drying is complete.
Add the water to your distiller, and pack the plant material in the container. You don’t need to cut or break the plants since the distiller will extract from whole plant material. You can pack the plant matter thickly to make sure you receive enough extract.
Boil the water so that steam starts to form. Keep an eye on the distiller to make sure it does not overflow. It is also important to make sure that the water does not run out. The heat without the water can break your distiller.
You can optionally filter the solutions. By pouring the solution through a cloth fabric, you can catch some of the small imperfections and contaminants that can cause allergies. It will also remove dirt from the solution making it purer.
Store the oil in a container. The container for essential oils should be dark glass or stainless steel. Never use clear glass or your product can spoil more quickly. The essential oils should be kept in a cool, dark place away from contaminates. Most essential oils have an approximate shelf life of 2 years.
The remaining part of the distillation process that is not the oil is the hydrosol. It contains some of the oil and fragrance material that also has therapeutic effects. You can use the water for other uses such as bath water or a light scent. For others, they prefer not to keep the hydrosol and it is thrown away.
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