Caring For Your Essential Oils

Essential oils evaporate readily and are easily damaged by light, extremes of temperature and exposure to oxygen in the air. For this reason they are sold in well-stoppered, dark glass bottles. They must never be sold in bottles with a rubber pipette (as was common several years ago). A few essential oils, especially cedarwood, cause rubber to perish into a sticky mess.

 

In theory, most essential oils will keep for several years. However, with the exception of bergamot, citrus oils may deteriorate within six to nine months. A few oils improve with age, rather like some good wines. Examples of these are sandalwood, patchouli and frankincense. But the more often you open the bottle, the greater the chance of oxidation - a process whereby a substance is chemically combined with oxygen and its original structure altered or destroyed - as reflected in the deterioration of the aroma.

 

To prolong the life of your oils, store them in a dark place in normal to cool temperatures (65°F or below). If you have a large selection of oils, they could be stored in a fridge (perhaps a second-hand fridge used exclusively for this purpose), but not in the freezer compartment. Although many essences turn cloudy when kept cold, after an hour or two at room temperature they become clear again. Citrus essences, however, are the exception and may become irreversibly cloudy if stored in very cold conditions. Nevertheless, this will not affect their therapeutic properties.

 

Should you decide to store essential oils in the fridge, always take them out at least an hour before use. If too cold, essential oils do not flow freely. Certain essences need special treatment. Rose otto, for instance, is semisolid in cool temperatures, but becomes liquid with the slightest warmth, so rub the bottle between your hands for a few seconds before use. Other oils such as vetiver, cedarwood, patchouli and myrrh become increasingly viscous as they age and therefore take much longer to become liquid. In fact, myrrh becomes quite solid as it ages. In this instance, you may have to steep the bottle in a cup of hand-hot water for about ten minutes. Although heat speeds up the oxidation process, with myrrh it seems there is no other choice.

 

Although concentrated essential oils have a long shelf-life, once diluted in a base oil such as cold-pressed sweet almond or sunflower seed, the aroma will quickly deteriorate - along with the oil's therapeutic properties. Massage oil blends should be stored in the same conditions as concentrated essences, but for no longer than about two months.