How to store essential oils

Some tips related to how to store essential oils (EOs)in order to maintain its quality and durability, among others are:
1. Make sure whether the product is pure or mixed.
2. Use a clean or nodes glass bottle to save it. When using a package from metal, look for metal that do not affect the quality of its content, because there are certain metals that can react with chemicals in EO, so it will obscure the scent and damage its components. The brown color glass will be very suitable for the types which is easily oxidized.
3. EO can also be stored in a sealed bottle or airtight. This is intended to avoid evaporation and losses.
4. Avoid direct sunlight, because there are certain EOs which is volatile and easily oxidized when exposed to sunlight.
5. Choose a cool and dry environment, and not to keep it in a moist place are the important parts of our tips on how to store essential oils.
6. Each package of EO should be labeled, which comes with the name or materials type, properties, efficacy and usefulness.
7. Bottles should be placed in a special box or cupboard which is safe from the reach of infants or children.
8. Each pure EO should not be mixed with others, except during use. This is to maintain the purity and avoid loss of its efficacy.
9. For the products that have undergone mixing, specify the composition of the materials, so that you don’t need adding new materials that will be able to affect its usability and usefulness.
Another thing you need to consider besides how to store the essential oils is the expired date, because each has a different shelf life associated with its properties and the content of their chemical compounds.

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Rose essential oil

Rose essential oil is one of the oldest and most valuable raw materials for perfumery. Not all of its components are soluble in the cosmetics. It is started from a perennial erect shrub with beautiful sweet scented flowers. Out of about 120 species, three species are commercially used for the essential oil production, namely, Rosa damascena., R. Gallica and R. centifolia. R. damascena is the most important with a delicate fragrance from which most of the high grade product. The extracted absolute adds lasting notes. Bulgarian rose oil is used for flavouring Certain types of tobacco. Limited quantities of otto are employed in flavouring soft drinks.
Plant and flower
Other species is R. alba with white flowers, but with less content of essential oil (EO). Indonesia to develop a hybrid type like sonia, Tineke, and pareo. The production reached 140-190 flowers per m2 per year. Usually it is fully formed after 20-25 days. It needs environment temperature about 15-23 degree Celsius and humidity 60%. If the ambient temperature is greater than 23 degree Celsius, then the respiration faster than photosynthesis so that the amount of flower are increasing but the content and quality of its EO declined.
Time to harvest is only 20 days annually. In order to get the higher yield with the highest quality, flower pickers must go to the garden at 5 am.
It should be harvested before the morning dew evaporates. According to experts, the crop yields on two different mornings will produce different characteristics of EO.
Producer countries
The best rose essential oil used as a perfume ingredient is not from France, but from the Balkans, Bulgaria. Famous perfume brands in the world, often using it as potential materials for its flagship commodities. And now they began to like Bulgarian rose essential oil which is said to have the best quality. The main producers in the world today include Bulgaria, Turkey, Morocco, Iran, France and Italy. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of world production of this product has been imported by France.
According to experts, the special characteristics of the climate in Bulgaria, has made the rose essential oil produced is more flavorful and durable. This makes manufacturers compete to use it. In the world, its prices constantly on the increase, according to the type of processing needed to produce this valuable raw material.
The amazing value
Rose oil price today has reached $U.S. 9,000/kg. Experts from Bulgaria, predict that an increase in demand for this product may be increased sharply. The production of this precious perfume substance needs a lot of labor. To produce two pounds (= 0.9 kg) of rose essential oil, requires 5,500 pounds (about 2.5 tons) to 6,600 pounds (2.9 tons) of raw materials. For that reason, its price is often compared to the gold price. In Bulgaria for example, 0.002 lb (about 9 grams) of this product sold at a price of $ U.S. 24.
The application
The rose essential oil is not only used for perfumes and cosmetics. Rose water and jam is used for making syrups and medicinal preparations. The Americans have found other use: to maintain spacecraft equipment. This is because it is more resistant to various temperatures. It is also contained in the most expensive perfume which is now on display for sale in Spain at a price of U.S. $ 636.000 per bottle (500 ml). One mini bottle of this luxury fluid contains at least 170 kinds of rose essential oil. This precious perfume is made with takes 1 year of manufacture.

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Carrier oil for essential oils

In fact, pure essential oils (EO) should be diluted first with a carrier oil or basal oil in order to obtain an adequate concentration and chemical effects are not too hard on the body, so they should not directly be used for aromatherapy purposes. This is because the active ingredients in EO have the strong enough power of reaction. If it is not be diluted first, then it can lead to excessive sensitivity of the users organs.
Carrier oil is the oil obtained from the extraction of vegetable material. The content can usually be found in the seeds and the fruit of a plant. Its function is as a source of food reserves as these plants grow. In addition, it is also a backup energy source for plants, especially in helping the chemical-biological processes during his lifetime.
Chemical properties
The compounds that make up carrier oil for essential oils may consist of: lauric, palmitic, capric, stearic, kaproat, decanoate, and linoleic acid and other compounds which are derivatives. They have different chemical properties with EO properties. They are less stable, easily soluble in ether, but not easily soluble in water and do not easily evaporate.
Basically it is is a type of vegetable oil in the form of straight-chain fatty acids containing ester groups, which are hydrophilic. These can cross the hair follicle, reaching the top layer of skin and can be absorbed by the skin as well. Aside from being a base component in the aroma therapy, they also can act as emoliensa, cosmetics, nutrition, sunscreen, and water repellent. In aroma therapy, they are used in a ratio of more than EO.
They can be produced from grains and fruits through the process of extraction so that it is commonly referred as vegetable oil. The type of carrier oil for essential oils are the oil of coconut, wheat, sunflower, olive, peanut, corn, soy, sesame, avocado, and etc. Choosing the right type of material mentioned above will determine the characteristics of the resulting mixture for each of these vegetable oil have a distinctive aroma, especially if they have not been properly purified. However, sometimes it purification process eliminates the efficacious component in it, such as antioxidants or vitamin E that actually has a benefit if the mixture is intended for the skin.

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Essential oil for abdominal pain

Essential oil is traditionally prepared to get rid of light abdominal pain and which is not repetitive. However, in principle, the pain should be examined by the physician to keep the possibility of the symptom which is associated with appendicitis, inflammation of the pancreas, peptic ulcers, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, inflammation of the bladder, hepatitis, inflammation of lung, viral infection, or other things that need more serious treatment. If nothing else more serious then it can be reduced by the following treatment.
Pain in the upper abdomen
Rub the following mixture to the abdomen. The essential oil of peppermint (3 drops) and clove (2) dissolved in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (coconut or sesame oil).
In the lower abdomen
Rub the following mixture to the abdomen. Thyme (2 drops) and clove (3) dissolved in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil (coconut or sesame oil).
That symptom actually can be caused by other factors, such as malabsorption syndrome caused by unbalanced eating lifestyle. So that, the food absorption and digestion process of is compromised, because a number of enzymes to break down food is not enough. Some foods that enter the body will be wasted. Therefore, if abdominal pain occurs too often, then you should consult to your doctor or nutritionist, instead of using essential oil.

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Different types of essential oils

Essential oils (EO) are obtained by different methods -- distillation being the most familiar. There are four different types of essential oils: absolutes vs. concretes, expressed, solvent-extracted, and steam-distilled.
Absolutes are "essences," rather than "essential" oils. They are generally obtained from the extraction of a concrete with alcohol. A concrete is the solid waxy residue derived from hexane extraction of plant parts(usually the flower petals). This method is used for botanicals where the fragrance and therapeutic parts of the plant can only be unlocked using solvents. These are not to be used internally, as traces of petrochemicals remain in the product. Jasmine and neroli are examples of absolutes.
Expressed oil are pressed from the rind of fruits (usually citrus). Tangerines, grapefruits, lemons and oranges are produced by this method. Technically speaking, these are not EO - they are expressed product, but they are highly regarded for their therapeutic properties, none the less. It is best to use only organically grown crops for this method, since pesticide residues, especially highly toxic, carbamate and chloride-based petrochemicals, can become highly concentrated in this product.
Solvent extration involves the use of oil-soluble solvents, such as hexane, dimethylenechloride, and acetone. There is no guarantee that the finished product will be free of solvent residues. Steam distillation is the oldest and most traditional extraction method. Plant material is inserted into a cooking chamber, and steam is passed through it. After the steam is collected and condensed, it is processed through a separator to collect the product. The amount of pressure used, the amount of time the plant parts is steamed and the material the steam chamber is constructed of contribute a great deal to the quality of the product.
Glossaries related to the different types of essential oils
Absolute : the most concentrated form of fragance obtained when distilling a concrete.
Balsam : water soluble, semi-solid or viscous resinous exudate similar to that gum.
Concrete : a waxy concentrated semi-solid EO extract, made from plant parts, and is used to make absolute.
Essence : the liquid products resulting from the condensation of vapour from puree processing.
Essential oils : volatile aromatic liquid consisting the odorous principles botanical matter
Fixed oil : obtained from plants that are fatty and non-volatile
Flower water : the water resulting from the distillation of essential oils, which still contains some of the properties of the plant parts used in the processing.
Fractionated oil : it have been re-distilled, either to have terpenes removes or remove other substances.
Infused oil : its is produced by steeping the macerated botanical material in oil until it has taken on some the material properties.
Oleo gum resin : odoriferous exudation from botanical material consisting of essential oils, gum, and resin.
Oleoresin (OR): Natural resinous exudation from plants or aromatic liquid preparation extracted from botanical material. Solvent extraction of properly ground plant parts subsequent removal of solvent distillation gives dark coloured viscous products.
Resin : they are natural exudations from trees, prepared resins are OR from which the essential oils has been removed.
Resinoids : perfumed substances extracted from natural resinous material by using solvent.
Terpeneless : EO from which monoterpene hydrocarbons have been removed.
Tincture : either a herbal or perfume substances prepared in an alcohol base.
Volatile : substance that is unstable an evaporates easily, like an EO, then give distinct aroma
Spice oil : EO obtained by steam or water distillation of ground spices and in some cases whole spices.
Perfume : liquid with a specific favour produced by mixing or blending two or more EO in a solvent
Different types of essential oils showed the effect on their chemical composition, properties, proper application, and application concentration, although it used the same raw materials.

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Essential oil for natural sunscreen

Among the essential oil that can be used for natural sunscreen is ylang-ylang. This oil can be a single topical dosage form or mixed with other materials in the form of basal oil such as avocado, seed grain, and corn oil. This basal oil contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that can function as a protective skin from the damage caused by environmental factors such as dust, heat, radiation, and others.
Sunscreen is very beneficial to the skin from the influence of the hot sun. Especially for those who live in the tropics where the hot sunlight can burn the outer layer of the epidermis then the skin become darker because of pigmentation changes. By using natural sunscreen from ylang–ylang essential oil, skin health is expected to always awake.
It is a material that can absorb or scatter ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can be produced from organic materials. These compounds generally contain a benzene ring. One of the active components is 4-methoxy octyl cinnamic which can be synthesized from the Claisen condensation reaction between 4-methoxybenzaldehyde and octyl acetic. Eugenol, seen from its structure (aromatic ring, allyl functional groups, hydroxy, and methoxy), can be converted to derivatives such as 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. Eugenol is a component of clove essential oil. By replacing the octyl group with other alkyl compounds, it is expected to produce a better sunscreen activity. Their activity is shown by the SPF value (sun protection factor). The value expressed the ability of a component to protect the skin from sun damage.
The results Dwiyono et.al., students from Gadjah Mada University - Indonesia, showed that the condensation reaction of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, a derivative of eugenol, and hexyl acetic produced 3,4-hexyl dimethoxy hexylbenzaldehyde. This essential oil natural compound has the activity of the protection against UV-B ray regions that can be classified as UV-B sunscreen compound.

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Essential oil chemical changes

Essential oil chemical changes is usually attributed to such general reactions as oxidation, resinification, polymerization, hydrolysis of esters, and to interreaction of functional groups. These processes seem to be activated by heat, the presence of air, of moisture, and catalyzed by exposure to light and in some cases, possibly by metals.
There is no doubt that oils with a high content of terpenes (all citrus oils, pine needle oils, oil of turpentine, juniper berry, etc.) are particularly prone to spoilage, due probably to oxidation, and especially resinification. Light seems to be of lesser importance as a factor causing deterioration, than is moisture.
Essential oils containing a high percentage of esters (bergamot, lavender, etc.) turn acid after improper storage, due to partial hydrolysis of esters. The aldehyde content of certain oils (for example, lemongrass) gradually diminishes as the essential oil chemical changes take place. Fatty oils, with a few exceptions, are very prone to oxidation, but such spoilage can be retarded or prevented altogether by antioxidants. Certain types, especially those containg alcohols (for example, geranium), are quite stable and stand prolonged storage. Still others, patchouli and vetiver, for instance, improve considerably on ageing; in fact, they should be aged for a few years before being used in perfume compounds.
As a general rule, any essential oil should first be treated to remove metallic impurities, freed from moisture and clarified, and then be stored in well-filled, tightly closed containers, at low temperature and protected from light. A layer of carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas blown into the container before it is sealed will replace the layer of air above the oil and thereby assure added protection against oxidation. Nevertheless, moisture seems to be one of the worst factors in itsspoilage and, therefore, any moisture must be removed prior to storing.
The effect of essential oil chemical changes is on their physical properties such as increase or decrease in their viscocity, color change, and loss of scent.

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Retort for essential oil distillation

Retort for essential oil distillation is often referred as tanks. It is a vessel where the contact between the plant substances with steam takes place and then it vaporizes the volatile compounds. Its simple form is a cylindrical with a diameter equal to its height or slightly smaller, and equipped with a lid that can be raised and can be attached with a clamp on the cylindrical body.
The lid should be attached strong and tight enough with vessel so that no moisture can loose during the refining process takes place. At the top of cylinder was placed a kind of swan neck that can flow the vapor to the condenser. In the water distillation method (WD), liquid H2O and plant material is filled into the retort, and then heated. The steam along with essential oil will evaporate together, then head to the goose neck and condense.
In the water and steam distillation method (WSD), an open container is stationed in the form of plates with holes (can also be a coarse sieve from metal) on the bottom inside the retort for essential oil distillation, which is used to hold plant material above the water surface.
During the processing of seed (whole or have been grinded), this container should be covered with cloth or others so that the seed do not pass down. This container must be sufficiently far above the bottom so that the liquid H2O can be filled pretty much into the vessel without any contact with the material and drought does not occur during the processing. As an illustration, for the retort which has 60 cm height, the container should be 20 cm above the bottom.
In WD method, the tank should be wider so that the raw plant parts can be submerged in liquid H2O. It will produce more yield and better quality. Height and diameter of the tank on the WSD are approximately equal. If you have more quantity of the material, so the tank height must be adjusted. All you need to know is it must be maintained so that it is not too dense to allow the steam move freely toward the top through them. In addition, it should also be made an instrument that can detect the water level in the vessel to avoid drought during the processing. To prevent heat lost, it would be good if the entire surface of the retort for essential oil distillation is coated with heat-resistant layer, such as asbestos.

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