Choosing essential oil bottle

During storage, degradation can occur in essential oils. The deterioration is usually caused by oxidation, resinification (condensed form compounds such as resin), polymerization (forming a viscous compound), and hydrolysis. Because of changes in these compounds, so the its color will change and become more viscous. The changes are activated by heat, oxygen from air, moisture, sunlight, and heavy metal molecules. They should be stored properly so that the deterioration will not happen or at least be slowed.
Here are the best tips on how to store essential oil properly:
Tips # 1: Choose a dark bottle
They should be stored in containers made from glass, dark (eg, brown or dark blue) to reduce the incoming rays.
Tips # 2: Consider the headspace
It is an empty space between the products with a lid. Generally, its function was to provide room for expansion of its content/volume when it was get sterilized. However, if it is too large then the contained material is very likely to get oxidized and discoloration of the packaged material will happen, whereas if it is too small then the packing tip could be broken during sterilization. Typically, its volume is approximately 10% of container capacity. So you have to consider the size of the bottle in this case.
Therefore, it should be fully loaded so that oxygen from the air in the headspace is small. If the content in the bottle is very low then it needs to be poured into another one of smaller size to avoid too large air volume in the previous bottle.
Before closing, preferably CO2 or Nitrogen gas sprayed into the headspace. CO2 and Nitrogen is an inert gas (not easily react with the material). Thus, it can be relatively free of oxygen and was replaced by carbon dioxide or nitrogen.
Tips # 3: Choose the right material for packaging
They should be stored in the place that are completely dry and must be free of heavy metals. Therefore, the essential oil bottle should be made of glass or coated with an inert material.

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Essential oils properties

Although their composition differ one from another, they have some similar physical essential oil properties. They are composed not only of one compound, but a mixture with different composition for each type of plant. They have a distinctive odor, a high refractive index, and most have optical activity and a specific rotation. Therefore, these parameters are used as the qualification of those products.
They are soluble in ether, alcohol, and several other organic solvents. Its solubility in water is very small, but large enough to provide the smell to the water. Water that contains very little of them also has a fragrance, usually called aromatic water.
The other essential oil properties as follows:
-It has a distinctive odor, the smell is generally represented his native plant odor
-Having a sense of bitter, sharp taste, bite, giving a sense of hot or even warm to cold when the skin, depending on the type of its components. For example: the volatile compounds from clove bud give us extra hot, even irritating sensation to our skin, so you should be careful when use it.
How to distinguish between them with the fat or oil?
Plant substances that have a solubility and physical appearance similar to the volatile oil is "oil or fat". They were both somewhat viscous liquid form and can not dissolved in water. To distinguish them, you may notice the following essential oil properties:
Tips #1
They can be distilled from the source of natural materials, while fat or oil can not because essential oils contain volatile compounds which give distinct pleasant aroma. The fat and oil sometime contain short chain fatty acid. That compounds are also volatile but give unpleasant aroma signing the rancidity of fat or oil had happened.
Tips #2
When both substances are hatched on a piece of paper it will leave a transparent stain. After a while, volatile oil stains will disappear, while the oil or fat stains still there.
Tips #3
On the addition of alkali, they do not produce soap, while the fat or oil produce soap.
Tips #4
Fat or oil when stored longer would be rancid (rancid), but volatile oils are not. However, when volatile compounds exposed to sunlight or moisture, air or oxygen will cause resinification, thus becoming similar viscous resin.
Understanding essential oil properties can help us to design each application and to formulate the right recipe of the various kinds.

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Finding essential oil from plant part

Essential oil is produced from various part of plant and then stored in various organs. Research shows that they are made in the certain organs. They are present inside the plant (called "internal glands") and outside it (called "external ones").
Internal gland
It is produced by the entry of essential oils that originally exist outside the cells, which then destroy them around it, create a kind of channel organs with essential oils inside. There are possibilities that the surrounding ones to dissolved and create a group of cells called "glands" thus produce a channel that contains it.
Its mechanism such as formation schizolysigen. Some of them may exist in all parts of the certain trees. There are herbs that contained it only in the leaves, flowers, or in the trunk. There are also trees that contain it in some location of the plant, for example in the leaves and the bark as in Cinnamoni (cinnamon). Under microscope, it appears that they exist in the form of fraction with slightly yellowish-colored cells. Sometimes their wall dissolved to build a line of volatile oil in cinnamon bark (created by schizolysigen).
External gland
Glands of the external surface, commonly referred to as "epidermal cells" or its modification, such as hairs. The volatile products are usually buried in between the cuticle (outer layer) and the wall between a cell with others. Cuticle in the form of a thin layer will rupture when exposed to friction, eg friction hands. When the cuticle breaks, they would come out so its smell will spread.
Under microscope, that hairs found on the entire surface of the leaves and bark. They shaped like hair and a sphere-shaped organ that contain the volatile compounds. Important things to note:
1. In the Cinnamomun zeylanicum BREYN, it is found in the bark as opposed to that contained in the leaves.
2. In Coniferae, it is found in all plant parts.
3. In rose, it is found only in the petals of flowers.
4. In Umbelliferae, it is in pericarp of fruit.
5. On citrus (orange), it is in the petals and its composition is very different with the volatile compounds which come from the peel of the fruit.

If you want to produce essential oils, you need to know the parts of plants which can produce it. So it should be studied first.

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Essential oil business opportunities in Indonesia

As one of the biodiversity central, Indonesia has the opportunities to produces 40 kinds of essential oils from 80 species that are traded in world business. Of these, 13 species have entered the world markets that is patchouli, lemongrass, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, vetiver, ylang, eucalyptus, and cubeb.
Most of the them produced by the farmers is exported to the market share of 64% patchouli, 67% ylang, 26% vetiver, 12% lemongrass, 72% nutmeg, 63% cloves. 0.4% ginger, and 0.9% pepper oil of world exports. Essential oils export destination for Indonesia, among others, the United States (23%), Britain (19%), Singapore (18%), India (8%), Spain (8%), France (6%), China (3% ), Switzerland (3%), Japan (2%), and other countries (8%). Although the market share of some of these commodities are individually relatively high, the total share of Indonesia in the essential oils international market is only about 2.6%. In any national economy, these products at 2001-2003 period has only a small portion, classified into commodities "plantation", the role of an average 0.01% of total export value of commodities. In 2004, essential oils export value reached U.S. $ 47.2 million, but this country also imported this commodity worth U.S. $ 12.26 million and their processed products (derivatives, isolates, and formulas) U.S. $ 117.20 million. If the value of imports is taken into account, so the Indonesia's trade balance for these commodities became negative. Actually, some of them can be produced domestically, such as peppermint oil (Mentha arvensis) and anise oil (Clausena anisata).
On 18-20 September 2006, in Solo (Indonesia) has held the National Conference with the theme Towards SMEs of Essential Oils with Highly Competitive. The conference has identified 32 types that have the potential to be developed, among which there are seven new types which can be exploited commercially, ie anise oil, peppermint oil (cornmint oil), basil (Reunion type basil oil), fragrant lemongrass (East Indian Type), kitchen lemongrass (West Indian Type), jerangau (Calamus oil), and bangle. Various agreements have also been reached to develop these products in this country in order to provide optimum benefit and proportionate for all national stakeholders of this commodity.

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Get rid body odor with essential oils

Body odor is not pleasant. This could undermine the comfort and confidence, if you do not get rid it. Many ways can be done to disguise it and repel it. However, many people do not know that natural deodorants available in the kitchen. Their natural ability to help us remove body odor comes from their essential oil content. What are they?
Marsh fleabane leaves (Pluchea indica)
This plant has an unpleasant smell and taste bitter. To eliminate body odor, eat raw Marsh fleabane leaves or steamit first. Boiled Marsh fleabane leaves are also delicious eaten as an ointment (vegetables with spiced grated coconut). If you eat it regularly, surely this stinky problem will disappear. In addition, the lack of bad or stinky breath odor will disappear. For people who do not like it, you can drink boiled water of Marsh fleabane leaves every morning and evening. It has also benefit to lower body temperature to trigger sweating.
Basil (Ocimun bassilicum)
Basil leaves contain essential oils that are believed to eliminate our stinky aroma. In addition, its essential oils also serves as an antiseptic. You can use it as a salad of raw vegetables or an ointment. Alternatively, crush or grind the leaves, seeds, and roots of basil, then pour it with boiling hot water, filter it, and add the sugar. Drink it two times a day, morning and night.
For women who are menstruating, eating approximately a handful of basil leaves in the morning and afternoon during menstruation, to avoid the odor that often befall to menstruating women.
Javanese turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza)
Saponin, flavoinoid, and essential oils, are the substances in Javanese turmeric which can eliminate this problem. The tips is drinking decoction of the finely chopped Javanese turmeric. Its juice with the little addition of honey can also be taken to overcome body odor. In addition, grated Javanese turmeric can also be massaged into the entire body, and then allowed to stand until dry before cleaning to get maximum results.
Torch ginger flowers (Nicolaia speciosa)
Active substance of this plant that can get rid body odor is saponin, flavoinoid, and polyphenols. Besides saponin and flavoinoid, it also contains polyphenols. It can be used by cooking its young leaves and flowers as vegetables to be eaten with rice. Its flowers can be cooked as a vegetable mixture of lodeh (one of Indonesian traditional cuisine) or goulash.
Kaffir lime (Citrus bystrix)
Kaffir lime peel contains essential oils that smell nice so it can be used to get rid body odor. The tips is drinking its juice mixed with mashed kencur together with enough boiled water.
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
Lime juice also contains essential oils. You can take one lime, squeeze it, take its juice and mix with 1/2 teaspoon of limestone, then stir it well. Rub into specific sections such as the armpits after a shower. Let stand for a moment to dry, then you can change with new clothes.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Many Indians believe that taking ginger can make them smell "sweet". According to Pen Chao Ching, the Shen Nong Emperor in China mainland (3000 BC), fresh ginger can get rid body odor and brought it to the spiritual aura. Ginger beverage consumed regularly may help to overcome this problem.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Cucumber is rich in water and contains calcium, iron, magnesium. Eating cucumber is very refreshing. In addition to reduce fever, cucumber is also beneficial for skin health. The tips is wash one young cucumber, slice it thinly, then apply or rub on the body that smells. Or, grate cucumber, then compress your armpits with the grater. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes, then remove it. Do this after a shower.
Cloves (Eugenia aromatica)
Soak some cloves flowers in hot water so fluffy, then cool it, and drink the water. Perform it regularly in the morning and evening, surely your body odor will soon disappear. In addition, the decoction of a few cloves florets with palm sugar, can also be a refreshments and warming in times of rain or cold weather.

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Choose the best essential oils brand

Here are tips that can help you, how to choose the best brand of essential oils with high quality and pure. Because when you walk in the aromatherapy store to buy it, then you will be greeted by variety of pleasant scents. However, not all of it and scented candles has a healing power. Consider the following tips of choosing the best essential oils brand
1. Check the bottle.
Avoid buying the essential oils sold in clear glass bottles because of clear glass allows the light causing the damage to its content. Instead, choose the products stored in amber-colored bottles (brown) or dark. Most of the best essential oils brand is packed in the dark or amber bottles. Some vendors sell it in aluminum bottles. Aluminum is acceptable if the inside of the bottle is coated.
You should also avoid buying it in plastic bottles because the oil may dissolve plastic. Furthermore, the dissolved plastic will contaminate it.
Also avoid buying the products that have a rubber pipette bulb on it because the rubber pipette bulb can be dissolved in the essential oils and then it is contaminated.
2. Observe the properties of each
Each type of aromatherapy oil has different therapeutic qualities, i.e. pine is good for treating coughs and asthma. Currently, the scent of patchouli is used to relieve anxiety, depression, and skin problems. Before you buy aromatherapy products, make sure you know the benefits of each kind.
3. Check the label.
Be careful with words like "perfume," "natural," or "perfume oil" These words indicate that you saw was not a single pure essential oil. Many labeled brand perfume (which can be a combination of essential oils and chemicals, or chemicals only) and perfume as "aromatherapy". It is important to buy pure aromatherapy oil to obtain optimal health benefits.
4. Check the presence of dust.
If you see an aromatherapy product has a dusty, then avoid buying it. The existence of dust indicates its long life even aromatherapy products expired. Products that have expired are no longer giving healing properties as the product is still new.
5. Check the prices.
Different types of aromatherapy products have different prices. Some rare and exotic oil have higher prices than other types. The extraction difficulties also affect its value. The more complex extraction, then the more expensive price. If every bottle of aromatherapy product has the same price, you have to think twice before you buy it.
Finally, you should remember that only the best essential oils provides the best benefit and healing properties for you. So, choose the best essential oils for you wisely!

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Essential Oils Recipe for Massage Oil

Essential oils recipe can be used as an ingredient for making massage oil, as well as for flavor enhancer or being used in the perfume industry. It is required for that activity because it can produce a relaxing effect (reduce tension), increase the sense of peace and tranquility, and promote healing.
Some of those can be used for this purpose include patchouli, cajuput, clove, tea tree, black pepper, orange, citronella, ylang-ylang (cananga), and nutmeg oil. Each of them has the different benefit.
The benefits of these essential oils when used for massage oil recipe are:
Patchouli: gives strength or power on the entire body (or on just one system in particular, for example, the respiratory system), and has ability to kill/reduce microbe.
Cinnamon: reduces pain.
Cajuput, clove oil, tea tree: is a powerful antiseptic (especially for the respiratory system), serves as an antiviral, astringent, stimulant and tonic.
Black pepper: are analgesic, antikataral, expectorant, stimulant and tonic.
Lemongrass fragrance oil: is anti-inflammatory and tonic as well as efficacious as a stimulant of the immune system.
Orange: is refreshing, reducing/ killing certain microbe, stimulant, tonic, prevent the acne.
Cananga: is antiinflmation and tonic
Nutmeg: nature as an analgesic, reducing/ killing certain microbe, and stimulant.
However, you should be careful in combining them as one recipe because certain types are irritating to the skin, such as clove oil. Skin irritation is a reaction to the material that causes inflammation and itching. Usually (but not always), skin irritation is found in substances containing aldehyde or phenol with a high level. From one person to another found a wide tolerance, which the oils that does not cause a reaction in the majority of consumers can be irritating on one or two people who are more sensitive. However, the dermal irritation is usually local and brief. Therefore, for a massage, it is important to use essential oils with the less irritating to the skin and is not toxic.
Carrier oil
Some of them has been studied for use as a carrier in recipe for massage by Mira Rivai et.al. (Presented in the Indonesia National Conference of EO, in 2006), namely the VCO (virgin coconut oil), palm, castor, and coconut oil. From the results of these studies found that the most preferred one is the product that uses VCO and coconut oil. But in terms of aroma, the product that use palm oil is the most preferred by panelists.
Essential oils recipe for massage oil
Here is some formula of massage oil according to Rivai et.al. (2006):
Formula 1: VCO 97%, 1% patchouli oil, ylang-ylang (cananga) oil 1%, and nutmeg oil 1%.
Formula 2: coconut oil 97%, patchouli oil 1%, ylang oil 1%, and nutmeg oil 1%.
Formula 3: palm oil 97%, patchouli oil 1%, ylang oil 1%, nutmeg and oil 1%.
However, essential oils recipe for massage oil should be used wisely, for example: do not use it on wounded or irritated skin, and not use it in dense concentrations.

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Solvent extraction for essential oils from flowers

What is extraction?
Solvent extraction in principle is the separation (separation) that exploit the differences in solubility properties of the individual components of a mixtures in certain types of solvents.
Examples are: a mixture of A and B would be separated using the X solvent. From the data of solubility properties, component of A is very soluble in X, while component of B is slightly soluble or even insoluble. If the X is added to the mixture of A and B which are different in nature of polarity, then the component of A will dissolve in the X, while B does not. So it will get a new mixture of A and X. The next stage is how to separate the A and X? One method is evaporation.
Extraction techniques are typically used to produce essential oils that are easily damaged by heat, in this case is the volatile oil of flowers such as jasmine, or rose. To dissolve the essential oils, then a chemical compound is required which is typically and non-polar. Why do non-polar? Fresh flowers naturally contain water. In the concept of chemical bonding, the water is polar. Well, if you use a polar compound such as alcohol, of course, water also contained in the raw materials will dissolve into the alcohol and thus require a more complex separation process. But if used non-polar compound so water will not dissolve into it.
There are many types of non-polar organic compounds, but the most commonly used is hexane (C6H14) although you can also use benzene (C6H6) or also petrol / gasoline. There are several criteria in choosing a solvent for extraction of flowers in addition to its non-polar. Among them are its ability to dissolve fragrant substances in the raw material perfectly, has a low boiling point and uniform, are "inert" or do not react with aromatic substances that will be extracted, the lowest price possible and easy to obtain.
The final product using the this type of extraction are of two kinds, namely concrete and absolute. Concrete is an essential oil which is mixed with a wax / resin and the residual solvent. When the extraction process takes place, not only essential oils are dissolved, but also wax / resin come into it. Concrete shaped like a semi-solid fat or butter. While the absolute is a pure essential oil without impurities such as wax / resin and the residual. Absolute is the most expensive price.
There are also other concepts that are not less important, ie vacuum evaporation. Vacuum conditions are defined as conditions under atmospheric pressure (below 1 atm / normal pressure). So the combined meaning is the process of solvent evaporation on the conditions under normal pressure.
Why should a vacuum?
The ultimate goal is to reduce the boiling point of the solvent so that the overall process temperature become low. The lower pressure, so the temperature of process is also lower. For example; hexane at normal pressure (1 atm) has boiling point at 68 Celcius degree, at a pressure of 0.7 atm, its boiling point is 58 Celcius degree, and at a pressure of 0.2 atm, its boiling point 25 Celcius degree. These conditions are expected in the extraction of essential oils from flowers in order to obtain good quality oil. It means the damage caused by essential oils of high temperatures can be avoided. While other purpose vacuum conditions is to assure that the solvent can be separated as much as possible. To maintain the vacuum needed a tool to support the vacuum pump. The most common problem emerging from this method is the stability of vacuum pump performance.

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