What is an Essential Oil?

Essential oils are aromatic volatile liquids distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. They are chemically complex, highly concentrated, and are far more potent than dried herbs. Essential oils are quite different from vegetable oils, in that they are not greasy and do not clog pores. Historical records show that for centuries essential oils and other aromatics have been used for the treatment of illness, religious purposes, and other physical and spiritual needs.

How are Essential Oils made?

Ancient cultures found that essential oils could be extracted from plant matter in a variety of ways. One of the oldest forms of extraction was known as "enfleurage", which in French means literally to saturate with the perfume of flowers. Raw plant material was crushed and mixed with olive oil or animal fat, sometimes other oils were used. Take cedar oil for example, it was made by stripping bark from the trunk and branches, then ground up into powder and soaked with olive oil. The mixture was placed in a wool cloth and heated to pull the essential oil out of the ground bark and into the olive oil. The cloth was then pressed to extract the oil. Sandalwood was also extracted in this manner. Other extraction techniques included soaking plant parts in boiling water, cold pressing, soaking in alcohol, steam distillation, and the newest method which is CO2 extraction. We were uncertain of this new procedure, however our research has shown that if done correctly by trained distillers this new type of process yields a high quality oil that can be a more true representation of the plants aroma. Unfortunately this procedure is still costly to implement, making oils derived in this manner typically more expensive than their steam distilled counterparts.

Steam distillation is the most widely used method and our preference; however how it is done varies drastically from one producer to the next. Steam distillation consists of passing steam through the plant material and condensing the steam to separate the oil from the plant. Done under the proper conditions, this process yields high quality oil. Proper conditions however, are quite difficult to achieve and can be more costly than substandard conditions. These conditions include everything from species selection, organic farming and site selection, to harvesting, extraction, and packaging. With so many variables, there's a high probability of getting an adulterated essential oil.

Where can I obtain high quality Essential Oils?

Many retail outlets carry fragrance oils, not pure essential oils. The only essential oils worth using for any purpose are 100% pure, and organic if you can find it. It takes a bit of work to be sure that what you are buying is in fact a pure essential oil, but after two years and a significant amount of research I have found a wide selection of pure essential oils from independent, reputable sources all over the country. These sources most often deal directly with the distillers, further ensuring purity and the added benefit of competetive pricing. Do your homework, and don't assume that just because an oil is expensive it is pure.