There's a lot of varying information about how essential oils should be stored, and what their shelf lives might be. Should you store them in a dark cool place? Refrigerate them? Make sure they all get used in a few months, or don't worry about it because "pure essential oils" last forever? The truth is, the answer to these questions depends completely on the oil itself. Here's a quick look at how to care for all your oils, to ensure you receive the maximum therapeutic benefits.
There really is a range of lifespans of therapeutic grade essential oils, the reason being is that some oils are highly susceptible to degradation by environmental factors, while others actually benefit from these factors -- with a whole range in between. These factors are simply air, light and heat. So you can see that leaving a bottle open in the sunlight can be the fastest way to age it. Seal this bottle up with very little air in the top, put it in cool storage, and you'll be aging that same oil very slowly. This "anti-aging" method will work for all oils, but is really only necessary for a very few.
One terms that's often used, whose meaning is difficult to pin down is "shelf life". This term is used by manufacturers to help guide consumers as to how long the oil will be "good" for if kept in the most common conditions: in a closed bottle on an open shelf somewhere in your house. For the advanced practitioner, this term has little meaning however, because with the right storage conditions, even very delicate oils can last a very long time.
It's also important to consider that its not the end of the world if an essential oil's aroma gets a little flat. It will still retain much of its therapeutic benefit -- if you still like the aroma, wonderful! Inhale it! At the same time, some oils actually cause skin irritation to some people if they've gotten old. This has been proven for lavender and tea tree essential oils. Again, they many still impart their therapeutic benefits, but for some people (about 18% of the population) get skin reaction to these oils if they've aged too long. The bottom line here is that its still safe to enjoy the aroma of older oils that have theoretically short shelf lives, but its probably better to avoid using them in other ways unless they've been stored in a very protective manner.
The fastest aromatics to degrade are those cold-pressed from the peels of citrus fruit. You can imagine that while other essential oils have been steam distilled, solvent extracted, or some even distilled with high pressure liquid carbon dioxide, the citrus oils in a way are still in the natural state the fruit had been when they were picked. These oils are very prone to oxidation, a process where oxygen atoms robs other molecules of electrons. The not-so-technical meaning is that the oils go flat, and looses their "zing".
For reasons simply due to the natural chemical makeup of the oil, it is grapefruit essential oil that ages most quickly -- often having a shelf life of around six months. This can be extended many, many times by storing the oil in a dark bottle, sealed, with very little air at the top, in the refrigerator. You can see this puts a stop to the potential actions of air, light and heat. The best practice of all is, if you will be using the oil frequently, leave some out in a bottle you will work from, bringing the bottle you've got in "cold storage" out as infrequently as possible. This creates a condition where the oil is disturbed the very least over its lifespan.
The next group of oils to consider are the florals. Interestingly, the essential oil steam distilled from the flower of a citrus tree, neroli, is the most sensitive to degradation as well. Neroli has been noted to simply go flat, and some say its important to not only keep it in a dark, cool place, but not even shake the bottle! Other florals certainly have longer shelf lives, on the order of one to two years. It may be the sweeter floral aromas that oxidize most rapidly: lavender and ylang ylang are examples. Rose otto, on the other hand, can still be wonderful after five years.
Most other oils will be at least as forgiving in terms of storage as the florals, some much more so. These include, from most delicate to most durable: the spice oils, the herbs, and the oils from evergreen tree needles. Care should be taken with the oils distilled from spices, as they have that special ethereal top note to them -- they may be best in cold storage unless used fairly quickly.
As for the other end of the spectrum, there are many oils that get better with age, or at least have a shelf life so long as to not be of concern. The "resin" oils are like this: frankincense and myrrh seem to age nicely. Patchouli and sandalwood are two oils that actually command a premium price after they've been put away for storage for several years. Other oils in this category are spikenard, vetiver, and galbanum. So when storing these oils at home, there's really no need to give them special attention at all.
Here you can see the very wide range of correct answers as to how you should properly store your essential oils. The first consideration is whether you'll be using your oils within the first few months after purchase -- if this is the case, there's no need to concern yourself with storage. If you'll be keeping them longer than that, decide how long you'll want to be storing them, and which of those oils falls into the "very delicate" category, the "moderately delicate" category, and the "gets better with age" category. With this knowledge, you can then decide whether to put some of your oils away in cold storage, to maintain their utmost freshness. Through these guidelines, you'll be able to always use oils with the greatest health benefits.
Author Resource:-
The Ananda Apothecary is a fully-stocked source of therapeutic grade essential oils, including rose and pure organic Indian vanilla.hostgator promo code
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