Storing, Handling And Using Essential Oils

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Storing, Handling And Using Essential Oils

By: Mireille Gautschi

 

Pure

Essential Oils are a natural product and contain no preservatives or additives.

A few of them can also be quite dangerous if not handled correctly. Some basic

procedures should therefore be observed in order to ensure safety but also the

quality of the oils in storage.

Storing essential oils:

Many

Essential Oils are flammable and/or act as strong solvents. Eucalyptus Oil for

example can be used to remove glue from old stickers or to strip paint.

Essential

Oils are best stored in amber glass bottles with a tight lid. It is also

advisable to fit bottles that don't have a dripolator (orifice reducer) with a

child proof cap for safety reasons. Sun light (UV) and high temperatures are

the main enemies of essential oils. Amber glass bottles offer good protection

from UV. Essential Oil containers are best kept in a dark, cool place with

temperature fluctuations kept to a minimum. Keep essential oils safely locked

away from children at all times.

Stored

at low temperatures, some oils will tend to solidify. This is no cause for

alarm as they will turn liquid again once they reach room or in some cases body

temperature. Most likely to solidify are the absolutes, vanilla, rose otto and

fennel.

Under

good conditions essential oils can be stored for periods of 6 months to several

years. Some oils like myrrh, sandalwood, frankincense and patchouli will even

improve or " mature " with age, very similar to a good wine. The

shortest shelf life have all citrus oils with grapefruit generally being the

first to deteriorate. Once these oils start to turn cloudy or smell rancid they

should be disposed of.

Handling

and using essential oils: When taking essential oils from the bottle, avoid

contaminating the oil. Don't touch

the top of the bottle or the inside of the lid. If you are using pipettes to

transfer the oils, try to obtain disposable ones that you can throw away after

use. Never use the same pipette for different oils. Used pipettes can also be

stored for a short time in clip-seal plastic bags to use again later.

Avoid

contact of essential oils with the skin as they can cause irritation. Using

latex gloves and wearing protective glasses is recommended when handling

essential oils. Essential oils must never be used internally. For application

to the skin, dilute the essential oil with a good quality carrier oil e.g.

jojoba, almond or olive oil. 3% essential oil with 97% carrier oil is a safe

ratio.

Diffusers

and oil lamps need only 2-3 drops of essential oil to scent a room for many

hours. The cup on the oil lamp should be 3/4 filled with clean water, add to it

the 2-3 drops of essential oil. Only then light the candle in the burner.

Remember some essential oils are highly flammable, so be careful when using an

essential oil lamp.

Observe

these points and you will get a lot of enjoyment out of your essential oils.

_____

 

author:

Mireille

Gautschi is a qualified Flower Essence Therapist and Herbalist who has many

years experience with the developement of natural herbal remedies. Her products

can be found on the Hillside Herbal Products website http://www.hillsideherbal.com.au/

that also offers a very informative newsletter.

Article

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

 

 

 

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