Guest guest Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Hi Jay, > 2/3 days back I posted this message on oils & herbs list unfortunately did > not receive a single reply. There was one reply .. from Marge Clark. Perhaps you missed it. > Hope someone on this list can comment on it. Be glad to .. but my reply will not be nearly as short as was the one Marge sent .. like I always say, I'm not known for brevity. ;-) The information below is my opinion .. backed up by a good deal of practical experience and some research. If anyone wants to disagree they can have at it .. but please don't reinforce that disagreement by quoting one of the unreferenced novels out and about because I find that their opinions are no better than mine .. and in most cases not as good because most of the writers lack the practical experience I have. I know some folks will holler that I am using this post to advertise cause some folks are not happy unless they can find something to holler about. And maybe the list moderators might think the same .. but if asked to change a word of it, I can't do that .. because I can't see a way to get my points across without using personal experiences .. and its not like folks don't know I sell oils anyway. But then, if the post is booted by a moderator .. it won't matter cause y'all won't see it in the second place. ;-) > There has been some discussion on shelf life of essential oils. As you all > must be aware that many essentials oils are be sold with expiry date. Unfortunately .. another of the many rumors common in this cottage industry .. I mean .. the existence of Expiration Dates. Human critters and Essential Oils have no Expiration Date. Humans don't turn to pumpkins on the anniversary of an Expiration Date .. Essential Oils don't turn to wine or vinegar on an Expiration Date. There are, however, reasonably expected Shelf Lives of Human Critters and Essential Oils and in both cases they can be shortened or lengthened by proper .. or improper .. care and handling. > I had bought vetivert and myrrh some years back, the expiry date is 2008, The one who put the Expiration Date on the bottle was too confident of their own knowledge .. or winging it .. or regurgitating data from one of the novels I hope not to see quoted if someone challenges this post. > so > a) does that mean I can use it till that time for skin as well, or as Martin > said about patchouli that it can not be used on skin, the same goes for > these oils. There is no cut and dry answer for that because nobody on this list knows how you have cared for that oil .. how you stored it and such. Far more important than arbitrary (and nonexistent) Expiration Dates is Production Date. If we don't know when an oil was produced we can't determine the normally expected Shelf Life .. same for human critters .. don't know when they were born we can't begin to guess how much longer they will live. > b) if so, then why do these companies put expiry date that way ahead. > (08 is another 4 years from now ). Like I said above .. too confident in their own knowledge .. winging it or regurgitating bovine excrement from some unreferenced novel. Or in some cases, regurgitating information from some AT course taught by an instructor who pays homage to some unreferenced novels. > c) are there are basic guide lines one can follow regarding the usage of > oils? The question is too broad .. we could fill a hard drive with guide lines for use of Essential Oils .. so I am going to do something weird like ASSUME you are asking about expected Shelf Life of Essential Oils .. and I'm forced, due to storage capacity of most folk's E-Mail Post Office, to disregard all the exceptions to what I will present here .. and the few tests that have been conducted that show chemical degradation on certain oils after X amount of time .. but I welcome all that info as a follow on from folks who have the info. :-) > When you have learned, educated people on the list warning you about using > old oils on the skin, & you have companies who write expiry date on the > labels 3/4 years ahead, it's confusing as to what should one do????? My opinion is that in most cases we should go with the opinions or facts presented by folks who study EO rather than those who just peddle them. > Hope the experienced ones on the list can throw some light on this > confusion?? I'll do my best .. and am prepared to change SOME of my opinions IF faced with credible information contrary to those opinions. > thnkx in advance > Jay Welcome for sure. First of all .. it is my opinion that some oils improve with age .. examples are Frankincense, Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood, Vetiver and Rosa damascena. And like fine wines there comes a time when there is no longer improvement .. they too will degrade. An international customer once told me they had seen discussion on the aromatherapy list in their country where someone purchased my product and was discussing the Dates of Expiration on my Miron Violet Bottles. These are for Retail sizes only .. otherwise I use Amber. I HAVE NO DATES OF EXPIRATION ON MY BOTTLES!! I will never have them. What they were seeing was the Date of Production .. which is widely discussed by me and shown on my web site. Why will I NOT use a Date of Expiration or even a Best Use By Date? Because it is impossible to determine an Expiration Date on an oil because it will be different for different people - depending on how they store the oils. Another person wrote me a while back and said they had purchased an EO from another company and thought it might be rancid. I told them that EO do not become rancid .. they can become oxidized and some other bad things can go down .. but not rancidity. Cold Pressed or Expeller Pressed oils can and do become rancid .. but as they are not steam distilled they are not (by me) considered to be true Essential Oils. Jojoba (which is not an oil .. but a wax) never becomes rancid .. and Fractionated Coconut has a looooooooooong shelf life .. how long is the shelf life? Nobody knows because nobody has lived long enough to see. But Essential Oils can and do become oxidized due to chemical actions resulted from light and exposure to oxygen .. and other variables. This is also true of Human Critters .. its light and oxygen that cause us to age .. but we haven't learned how to get along without them. How long can we expect the reasonable Shelf Life of an EO to be? In order to determine potential Shelf Life of an EO we must know the Date of Production of that oil .. not the date of Bottling .. the Date of Production. Not many sellers can tell us this so it makes it kinda tough to know when they are getting old. For Cold Pressed Citrus oils we can usually tell by the odor .. when it doesn't smell like the fruit from which it was extracted. Another way to know something is amiss is when we note the consistency/density of the oil changing .. its getting thicker. Most Citrus oils will be Cold Pressed .. though there are distilled Citrus available too .. there is but a slight difference in the expected Shelf Life of the two. Now I will give my opinions that will certainly generate forty-eleven disagreements likely to produce fifty-twelve different positions. ;-) Under normal storage conditions, Citrus Oils can be expected to last 12 to 14 months before there is chemical degradation. BUT if kept under proper storage conditions, it can stay fresh for 18-24 months or so. We keep all of our oils under conditions that slow down oxidation .. it is light and oxygen that shortens the life of any chemical substance. We keep Citrus Oils and German Chamomile and other Blue oils refrigerated and under Nitrogen Flush. Nitrogen Flushing is simply the squirting of a wee bit of Nitrogen into a storage container to displace Oxygen .. this works because Nitrogen is much heavier than Oxygen .. and its inert .. causes no problems to the oil. Bottles of Nitrogen can be obtained at many fine wine shops. But Nitrogen Flushing is for larger storage containers .. it doesn't work well in 10 or 20 ml bottles .. for these one can simply drop in PURE glass beads .. which will raise the level of the oil .. reduce the dead space where Oxygen is lurking and working to harm the oil. We store other oils (those not refrigerated) in an air conditioned store room in summer and that storeroom is unheated in the winter. You should also keep your oils refrigerated or in a cool, dark place. I do not recommend storage of Rose Otto or Anise Seed in a refrigerator because they will winterize .. they will crystallize in minutes. It will not harm the oil .. the oil will return to normal consistency when you bring it back to room temperature. If your Rose Otto (especially) does not do this within 5 minutes of putting it in the refrigerator .. you should make sure you do NOT purchase from that dealer again .. because you have one that is adulterated with Phenyl ethyl alcohol .. the most common adulterant for Rose Otto. Some folks only want fresh oils - but many oils improve with age and the cost also goes up .. I mentioned a few above. I save some oils and will not sell them for a few more years .. they'll be more valuable then. As all wines do not turn into gourmet vintage wines - some turn to vinegar, but others become more valuable - the story goes for EO. For Mints - fresh is not best! Mint oils distilled in the USA in June have a high menthol content but those distilled in August/September (closer to flowering) have a higher menthone and menthofurane content - which is GOOD! For Peppermint and Spearmint - most US distillers sell fresh oils to Wrigley's and other confectionery companies - but some hold them back for a year. They keep them in a dark area and decant from time to time between bottles to aerate it. Then they do Nitrogen Flush and seal it. That oil will last a good 3 plus years. For Rose Otto - fresh is NEVER best!!! The Date of Production of the Rose Otto I have sold in the past was always more than a year older than the time I sold it. Unfortunately, that's not possible now and it won't be possible in the future. The Turkish Rose Growers Association used to produce more than they could sell .. they kept Rose Otto in vaults and sold fresh Rose Otto to perfumeries .. the aged Rose Otto went to me for the Aromatherapists. Over 8 million dollars worth of Rose Otto was produced in Turkey in May and June 2003 .. and it was ALL SOLD OUT by October 2003 .. looks like a similar situation will exist this year. Its early to drink a beer now .. I like to have one before IT STARTS .. so I'll have another cuppa coffee .. cause IT HAS STARTED .. below! ;-) Generally, the expected Shelf Lives of some Essential Oils are: * Tea Tree - shelf life is a minimum of Four Years. * Frankincense, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Patchouli - Indefinite and they improve with age. * Other Wood and Resin oils - Four years or so. Rose Otto - 8 to 10 years. Citrus and Conifer oils - Assuming no preservative has been added (and there are preservatives in many but none in mine) - up to 18 months and longer if stored under nitrogen and refrigerated. Most Herbal/Floral oils, and most Absolutes - Five to six years or so. Everything else - Four to Seven years .. varies depending on the EO. To extend the Shelf Life of Cold-Pressed or Expressed Citrus oils we refrigerate them - same with Hydrosols. If that's no possible, keep them in as cool an area as you can. And I think its important to test Hydrosols periodically because folks put them on their face, in their eyes .. and drink them. I have my Hydrosols tested every 90 days at the organization below .. sellers can contact them and arrange for testing of their own Hydrosols .. if they want to. Superior Labs, Inc. 2514 Billingsly Road Columbus, Ohio 43235 Tel: (614) 793-8778 Tel: (800) 886-5227 Fax: (614) 793-2172 Superior Laboratories, Inc., an authorized testing agency .. holds: 1. Ohio EPA Water Approval No. 890 2. USDA Accreditation Number 3983 Testing of Hydrosols is perhaps more important than testing essential oils because any water-based product is an ideal breeding ground for a multitude of microbial critters .. as well as fungal critters and mold. Results of the last tests, conducted on 03 May 2004, on ALL of my Hydrosols by Superior Labs showed the purity of the hydrosols exceeded USDA/EPA standards for bottled and drinking waters. An interim Recap: Keep Essential Oils in colored glass, out of the light, tops on tight, out of sight and treat them right. When a small bottle is becoming empty, put the oil into a smaller bottle - this reduces the amount of oxygen in the bottle. Or .. you can drop pure glass beads into the bottle which will raise the level of the oil and push out Oxygen. For larger storage containers, Nitrogen Flushing is the way to go. Avoid exposing Essential Oils to extreme temperatures - because neither hot nor cold nor rapid changes of temperature are good for EOs or Hydrosols .. but the degree of degradation is hard to determine so that does NOT mean we should dump them if we forget and leave them in a hot car all day. Remember that EXACT Expiration Dates and Best Used By Dates are garbage! It just is NOT TRUE! It totally depends on the methods of storage - but you must know Date of Production - that is important information. Date of Production is the time we begin our planning and calculations. Many sellers, if they use a date at all, use the date it was BOTTLED because that is all they know .. and that doesn't tell us the Date of Production as it might have been 4 years before the oil was bottled. A final recap . there are general Expected dates of Shelf Life for various Essential Oils - and various humans. But Essential Oils and humans have Expiration Dates. We can increase or decrease Expected Life spans of humans or anything containing chemicals by storing/handling it correctly or incorrectly. And .. the normally expected Shelf Lives of various oils are of more importance to end-users than they are to sellers of EO because its hard to find a seller that does not turn over oils as quickly as possible. They make no money sitting on their investments. Back to Production Dates .. sorry .. I forgot. ;-) Somebody is gonna come up with .. Butch .. I gotcha! I done checked your Retail List at http://www.AV-AT.com/prices.html and I see oils on there that are older than my Grandma. ;-) But like I said in a post yesterday, 85% or so of my sales are wholesale so that just shows how much priority I have given to keeping the Retail site updated. I notify folks of changes not posted via an e-mail when they make Retail orders .. and my Web Mistress has given me plu-purple hell for not giving her info to update the Retail Site. I have done it ... sorta .. and my signature block below shows the progress made. The above is not intended to be an ad but I have been around these lists long enough to know that there was going to be a need for clarification now .. or later .. cause sure as katz got kittens one of the good list members would stick that up my nose if I didn't explain it. :-( Besides .. I don't want no stinking orders now anyway .. tomorrow noon I am gonna take a purty gal to an overnight stay at a Thermal Resort Hotel around 30 minutes drive from here .. http://www.patalyahotel.com.tr/ so keep your stinking orders or give'em to someone else. ;-) So Jay .. to get back to your original question .. or what I think the question was .. is the Vetiver and Myrrh you have now safe to use on your skin? Without extensive and expensive testing there is nobody on this list that can give you a definite yes or no .. some might tell you to dump it .. but I will not unless there is but a tad left and you have not properly maintained and stored it over the years. If it were mine I would do a small skin test .. using no more than a 7% dilution of the Vetiver .. and a 7% dilution of the Myrrh .. and I did NOT pull those percentages out of my rear end .. or get them from an AT novel. If you note the slightest bit of irritation from those tests .. then the oil is sorta beyond the normally expected Shelf Life. Same applies to those oils I marked with asterisks (*) above. If I didn't answer your question .. and you wanna give me or others another shot at it .. go for it. But I might have answered some you didn't ask yet .. I don't like piecemeal answers anyway. Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch New .. but not completed http://www.av-at.com/prices-current.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Re expiry dates While I have a good deal of respect for Butch and his knowledge of the trade in essential oils, some things in his recent post might be confusing or misleading to home users or therapists. I would agree with Butch that many expiry dates on bottles are simply because most AT suppliers are covering their backs or complying with legislation requiring an expiry date. These labels should indeed be viewed with caution. You need to equip yourself with real knowledge on this subject and not rely on what AT oil suppliers tell you. It is very important to your health and those that you use essential oils on. The date of production is of course the best to use, but since most AT suppliers get oils via a long chain of supply (except for a few oils), that date is often impossible to ascertain. Firstly there is a huge difference between if an essential oil has " gone off " and smells bad or weak and if that oil may contain skin sensitizing chemicals because of age. Similarly the fact an oil smells better with age is not necessarily an indication that it is safe for use on the skin. The example was given of myrrh oil. That oil can smell the same after 10 years as the day it was produced. That should never be taken to say that this oil is safe for skin application. Myrrh oil - depending on its source which you can never rely on - can contain quiet a lot of the two pinene's. These chemicals are well documented as changing their nature within months of production and skin sensitizing peroxides develop. In particular you need to watch your citrus and pine-type oils. Many producers of oils with a lot of pinene's or d-limonene add antioxidants at source to stop this chemical decay. I note that Butch said " up to 18 months and longer if stored under nitrogen and refrigerated " . Yes maybe, but that is NOT how most people store their oils. So do not assume a date of 18 months but better to assume a date of 6 months. Likewise for lavender (see my web site for the latest on that). Butch said " Tea Tree - shelf life is a minimum of Four Years " . I strongly disagree with that, again maybe if stored as above, but certainly not for the home user or therapist. It is known that tea tree oil deteriorates and forms skin sensitizing peroxides as it ages. I reckon a safe bet would be no longer than 6 months to a year. So for the occasional user, you would be far better off assuming a use-by-date of 6 months for most oils, particularly if you know the oil contains alpha or beta pinene or d-limonene. Very few oils - such as rose and patchouli - are known to be skin safe for years. Lastly, you must bear in mind that the smaller AT suppliers and shops may have oils in stock for months or more before you buy them. Very few of those places store oils correctly. I have seen such poor storage conditions even in larger UK and USA aromatherapy suppliers. So do not put your health at risk by using old oils on the skin, instead use them up in diffusers and buy fresh ones for any skin application purposes. Martin Watt: Author of Plant Aromatics safety manual, etc. http://www.aromamedical.com , Butch Owen <butchbsi@s...> wrote: > Hi Jay, > > > 2/3 days back I posted this message on oils & herbs list unfortunately did > > not receive a single reply. > > There was one reply .. from Marge Clark. Perhaps you missed it. > > > Hope someone on this list can comment on it. > > Be glad to .. but my reply will not be nearly as short as was the one > Marge sent .. like I always say, I'm not known for brevity. ;-) > > The information below is my opinion .. backed up by a good deal of > practical experience and some research. If anyone wants to disagree > they can have at it .. but please don't reinforce that disagreement by > quoting one of the unreferenced novels out and about because I find that > their opinions are no better than mine .. and in most cases not as good > because most of the writers lack the practical experience I have. > > I know some folks will holler that I am using this post to advertise > cause some folks are not happy unless they can find something to holler > about. And maybe the list moderators might think the same .. but if > asked to change a word of it, I can't do that .. because I can't see a > way to get my points across without using personal experiences .. and > its not like folks don't know I sell oils anyway. But then, if the post > is booted by a moderator .. it won't matter cause y'all won't see it in > the second place. ;-) > > > There has been some discussion on shelf life of essential oils. As you all > > must be aware that many essentials oils are be sold with expiry date. > > Unfortunately .. another of the many rumors common in this cottage > industry .. I mean .. the existence of Expiration Dates. > > Human critters and Essential Oils have no Expiration Date. Humans don't > turn to pumpkins on the anniversary of an Expiration Date .. Essential > Oils don't turn to wine or vinegar on an Expiration Date. > > There are, however, reasonably expected Shelf Lives of Human Critters > and Essential Oils and in both cases they can be shortened or lengthened > by proper .. or improper .. care and handling. > > > I had bought vetivert and myrrh some years back, the expiry date is 2008, > > The one who put the Expiration Date on the bottle was too confident > of their own knowledge .. or winging it .. or regurgitating data from one > of the novels I hope not to see quoted if someone challenges this post. > > > so > > a) does that mean I can use it till that time for skin as well, or as Martin > > said about patchouli that it can not be used on skin, the same goes for > > these oils. > > There is no cut and dry answer for that because nobody on this list > knows how you have cared for that oil .. how you stored it and such. > Far more important than arbitrary (and nonexistent) Expiration Dates is > Production Date. If we don't know when an oil was produced we can't > determine the normally expected Shelf Life .. same for human critters .. > don't know when they were born we can't begin to guess how much longer > they will live. > > > b) if so, then why do these companies put expiry date that way ahead. > > (08 is another 4 years from now ). > > Like I said above .. too confident in their own knowledge .. winging it > or regurgitating bovine excrement from some unreferenced novel. Or in > some cases, regurgitating information from some AT course taught by an > instructor who pays homage to some unreferenced novels. > > > c) are there are basic guide lines one can follow regarding the usage of > > oils? > > The question is too broad .. we could fill a hard drive with guide lines > for use of Essential Oils .. so I am going to do something weird like > ASSUME you are asking about expected Shelf Life of Essential Oils .. and > I'm forced, due to storage capacity of most folk's E-Mail Post Office, > to disregard all the exceptions to what I will present here .. and the > few tests that have been conducted that show chemical degradation on > certain oils after X amount of time .. but I welcome all that info as a > follow on from folks who have the info. :-) > > > When you have learned, educated people on the list warning you about using > > old oils on the skin, & you have companies who write expiry date on the > > labels 3/4 years ahead, it's confusing as to what should one do????? > > My opinion is that in most cases we should go with the opinions or facts > presented by folks who study EO rather than those who just peddle them. > > > Hope the experienced ones on the list can throw some light on this > > confusion?? > > I'll do my best .. and am prepared to change SOME of my opinions IF > faced with credible information contrary to those opinions. > > > thnkx in advance > > Jay > > Welcome for sure. > > First of all .. it is my opinion that some oils improve with age .. > examples are Frankincense, Patchouli, Mysore Sandalwood, Vetiver and > Rosa damascena. And like fine wines there comes a time when there is no > longer improvement .. they too will degrade. > > An international customer once told me they had seen discussion on the > aromatherapy list in their country where someone purchased my product > and was discussing the Dates of Expiration on my Miron Violet Bottles. > These are for Retail sizes only .. otherwise I use Amber. > > I HAVE NO DATES OF EXPIRATION ON MY BOTTLES!! I will never have them. > What they were seeing was the Date of Production .. which is widely > discussed by me and shown on my web site. > > Why will I NOT use a Date of Expiration or even a Best Use By Date? > Because it is impossible to determine an Expiration Date on an oil > because it will be different for different people - depending on how > they store the oils. > > Another person wrote me a while back and said they had purchased an EO > from another company and thought it might be rancid. I told them that > EO do not become rancid .. they can become oxidized and some other bad > things can go down .. but not rancidity. > > Cold Pressed or Expeller Pressed oils can and do become rancid .. but as > they are not steam distilled they are not (by me) considered to be true > Essential Oils. > > Jojoba (which is not an oil .. but a wax) never becomes rancid .. and > Fractionated Coconut has a looooooooooong shelf life .. how long is the > shelf life? Nobody knows because nobody has lived long enough to see. > > But Essential Oils can and do become oxidized due to chemical actions > resulted from light and exposure to oxygen .. and other variables. This > is also true of Human Critters .. its light and oxygen that cause us to > age .. but we haven't learned how to get along without them. > > How long can we expect the reasonable Shelf Life of an EO to be? > > In order to determine potential Shelf Life of an EO we must know the > Date of Production of that oil .. not the date of Bottling .. the Date > of Production. Not many sellers can tell us this so it makes it kinda > tough to know when they are getting old. > > For Cold Pressed Citrus oils we can usually tell by the odor .. when it > doesn't smell like the fruit from which it was extracted. Another way > to know something is amiss is when we note the consistency/density of > the oil changing .. its getting thicker. Most Citrus oils will be Cold > Pressed .. though there are distilled Citrus available too .. there is > but a slight difference in the expected Shelf Life of the two. > > Now I will give my opinions that will certainly generate forty- eleven > disagreements likely to produce fifty-twelve different positions. ;-) > > Under normal storage conditions, Citrus Oils can be expected to last 12 > to 14 months before there is chemical degradation. BUT if kept under > proper storage conditions, it can stay fresh for 18-24 months or so. We > keep all of our oils under conditions that slow down oxidation .. it is > light and oxygen that shortens the life of any chemical substance. We > keep Citrus Oils and German Chamomile and other Blue oils refrigerated > and under Nitrogen Flush. > > Nitrogen Flushing is simply the squirting of a wee bit of Nitrogen into > a storage container to displace Oxygen .. this works because Nitrogen is > much heavier than Oxygen .. and its inert .. causes no problems to the > oil. Bottles of Nitrogen can be obtained at many fine wine shops. But > Nitrogen Flushing is for larger storage containers .. it doesn't work > well in 10 or 20 ml bottles .. for these one can simply drop in PURE > glass beads .. which will raise the level of the oil .. reduce the dead > space where Oxygen is lurking and working to harm the oil. > > We store other oils (those not refrigerated) in an air conditioned store > room in summer and that storeroom is unheated in the winter. You > should also keep your oils refrigerated or in a cool, dark place. > > I do not recommend storage of Rose Otto or Anise Seed in a refrigerator > because they will winterize .. they will crystallize in minutes. It will > not harm the oil .. the oil will return to normal consistency when you > bring it back to room temperature. If your Rose Otto (especially) does > not do this within 5 minutes of putting it in the refrigerator .. you > should make sure you do NOT purchase from that dealer again .. because > you have one that is adulterated with Phenyl ethyl alcohol .. the most > common adulterant for Rose Otto. > > Some folks only want fresh oils - but many oils improve with age and the > cost also goes up .. I mentioned a few above. I save some oils and will > not sell them for a few more years .. they'll be more valuable then. As > all wines do not turn into gourmet vintage wines - some turn to > vinegar, but others become more valuable - the story goes for EO. > > For Mints - fresh is not best! Mint oils distilled in the USA in June > have a high menthol content but those distilled in August/September > (closer to flowering) have a higher menthone and menthofurane content - > which is GOOD! For Peppermint and Spearmint - most US distillers sell > fresh oils to Wrigley's and other confectionery companies - but some > hold them back for a year. They keep them in a dark area and decant > from time to time between bottles to aerate it. Then they do Nitrogen > Flush and seal it. That oil will last a good 3 plus years. > > For Rose Otto - fresh is NEVER best!!! > > The Date of Production of the Rose Otto I have sold in the past was > always more than a year older than the time I sold it. Unfortunately, > that's not possible now and it won't be possible in the future. > > The Turkish Rose Growers Association used to produce more than they > could sell .. they kept Rose Otto in vaults and sold fresh Rose Otto to > perfumeries .. the aged Rose Otto went to me for the Aromatherapists. > Over 8 million dollars worth of Rose Otto was produced in Turkey in May > and June 2003 .. and it was ALL SOLD OUT by October 2003 .. looks like a > similar situation will exist this year. > > Its early to drink a beer now .. I like to have one before IT STARTS .. > so I'll have another cuppa coffee .. cause IT HAS STARTED .. below! ;-) > > Generally, the expected Shelf Lives of some Essential Oils are: > > * Tea Tree - shelf life is a minimum of Four Years. > > * Frankincense, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Patchouli - Indefinite and they > improve with age. > > * Other Wood and Resin oils - Four years or so. > > Rose Otto - 8 to 10 years. > > Citrus and Conifer oils - Assuming no preservative has been added (and > there are preservatives in many but none in mine) - up to 18 months and > longer if stored under nitrogen and refrigerated. > > Most Herbal/Floral oils, and most Absolutes - Five to six years or so. > > Everything else - Four to Seven years .. varies depending on the EO. > > To extend the Shelf Life of Cold-Pressed or Expressed Citrus oils we > refrigerate them - same with Hydrosols. If that's no possible, keep > them in as cool an area as you can. And I think its important to test > Hydrosols periodically because folks put them on their face, in their > eyes .. and drink them. I have my Hydrosols tested every 90 days at the > organization below .. sellers can contact them and arrange for testing > of their own Hydrosols .. if they want to. > > Superior Labs, Inc. > 2514 Billingsly Road > Columbus, Ohio 43235 > Tel: (614) 793-8778 > Tel: (800) 886-5227 > Fax: (614) 793-2172 > > Superior Laboratories, Inc., an authorized testing agency .. holds: > > 1. Ohio EPA Water Approval No. 890 > 2. USDA Accreditation Number 3983 > > Testing of Hydrosols is perhaps more important than testing essential > oils because any water-based product is an ideal breeding ground for a > multitude of microbial critters .. as well as fungal critters and mold. > > Results of the last tests, conducted on 03 May 2004, on ALL of my > Hydrosols by Superior Labs showed the purity of the hydrosols > exceeded USDA/EPA standards for bottled and drinking waters. > > An interim Recap: > > Keep Essential Oils in colored glass, out of the light, tops on tight, > out of sight and treat them right. When a small bottle is becoming > empty, put the oil into a smaller bottle - this reduces the amount of > oxygen in the bottle. Or .. you can drop pure glass beads into the > bottle which will raise the level of the oil and push out Oxygen. > > For larger storage containers, Nitrogen Flushing is the way to go. > > Avoid exposing Essential Oils to extreme temperatures - because neither > hot nor cold nor rapid changes of temperature are good for EOs or > Hydrosols .. but the degree of degradation is hard to determine so that > does NOT mean we should dump them if we forget and leave them in a hot > car all day. > > Remember that EXACT Expiration Dates and Best Used By Dates are garbage! > It just is NOT TRUE! It totally depends on the methods of storage - but > you must know Date of Production - that is important information. Date > of Production is the time we begin our planning and calculations. Many > sellers, if they use a date at all, use the date it was BOTTLED because > that is all they know .. and that doesn't tell us the Date of Production > as it might have been 4 years before the oil was bottled. > > A final recap . there are general Expected dates of Shelf Life for > various Essential Oils - and various humans. But Essential Oils and > humans have Expiration Dates. We can increase or decrease Expected Life > spans of humans or anything containing chemicals by storing/handling it > correctly or incorrectly. > > And .. the normally expected Shelf Lives of various oils are of more > importance to end-users than they are to sellers of EO because its hard > to find a seller that does not turn over oils as quickly as possible. > They make no money sitting on their investments. > > Back to Production Dates .. sorry .. I forgot. ;-) > > Somebody is gonna come up with .. Butch .. I gotcha! I done checked > your Retail List at http://www.AV-AT.com/prices.html and I see oils on > there that are older than my Grandma. ;-) > > But like I said in a post yesterday, 85% or so of my sales are wholesale > so that just shows how much priority I have given to keeping the Retail > site updated. I notify folks of changes not posted via an e-mail when > they make Retail orders .. and my Web Mistress has given me plu- purple > hell for not giving her info to update the Retail Site. I have done it > .. sorta .. and my signature block below shows the progress made. > > The above is not intended to be an ad but I have been around these lists > long enough to know that there was going to be a need for clarification > now .. or later .. cause sure as katz got kittens one of the good list > members would stick that up my nose if I didn't explain it. :-( > > Besides .. I don't want no stinking orders now anyway .. tomorrow noon I > am gonna take a purty gal to an overnight stay at a Thermal Resort Hotel > around 30 minutes drive from here .. http://www.patalyahotel.com.tr/ so > keep your stinking orders or give'em to someone else. ;-) > > So Jay .. to get back to your original question .. or what I think the > question was .. is the Vetiver and Myrrh you have now safe to use on > your skin? Without extensive and expensive testing there is nobody on > this list that can give you a definite yes or no .. some might tell you > to dump it .. but I will not unless there is but a tad left and you have > not properly maintained and stored it over the years. If it were mine I > would do a small skin test .. using no more than a 7% dilution of the > Vetiver .. and a 7% dilution of the Myrrh .. and I did NOT pull those > percentages out of my rear end .. or get them from an AT novel. > > If you note the slightest bit of irritation from those tests .. then the > oil is sorta beyond the normally expected Shelf Life. > > Same applies to those oils I marked with asterisks (*) above. > > If I didn't answer your question .. and you wanna give me or others > another shot at it .. go for it. But I might have answered some you > didn't ask yet .. I don't like piecemeal answers anyway. > > Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch > > New .. but not completed http://www.av-at.com/prices-current.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 Thank you , Martin.. What would we do without you I am pretty seious about that statement. I gleaned one thing from it. We always assume that sensitization occurs from oil being used on broken skin only. However your post suggests that also old oils can bring on sensitization. without broken skin ? C-M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 > <snipped> > .. for the occasional user, you would be far better off assuming a > use-by-date of 6 months for most oils, particularly if you know the > oil contains alpha or beta pinene or d-limonene. Very few oils - such > as rose and patchouli - are known to be skin safe for years. ... > ... > Martin Watt: Author of Plant Aromatics safety manual, etc. > http://www.aromamedical.com <http://www.aromamedical.com/> Hiya Martin, So if that is the case should folks really just steer clear of using EO's on the skin at ALL and in ANY product, unless one distills it themselves or lives right next door to a distiller? I ask that cause if one thinks about it logically, by the time pretty much any oil is distilled, then sent off to market, and gets into the hands of an essential oil distributor and then a product manufacturer (cosmetics, toiletries, etc ..) and then what they produce is able to be sent off to market and sold, that any oil in it is almost guaranteed to be over 6 months old ... *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2004 Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 At 06:10 AM 6/20/2004, you wrote: >Lastly, you must bear in mind that the smaller AT suppliers and shops >may have oils in stock for months or more before you buy them. Very >few of those places store oils correctly. so, perhaps inquiring about HOW the supplier stores their oils is an appropriate question to ask? and 'under nitrogen'..cool temps,etc...the answers you want to look for? Your source for superb Essential Oils, Aromatherapy Accessories, Information, Books and more! Visit us at: <http://www.naturesgift.com> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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