What are essential oils?

 

 

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In layman’s terms essential oils are highly fragrant plant extracts that are ‘volatile’ in nature.

The word volatile means that their molecules change states (evaporate) rapidly. This makes them ‘unstable’, unlike fixed oils such as: coconut, avocado, grape seed, and olive.

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While still in the plant, these compounds are known as an essence. According to Webster’s dictionary, essence is defined as the individual, real, or ultimate nature of a thing. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) explains that the word essential is a contraction of the word quintessential. "This stems from the Aristotelian idea that matter is composed of four elements, namely, fire, air, earth, and water. The fifth element, or quintessence, was then considered to be spirit or life force. Distillation and evaporation were thought to be processes of removing the spirit from the plant and this is also reflected in our language since the term “spirits” is used to describe distilled alcoholic beverages such as brandy, whiskey, and eau de vie. The last of these again shows reference to the concept of removing the life force from the plant." The purpose of the essence is to repel predators, attract pollinators, and to protect the plant from the environment and rival plant species.

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Where do essential oils come from?

 

 

Essential oils come from the flowers, leaves, seeds, roots, bark, peels, and stems of plants. Some plants provide more than one essential oil. Neroli, petitgrain, and bitter orange all come from the bitter orange tree ( Citrus Aurantium). Neroli is derived from the blossom, petitgrain is from the leaves, and bitter orange is from the peel of the fruit.

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​How are Essential Oils made?

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Since essential oils already exist in plants, they aren't really made; they're extracted. There are several ways to harvest essential oils, however; we are going to discuss the most popular methods: steam distillation, cold pressing, and solvent extraction.

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Steam Distillation

 

The most widely used method of extracting and isolating plant essences is steam distillation.

This method results in a highly pure yield because the essential oil can be easily separated from the water.

Plant material gathered in a large container, a still, is injected with steam. As a result, the aromatic compounds are carried into a condenser where they are cooled and then collected.

The byproduct that remains, called a distillate or hydrosol, is used in perfumes and other beauty care products.

 

Cold Pressed

 

The cold pressed method is used to extract oils from citrus fruits such as lemon, tangerine, bergamot, lime, grapefruit, and orange. This method provides oils that smell identical to the fresh fruit. The fruit is placed in a trough and spun around while a machine mechanically zests the rind. Water is added and the mixture is then filtered and centrifuged separate the essential oil from the water.

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Solvent Extraction

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The essential oils of delicate flowers are most commonly extracted by this method. The traditional solvents used are: liquid butane, ether, hexane, crude alcohol, benzene or other petroleum based compounds. The problem with using these chemicals is that they are environmentally hazardous and toxic. In addition, if this method is done incorrectly it can result in solvent residue being present in the oil, which can cause skin irritation.

 

 

There is however a new form of solvent extraction using CO2 that, although costly, has many benefits:

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• Eliminates the possibility of leaving residual solvent behind

• Chemical structure and aroma of the oil remains the same

• Odorless, colorless, non-combustible

• quality of oil comparable to steam distillation

 

On of the few companies that are using this method is

dōTERRA. Here is the CO2 extraction method that they use:

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• CO2 gas is heated and pressurized and changes into its supercritical phase and becomes a solvent.

• CO2 is added to plant material to remove the essential oil.

• The resulting mixture is filtered to remove any leftover plant material

• Heat and pressure are returned to normal, which cause the CO2 to return to its gaseous state, and evaporate out of the oil.

• Pure essential oil product is left behind.

 

Despite the cost, this is an eco-friendly non-toxic way of collecting essential oils. To purchase oils from dōTERRA, a company that is using this eco-friendly method to make their delicate floral oils, click here.

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Why Use Essential Oils?

 

 

I'm going to list my top 3 reasons why I use essential oils in countdown formation.

 

 

3) Good For the Environment

 

Part of the holistic lifestyle is to recognize that the planet is a living thing and we need to protect it. Once you start using essential oils, you'll find that you can easily and affordably replace many store bought cleaners, beauty products, and personal care items. When you start using your green concoctions at home, you realize that you are actually helping the environment by reducing the amount of:

• plastic and cardboard containers

• expired drugs

• hazardous and toxic chemicals

that get dumped into landfills or the water supply.

 

 

2) Reduce Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

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Many of the conventional household products contain chemicals that are known carcinogens, are toxic, or cause respiratory issues. Some people experience symptoms right away, while others are affected after the toxicity builds up. A good place to find out what hazardous chemicals, if any, are in your regularly used brands is the The EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning. Not only does it have a list of over 2000 products and the harmful ingredients that are in them, but it gives them a rating from A-F, just like a report card. They also have one for skincare, products, produce, GMOs, and much more.

 

 

1) Take Control of My Health and Wellness Through Empowerment.

 

This by far is biggest and most important reason for me. I am 47 years old and for the most part in great health; no illnesses, diseases, achy joints or any thing- and I want to keep it that way! Notice, I said great health, not great shape. I could stand to lose about 60 pounds, which I am working on right now. I have lost 40 pounds since January 9, by changing my eating habits. I will go into detail in another blog post about that. Since the 1990's I have been using herbal medicine instead of conventional medicine. I do not take any drugs at all; if it can't be cured with a plant or plant oil, then oh well. I used to suffer from tension headaches. However, since I discovered essential oils I diffuse them away instead of waiting on my herbal remedy to kick in. There are so many testimonies of people whose lives were changed by essential oils, some of which I witnessed first hand.

 

EMPOWER yourself by realizing and admitting that your quality of life is in YOUR hands. YOU have the power to make it better or worse, based on the decisions YOU make. This has really helped with my weight loss. Once you realize, it's not your DNA, but the lifestyle choices that YOU make, you can fix it. Your health is a direct result of the foods that you eat, or don't eat. So, since YOU choose what to eat,YOU can make yourself better. You can use essential oils and plant based medicine (food and Herbs), to help you.

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When to Use Essential Oils?

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Before I get into when to use essential oils, let me first post my disclaimer:

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The content of Wholistic Living either through this website, our social media pages, or any other materials distributed by Wholistic Living is intended to provide helpful and informative material. We are not doctors or nutrition professionals, and do not provide medical advice. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with their health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition or are taking any medication, please consult your physician. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment.

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Now, with that out of the way, essential oils can be used at any time. I usually fall asleep with my diffuser going and as soon as I wake up, I'm reloading, LOL! I use essential oils to relieve: tightness in my shoulders, mild headaches, runny nose, for occasional stomach upset etc. I use them in place of  household products and personal care items such as :

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• air fresheners

• antacids

• all purpose cleaners

• disinfectant wipes

• mouthwash

• toothpaste

• deodorant

• body wash

• lotion

• shampoo

• facial wash

• laundry detergent

• and much more

 

​This has allowed me to save money, as most of the ingredients for the above items are the same. Everything I make is all natural, mostly organic, toxin free, eco-friendly, and non GMO.

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Who to Buy Essential Oils From?

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This is a touchy subject and has led to some bitter rivalries in the essential oil user circles. Although, I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate, I also am studying to be an an aromatherapist. Just because I use doTERRA doesn't mean I don't use other brands. For me, it's more important to give the facts and let you make up your own mind, like I did.

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Just the Facts, Ma'am!

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1. There is no governmental agency that regulates essential oil purity.

2. The FDA only regulates how essential oils are marketed.

3. No natural health product, including vitamins, supplements, and herbs can state that it prevents, treats, or cures any disease; only FDA approved drugs can say such.

4. There is no such thing as grades of essential oils i.e. food, therapeutic.

5. The terms Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade and Young Living Therapeutic Grade are both registered trademarks of doTERRA Holdings LLC and Young Living respectively.

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First, there is no regulatory body that governs the purity of essential oils. It is wholly left up to the company to ensure that their oils are "pure" and "natural". There is no such thing as "therapeutic grade"; however, there is something called USDA Organic- This is regulated. The USDA organic seal ensures that there are no pesticides used in the cultivation of the plants. This should be the first thing that you look for. Second, does the brand do third party testing? Gas Chromatography and/or Mass Spectrometry testing? Do they publish the results of this testing? Third, do they list the Latin Name, part of the plant used, and country of origin? These are just some of the things to look for on their website or labeling. I have a buyer's guide that can be downloaded with the important things to look for when choosing your essential oils.

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By Law, no natural health product can claim that it cures, prevents, or treats a disease even if there is scientific research to back their claim. As a result, the biggest essential oil companies have come up with a clever way to get around this. They have coined the phrase “Therapeutic Grade”. According to dictionary.com the definition of therapeutic is: of or relating to the treating or curing of disease; curative.

 

However, by nature, all essential oils are therapeutic. As mentioned previously, while in the plant the purpose of the essence is to repel predators, attract pollinators, heal, and to protect the plant from the environment and rival plant species. It’s a clever way of getting around the FDA and letting their customers know that they can heal their ailments with essential oils.

 

However, what's not cool is to give misinformation while you are promoting your product. For example, Young Living states "Have you ever wondered what makes clove essential oil Young Living Therapeutic Grade? Young Living’s clove essential oil is distilled from the flower of the plant—unlike imitation clove oil that is distilled from the stem or leaf. While the clove stem and leaf are certainly less expensive to distill and have the same aroma as oil distilled from the flower, you will not find the highest amount of the naturally-occurring eugenol in essential oils that are distilled from these parts of the plant."This is taken from their blog post on clove oil and contains two false pieces of information:

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1. Essential oil distilled from the stem or leaf is not imitation- neroli is derived from the blossom, petitgrain is from the leaves, and orange from the peel. Is petitgrain imitation orange oil because it’s from the leaves and not the blossom? Different parts of the plant are used for different reasons.

2. The bud does not contain the highest percent of eugenol; it contains the least amount, which is why it’s preferable to use the bud. Clove oil is a warming oil and can cause skin irritation. The chance of irritation is increased when using oil that contains a high amount of eugenol.

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When purchasing your oils, make sure you are purchasing from a brand that cares about the purity and quality of the oils that they are manufacturing. Don't forget to checkout the free buyer's guide that can help you make an informed decision when buying your oils.

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Peace and Blessings,

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