Tips to store your essential oils

Last week’s article discussed buying essential oils. So you’ve bought your essential oils, now what? You must know where to store them and how to start using them. 

Keep on reading to learn 

• Do essential oils expire? 

• How to store your essential oils

• Just how concentrated essential oils are

• Methods of using essential oils

Do essential oils expire?

Yes! Essential oils have a shelf life. Most essential oils last 18-24 months. Some, such as most citruses, degrade faster and have a shelf life of 12-18 months. Others, such as patchouli, lavender, and sandalwood can last for 5 years or more! 

I imagine your next question is “how do I find the expiration date?” Good question. 

Expiration dates are not normally printed on the bottle. This may be because many factors influence the shelf life of the essential oil. I discuss those below. 

You may find the batch number on the label. You should be able to look up the batch number on the company’s website or contact them directly. You want to know the extraction date so you can figure out the shelf life. 

How to store essential oils

Heat, sun, oxygen, and moisture are not good for your essential oils. They degrade essential oils faster. You want to block these out when storing your oils. Below are tips to maximize the shelf life of your oils.

• Store in dark-colored glass bottles. Most essential oils come in glass bottles. Never store long-term in plastic containers as the essential oil can eat away at the plastic. 

• Purchase in smaller amounts. The more full the bottle is, the less oxygen is able to get in.

• When using your oil replace the cap quickly to minimize oxygen and moisture from the air creeping in. 

• Store in a cool, dry place that has no direct sunlight. 

Can you tell when an oil has expired? Sometimes. 

• Check the aroma. Sometimes it’s “off”. 

• If moisture got in you may see beading inside the container. Essential oils are fat-soluble, so they do NOT mix with water.

• The color may be off. 

• It irritates your skin (when it didn’t used to) when applied. 

*** No fear if you have oils that are close to the expiration date – you can use them in cleaning products. 

The strength of essential oils

We live in a society where “more is better.” Not so with essential oils. Essential oils are highly concentrated. Here are some examples of how much plant material it can take to extract essential oils. 

• 1 drop of peppermint essential oil — 28 cups peppermint tea

• 1 drop of rose Otto essential oil — 40-60 rosebuds

• 15 ml bottle of lemon essential oil — about 75 lemons

• 16 oz lavender essential oil — 250 lbs of lavender

• 16 oz rosemary essential oil — 250 lbs of rosemary

• 16 oz eucalyptus essential oil — 50 lbs eucalyptus leaves

One drop of essential oil represents A LOT of plant material. We want to use it wisely. You simply don’t need a lot because a little goes a long way.

Methods of using essential oils

Your sense of smell is the only one of the 5 senses that has a direct connection to the limbic system in your brain. This system includes interconnected brain structures involved with emotions, motivations, hormone regulation, and circadian rhythms to name a few.

This is why inhaling essential oil molecules can easily impact you. The molecules can also make their way to your lungs, where they can be absorbed into your bloodstream. 

Diffusing and topical applications are 2 wonderful ways to use essential oils.

Diffusing

Diffusing essential oils is the simple process of dispersing essential oil molecules into the air so they can be inhaled. Placing a drop of essential oil on a cotton ball and inhaling is an easy form of diffusing. 

An ultrasonic diffuser shoots out a fine mist. These popular diffusers have a water tank where you add the water and essential oils. A disc beneath the water causes ultrasonic vibrations, creating a mist and diffusing the oils into the air. The water is not heated up.

The instructions in your diffuser will state how many drops of essential you should use in your diffuser.

Tips for diffusers

• If you have animals, make sure they can leave the room and get away from the smell.

• Notice the behavior of your animals. It they act agitated or out of the norm then they may not like the aroma. 

• Give your body a break from the aroma. Many diffusers have timers so use them! I don’t recommend diffusing all day or night (though I know people that do that and they love it).

Topical application

There are endless ways you can use essential oils topically! It is safest to dilute the essential oil before applying it to your skin. You can dilute it with a carrier oil, such as olive oil, lotion, jojoba, sweet almond oil, or lots of others!

Here are dilution guidelines to follow:

• 1% dilution – 5-6 drops of essential oils total per ounce of carrier oil/lotion. This is appropriate for a blend that you use generously and regularly on your skin, such as a massage oil/lotion. 

• 2% dilution – 10-12 drops of essential oils total per ounce of carrier oil/lotion. This is appropriate for a blend that you apply to a specific area or for personal care use. For example, a calming blend that you apply on your chest or wrists.

Diluting essential oils is safest, but there are a couple of reasons you might use an oil neat, or undiluted. I place one drop of lavender or tea tree oil on a bug bite, bee sting, a superficial cut, even on a blemish. I take a bottle of lavender essential oil on hikes as part of our first aid kit.

Always check for safety information before using your essential oils in a blend. This is beyond the scope of this (already long) article but is important. Some oils should not be used on or around children, others may be best to avoid for asthmatics or if you’re pregnant/breastfeeding.

What about ingesting essential oils?

There is a lot of misinformation on ingesting essential oils. There’s also a lot of advice given on a whim about what essential oils to add to water and drink. 

Years ago, I took such advice and added 1 drop of peppermint essential oil to water to drink. It was supposed to give me energy and clear my mind. At that point, my kids were very young and I was desperate for less brain fog and more energy.  

Do you want to know what happened? The 1 drop of essential oil sat on the top of my water because they won’t mix! Essential oils are fat-soluble, they don’t mix with water. I drank it and holy cow was that peppermint SO strong!

And it burned my mouth.

Remember 1 drop of peppermint essential oil is about equal to 28 cups of peppermint tea. Would you drink that much in one sitting?

Heck no! 

My takeaway: opt for 1 cup of herbal peppermint tea instead!

My (sometimes unpopular) opinion is that you should not ingest essential oils unless you are working with a qualified, certified healthcare practitioner. This person must be specifically trained in the complex pharmacology of how essential oils interact with our internal systems and the potential interactions with any medications. 

The majority of highly trained aromatherapists do NOT have this specific training, myself included. 

When I share my opinion about ingesting essential oils, I receive a response from someone that it’s okay to ingest their oils because they are “certified therapeutic grade”.   

Just because essential oils come from nature and are high quality and pure, it doesn’t mean they cannot do damage.  Stronger is not always better or more helpful. And remember that your body, specifically your liver and kidneys, must handle the highly concentrated ingested oils. Essential oils can be caustic, causing burns and even irritating the mucous lining of your digestive tract. 

Think twice before adding a drop of essential oil to your water, as I did. There are other effective remedies that are more appropriate.

Herbal preparations are very effective when used internally as gentle support for your body’s own natural healing processes. For something more potent tinctures are a good option. 

Essential oils offer lots of benefits and can be used in many ways. Storing them properly ensures that they last their entire shelf life. 

Where do you like to store your essential oils?  Comment below!