misscrystal
Nappy and Happy
can someone please tell me what exactly are essential oils and where are they sold....
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Stupid question....
- Thread starter misscrystal
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can someone please tell me what exactly are essential oils and where are they sold....
HoneyDew
Well-Known Member
You can get them online (I get them from ebay) or at natural food stores. I put them in boiling hot water for a steam facial.
I got this from one site that sells them:
What is an Essential Oil?
Essential oils are the actual immune system of the plants and they contain many medicinal properties. Essential oils heal our body and emotions. Most of the essential oils are antiseptic and some of them are either anti bacterial, anti viral or anti inflammatory. Essential oils help prevent congestion of toxins and improve the lymphatic flow. Essential oil balance the nervous system, helping in relieving the stress and tension that so often leads to ageing skin and many other physical problems.
Essential oils dissolve in the fatty part of the skin and can easily penetrate it's different layers. This property of the essential oil makes it superior compared to the other forms of treatment. The essential oils being volatile also get absorbed easily into the lungs from where they enter the blood stream.
Methods of production
Essential oil are synthesized and stored in many parts of the plant, and in several different types of secretory structures. Essential oil of eucalyptus and tea tree (Myrtaceae family), for example occur in oil sacs within the leaf, while those of peppermint and clary sage (Labiatae) are found in glands on the leaf surface. Oil of rose (Rosaceae) is extracted from the petals of the flower, and clove oil from the dried flower buds.
Essential oils produced from the chopped wood of trees include cedar wood (Pinaceae) and sandalwood (santalaceae), while those of pine and spruce (Pinaceae) are distilled mainly from the needles. Veveiter (Gramineae) is an example of oil extracted from root, and ginger (Zingiberaceae) from the fragrant rhizome.
There are number of methods by which the volatile components of aromatic plants may be extracted for commercial purpose. However such a volatile product cannot be considered a true essential oil unless it has been produced either through distillation or cold expression.
The process of steam distillation begins when the distiller inserts the chosen plant material, or charge, into a special chamber. Often at considerable pressure, steam is then forced into the chamber. As it passes through the plant material, the steam ruptures the plant’s oil-bearing sacs and cavities, and librates its essence, which consequently evaporates into the steam. The steam and vaporized essential oil then pass out of the chamber and through a coiled tube surrounded by cold water. Here, they condense into water and liquid essential oil, and flow into collecting vase. The essential oil is unable to mix with water and so form a layer above it, making it easy to separate. Small quantities of odorous principles also remain in the water, forming a fragrant water, or hydrolate
The hydrolate is often used to form the new distillation steam, and becomes more concentrated in process. Floral water such as rose and chamomile are used for skin care cosmetics and fragrance.
Fragrance materials can also be extracted with the aid of solvents such as hexane. However the resulting product, called an absolute, is not a pure essential oil, as it contains additional plant constituents. Absolutes are unsuitable for therapeutic purpose, due to small amount of toxic residue they will invariably contain. Solvent extraction, or separation, is often used to extract the aromatic principles from the plants with a very low yield of essence, such as neroli and rose. It is generally favored by the perfume industry, as it is more economical than the distilled process.
Cold expression is a process used for extraction of essential oils from the rind of citrus fruits. The outer layer of the peel is ruptured through a mechanical means and the essence, or zest, pressed out. Cold-pressed grade of orange, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, and lime oils are obtained this way.
The traditional process of enfleurage is still occasionally used to extract the aromatic components of delicate flowers such as jasmine. A layer of fresh flowers is placed on a thin layer of odorless animal fat, called the chassis. The fat gradually becomes saturated with aromatic constituents of the flower, and is then treated with alcohol to produce an absolute ex pomade. This process is very expensive and not widely used.
Most essential oils are made up of molecules from several different chemical groups, though it is fairly common for just one or two groups to predominate. It is the unique combination of plant’s chemical constitutes that determine both its synergy of therapeutic effects and its aroma. These cannot be imitated by chemical mixture that is produced in the laboratory. It would be impossible to reproduce each of the numerous minute constituents that contribute to the aroma of a natural essential oil, nor conceivable that such a chemical cocktail would posses the life force of the authentic product.
Water Distillation:- The plant material is charged into the still with boiled water continuously agitated by slow speed stirring throughout the distillation. The essential components of the plant is distilled out along with the hot water.
Water & Steam Distillation:- The material is supported on a grid fixed over a layer of water in the bottom of still. When the water is boiled, the steam produced in the still is saturated and at low pressure. This helps the removal of the volatile components from the plant material.
Dry Steam Distillation:- The plant material is supported in layers on grids set at intervals in a tall still body or is contained in perforated baskets. Live steam is injected into the bottom of the still at atmospheric pressure or at higher than atmospheric pressure to give dry superheated steam. This super heated steam separates out the volatiles.
After this distillation process, the essential oil is then removed from the steam/water through condensation and separation.
I got this from one site that sells them:
What is an Essential Oil?
Essential oils are the actual immune system of the plants and they contain many medicinal properties. Essential oils heal our body and emotions. Most of the essential oils are antiseptic and some of them are either anti bacterial, anti viral or anti inflammatory. Essential oils help prevent congestion of toxins and improve the lymphatic flow. Essential oil balance the nervous system, helping in relieving the stress and tension that so often leads to ageing skin and many other physical problems.
Essential oils dissolve in the fatty part of the skin and can easily penetrate it's different layers. This property of the essential oil makes it superior compared to the other forms of treatment. The essential oils being volatile also get absorbed easily into the lungs from where they enter the blood stream.
Methods of production
Essential oil are synthesized and stored in many parts of the plant, and in several different types of secretory structures. Essential oil of eucalyptus and tea tree (Myrtaceae family), for example occur in oil sacs within the leaf, while those of peppermint and clary sage (Labiatae) are found in glands on the leaf surface. Oil of rose (Rosaceae) is extracted from the petals of the flower, and clove oil from the dried flower buds.
Essential oils produced from the chopped wood of trees include cedar wood (Pinaceae) and sandalwood (santalaceae), while those of pine and spruce (Pinaceae) are distilled mainly from the needles. Veveiter (Gramineae) is an example of oil extracted from root, and ginger (Zingiberaceae) from the fragrant rhizome.
There are number of methods by which the volatile components of aromatic plants may be extracted for commercial purpose. However such a volatile product cannot be considered a true essential oil unless it has been produced either through distillation or cold expression.
The process of steam distillation begins when the distiller inserts the chosen plant material, or charge, into a special chamber. Often at considerable pressure, steam is then forced into the chamber. As it passes through the plant material, the steam ruptures the plant’s oil-bearing sacs and cavities, and librates its essence, which consequently evaporates into the steam. The steam and vaporized essential oil then pass out of the chamber and through a coiled tube surrounded by cold water. Here, they condense into water and liquid essential oil, and flow into collecting vase. The essential oil is unable to mix with water and so form a layer above it, making it easy to separate. Small quantities of odorous principles also remain in the water, forming a fragrant water, or hydrolate
The hydrolate is often used to form the new distillation steam, and becomes more concentrated in process. Floral water such as rose and chamomile are used for skin care cosmetics and fragrance.
Fragrance materials can also be extracted with the aid of solvents such as hexane. However the resulting product, called an absolute, is not a pure essential oil, as it contains additional plant constituents. Absolutes are unsuitable for therapeutic purpose, due to small amount of toxic residue they will invariably contain. Solvent extraction, or separation, is often used to extract the aromatic principles from the plants with a very low yield of essence, such as neroli and rose. It is generally favored by the perfume industry, as it is more economical than the distilled process.
Cold expression is a process used for extraction of essential oils from the rind of citrus fruits. The outer layer of the peel is ruptured through a mechanical means and the essence, or zest, pressed out. Cold-pressed grade of orange, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, and lime oils are obtained this way.
The traditional process of enfleurage is still occasionally used to extract the aromatic components of delicate flowers such as jasmine. A layer of fresh flowers is placed on a thin layer of odorless animal fat, called the chassis. The fat gradually becomes saturated with aromatic constituents of the flower, and is then treated with alcohol to produce an absolute ex pomade. This process is very expensive and not widely used.
Most essential oils are made up of molecules from several different chemical groups, though it is fairly common for just one or two groups to predominate. It is the unique combination of plant’s chemical constitutes that determine both its synergy of therapeutic effects and its aroma. These cannot be imitated by chemical mixture that is produced in the laboratory. It would be impossible to reproduce each of the numerous minute constituents that contribute to the aroma of a natural essential oil, nor conceivable that such a chemical cocktail would posses the life force of the authentic product.
Water Distillation:- The plant material is charged into the still with boiled water continuously agitated by slow speed stirring throughout the distillation. The essential components of the plant is distilled out along with the hot water.
Water & Steam Distillation:- The material is supported on a grid fixed over a layer of water in the bottom of still. When the water is boiled, the steam produced in the still is saturated and at low pressure. This helps the removal of the volatile components from the plant material.
Dry Steam Distillation:- The plant material is supported in layers on grids set at intervals in a tall still body or is contained in perforated baskets. Live steam is injected into the bottom of the still at atmospheric pressure or at higher than atmospheric pressure to give dry superheated steam. This super heated steam separates out the volatiles.
After this distillation process, the essential oil is then removed from the steam/water through condensation and separation.
misscrystal
Nappy and Happy
thank you for the informative answer 
metalkitty
New Member
Not stupid of a question at all, if you can't make it to a health food store, or are really impatient, Bath & Bodyworks at malls carry some too, but are a little pricier I think. I got lavendin ( two species of lavendar) for 10 dollars. They've got nice carrier oil blends too, if you want to spend $12 on an 8 oz. Avocado & Jojoba Blend.
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