What is an essential oil?

An essential oil is a liquid that is generally distilled (most frequently by steam or water) from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. Essential oils, contrary to the use of the word "oil" are not really oily-feeling at all. Most essential oils are clear, but some oils such as patchouli, orange and lemongrass are amber or yellow in colour.

Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant it was derived from. The oils are highly concentrated so a little goes a long way. When used correctly, the oils bring a wide range of health benefits and unlike modern drugs, they have no side-effects. 

Essential oils are not the same as perfume or fragrance oils. They are derived from the true plants, whereas perfume oils are artificially created fragrances or contain artificial substances and do not offer the therapeutic benefits that essential oils offer.

The chemical composition and aroma of essential oils can provide valuable psychological and physical therapeutic benefits. These benefits are usually achieved through methods including inhalation and application of the diluted oil to the skin.

1- Steam distillation
This method passes steam at high pressure through the plant material, releasing the globules of essential oil into the water vapour. The fragrant essential oil is cooled back to water and the essential oil can then be skimmed off as it floats on the surface. This technique is used to extract most essential oils.

2- Expression
This involves pressing the oil directly out of citrus fruit peel.

3- Solvent Extraction
This uses chemical solvents to dissolve aromatic compounds out of delicate plant tissues to make ‘absolutes’.

Buying essential oil is not as simple as you might think, many suppliers do not supply 100% pure oil, mixing it with other chemicals that certainly affect its quality. This is why you should always buy essential oils from long established and trusted suppliers. We specialise in clinical grade oils not the more common commercial grade. We extract our essential oils from a single botanical species that has been botanically authenticated and derived from our own farms in Egypt.

100% pure oils mean that nothing has been added or taken from the oil after extraction. All of our essential oils are batch tested for their quality and purity by gas chromatography, ensuring that you are receiving 100% pure product.

There are different uses of essential oils, whether it is for medication purposes or relaxation etc...
Essential oils possess a wide range of healing properties that keep you feeling healthy and looking healthy. These health-giving benefits include improving the complexion of your skin by stimulating cellular renewal, balancing roller-coaster emotions and fighting bacteria, fungi and other forms of infection. Essential oils have an almost endless list of therapeutic uses.

Only by using essential oils of the very highest quality can you be sure of achieving text-book results. Although cheaper essential oils may appear to save you money, they will certainly not deliver the results that you are entitled to expect.

Essential oils are proven to have an impact on the mood of its users. Find a list of different types of oils that can be used to gain different moods.

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 from 6 months to several years. Some oils like Mirth Sandalwood, Frankincense and Patchouli will improve or "mature" with age, very similar to a good wine. Oils with the shortest shelf life are citrus oils with grapefruit generally being the first to deteriorate. Once these oils start to turn cloudy or smell rancid they should be disposed off.

There is no doubt that essential oils are very powerful compounds and some safety measures must be kept in mind when having them around the house.

Following the guidelines below will help keep the use of essential oils safe for you and those around you.