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Essential oils and their use

Essential oils are very powerful compounds. You have most likely come across them in many different contexts. They are aromatic and strong plant extract concentrates, in which the properties of the plant are captured in their purest form. Essential oils are produced by steam distillation, cold pressing, or resin flow. One kilo of fresh raw material is typically used in one small bottle of essential oil. Descriptive is the information that 4-5 tons of rose petals are used for one liter of rose essential oil.

All parts of a plant can contain essential oil: flower, leaf, wood, root, bark or fruit. In fact, several different essential oils can be extracted from the same plant.

Similarly, depending on the cultivation method (organic or not), climatic conditions, origin or season, the same plant can synthesize essences with different compositions and thus different effects.

Use of essential oils

Essential oils are most commonly used in 3 different ways: aromatically, topically and internally. We will now tell you more about these ways of using essential oils.

Aromatic use of essential oils

Aromatic use is probably the most familiar and common. It means smelling and inhaling the oils by adding drops to, for example, a diffuser, warm water or washing vinegar. It's easy to indulge in essential oils through scents, because scents are one of the easiest ways to find the desired atmosphere and mood. The sense of smell is the most direct way to the brain. Essential oils have many different aromatherapeutic healing effects on the mind and body.

Essential oils are often added to room bags, which spread the scent in the room for a long time. Fragrance sticks have the same effect. The good side of the diffuser is the moisture it brings to the room air in addition to the wonderful smell. In this way, the fragrance molecules spread evenly and quickly. The scent of essential oil mixed with laundry vinegar will travel through clean clothes with you throughout the day. On the other hand, citrus added to cleaning agents freshens the whole home.

Topical use of essential oils

Oils can also be used locally by adding a couple of drops to massage oil or by combining with moisturizer to enhance skin care. The oils are quickly absorbed into the skin, so the benefits are quickly apparent. Through the skin, essential oils affect blood circulation, lymph flow and the nervous system.

Like perfumes, essential oils should be applied to the body's pulse points. Such points can be found e.g. wrists, neck and legs. In the pulse points, the blood flows close to the surface of the skin, which enhances the effect of the essential oils.

Note, however, that citrus essential oils (orange, bergamot, lemon, etc.) are photosensitizing. Do not expose yourself to the sun for 12 hours after application.

However, oils can be applied to many places on the body (even the stomach, chest, temples, neck...). However, avoid particularly sensitive skin areas, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mucous membranes and the skin areas surrounding them. The safest places to start topical application of essential oils are the feet. The skin on the soles of the feet is thick and you can observe the effects of essential oils well by applying the oil to the soles of the feet at night. Remember safe use and add a drop of essential oil to your foot cream.

Try essential oils in the bath water as well. Together with e.g. softening and relaxing Epsom salt, the experience has a real spa atmosphere. However, do not add the oil directly to the bath water, but first mix a couple of drops with Epsom salt and dissolve the mixture in warm water.

Internal use of essential oils

When used internally, the use of essential oils is even more unfamiliar to many. There is reason to be careful, because essential oils are very strong, and almost all essential oils are not recommended for internal use. Internally used essential oils must always be properly and liberally diluted. One drop added to a sugar cube or a neutral tablet will go a long way.

Normally, essential oils are not intended for internal use, but most of Fleurance Nature's products can also be used internally. We always recommend consulting your doctor if you are unsure about using essential oils internally or if you have no experience with their effects.

​How do essential oils work?

Genuine essential oils do not dissolve in water. They can be mixed with other oils and by combining different essential oils you can make your own interesting combinations. At the same time, you can combine the effects of different essential oils. There are a lot of them. A small amount of use is confusing, because essential oils contain a huge amount of active ingredients in a concentrated form. For example, lavender essential oil has almost 300 of them.

Essential oils have specific effects based on the raw material used. For example, lavender relaxes and citrus refreshes. Many woody scents, such in turn, are suitable for cleaning the air space. Cinnamon has an antioxidant and stimulating effect in essential oils.

When you have a flu and breathing is difficult, you can try adding a couple of drops of eucalyptus or peppermint to the diffuser at night. It opens the airways effectively and makes breathing easier during the night. Peppermint is also known to help with digestion.

During stressful periods, a drop of lavender on the corner of the pillow helps you have a more stress-free and peaceful sleep. B ergamot , on the other hand, strengthens the immune system. Cloves are especially suitable for the cold season. It has a calming and warming effect. Sweet orange creates a sunny and calm, relaxed atmosphere around it.

Essential oil shelf life

If you protect the bottle from light, away from heat and in a dry place, the pure essential oil will keep for 5 years even when opened. Citrus and resinous essential oils, which are more fragile, can only be stored after opening for a year, as they oxidize very quickly.

3 tips to identify expired oil

  • the original scent has changed
  • the appearance has become darker
  • the viscosity, i.e. the composition, has changed

Did you know?

Essential oils are sensitive to the sun's ultraviolet rays and evaporation. That's why they are offered in colored and well-sealed glass bottles.

How to dispose of expired essential oil?

You can take the essential oils to a pharmacy, where they will be disposed of properly. However, we recommend recycling. Stale oil is no longer suitable for use on the skin, but it can be recycled by adding a few drops to, for example, potpourri to revive the scent. Also try drops on a handkerchief, a piece of cloth or cotton wool and put it in your wardrobe. Lavender essential oil is a natural moth repellent.

You can also remove bad smells from, for example, a trash can or a trash closet by adding citrus essential oils to the bottom of the trash can or a corner of the closet. Citrus neutralizes odors. Citruses are great for cleaning anyway, so it is suitable, for example, mixed with vinegar to freshen floors or toilets.

Consider family members

Remember that essential oils are not recommended for pregnant women, children or animals in general. However, a school-aged child can already benefit from steam inhalation during the flu season and from the good effects of essential oil that spreads gently into the room air through a diffuser.

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EOBBD standardization behind pure essential oils

EOBBD Pure standard oil has passed
a rigorous 14-step test process that confirms that all properties, molecular fingerprinting and botanical definition are done correctly.

Essential oils that meet the standard can be traced
to the producing country, specific location, plant species and applicable chemotype. The production is sustainable and the quality is impeccable.

EOBBD Pure was first introduced in France in the 1970s and has since become the standard for evaluating pure essential oils. It is a guarantee for you of high-quality essential oils.

You can read more about the steps of the standard at the bottom of the page.

Essential oils

Take a look at the selection and choose the fragrances that suit you best.

EOBBD Pure standardized process

  • 1. PLANT DATA

    Each plant family and species is given Latin names with a very specific meaning. If an essential oil company can't collect the right species with the right botanical name, they won't produce the right compounds for therapeutic effect. EOBBD evaluates all Botanical species to accurately locate the chemical compounds in the product.

  • 2. DETERMINATION OF COMPOUNDS AND CONCENTRATION

    It is important to know where the essential oils are produced and stored in the plant.
    For example, the oils in cinnamon leaves and cinnamon bark have different chemical compositions and percentages of compounds, although they have similar aromas. You don't want to bake with bitter cinnamon leaf oil, and you don't want to bathe in cinnamon bark oil covered in paprika. It is important to know which part of the plant is harvested for the oil so that you can identify its proper use.

  • 3. PHYSICAL HEALTH OF THE PLANT

    The EOBBD inspection of the essential oil producing plant and crop is extensive. It includes not only the health of the harvested plant, but also an assessment of nearby plants that may affect the compounds contained in the final oil crop.

  • 4. DIFFERENT EXTRACTION PROCESSES

    The process by which the oil is extracted from the plant matter affects the final quality of the essential oils and, if done correctly, preserves their longevity.

    There are several extraction methods and they vary according to the desired essential oil. Steam distillation with minimal pressure is the preferred process for 90% of essential oils. However, cold extraction is ideal for citrus oils. For fragile, floral-based essential oils like rose and ylang-ylang, hydrodistillation in a water bath is best.

  • 5. TESTING OF COMPOUNDS

    EOBBD's total physical analysis examines essential oil compounds. Minor compounds are often necessary to activate the major compounds, which determines whether the oils are effective for therapeutic use.

  • 6. ANGLE OF REFRACTION OF THE LIGHT BEAM

    EOBBD evaluators reflect light through liquid oil and measure the angle of refraction of the light beam.

    Essential oils that are sealed and created with the right parameters refract light by a very specific factor. If the oils are diluted, this angle of refraction changes. Refractive index is a very reliable measurement of whether
    essential oil pure and unadulterated.

  • 7. COLOR

    Color is an important factor in evaluating essential oils. For example, coriander seeds have a slight color that is visibly different from the crystal clear coriander leaf oil.
    The color of cinnamon bark oil is completely different from cinnamon leaf oil.
    The color of an essential oil identifies its source and thus reveals the oil
    characteristics.

  • 8. DENSITY

    This is a highly technical measurement of atomic mass units and
    chemical analysis of molecular bonds. The physical density of the oils is indexed. This test reveals whether an essential oil is adulterated at the atomic level.

  • 9. THE FRAGRANCE

    The scent of the essential oil must match the species listed on the label. Oils and synthetic chemicals with similar components may have a similar scent, but the subtle elements and notes of the aroma reveal the true species. In particular, low-quality citrus oils are often derived from chemicals that mimic some of the recognizable citrus scent.

  • 10. MOVEMENT OF LIGHT

    Evaluation of this measurement detects the way light shining through the oil rotates when the oil is in motion. The adulterated oil will mix the light to the outside of the prism, while the pure essential oil will pull the light towards the center.

  • 11. ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTRACT

    A trained essential oil expert will understand which
    all the constituents of any oil and identify its visual properties. Oil viscosity, color, clarity and other visible characteristics indicate purity. The appearance of inappropriate turbidity, particles or discoloration may indicate that the oil has been extracted incorrectly.

  • 12. IMPORTANT CLIMATE

    Swapping the country of origin for plant matter that produces essential oils can produce a product so unique that it can behave like an entirely different species than oil extracted from plants growing just a few hundred miles away. Altitude, water, insects and soil quality are just a few parameters that affect the quality of the oil and the percentage of compounds it contains.

    When exposed to different environmental factors, the same plant species can contain significantly changed concentrations of key compounds.

  • 13. TRACEABILITY

    EOBBD requires that the essential oil producer trace the batch from the field to the finished product and document each stop along the way.
    If oil is traced to a clearinghouse, its origin may be unknown,
    so quality cannot be documented. It is important that the entire trace path
    is documented in order to ensure that the oil has not been adulterated at any stage.

  • 14. SOIL ANALYSIS

    The importance of soil microbiology is vital for the plant and the final harvest. EOBBD assesses soils with oilseed crops
    grown to ensure that the growing conditions are truly organic or
    wild. If microbes are not measured in a certain ratio, this may indicate that the growing processes are not organic and the final crop may contain traces of unwanted chemicals, pesticides and herbicides that can destroy the potency and purity of the essential oils.