The ultimate guide on how to buy quality essential oils PART II

As chemists can synthetically “copy” the constituents of pure essential oils, many companies label their essential oils as “therapeutic” even though they buy them from different independent brokers and have no experience in meeting quality standards.

As makeup can be deceptive, so is the aroma of essential oils.

Diluted and adulterated oils may be based on essential oils, but they are “enhanced” with certain synthetic constituents produced in the laboratory to increase volume or fragrance.

Why does it matter to choose quality essential oils?

The production of pure and high quality essential oils is very expensive, as it requires several hundred or thousands of kilograms of plants to extract one kilogram of pure essential oil.

For example, extracting half a kilogram of Melissa requires 3 tons of plant.

The essential oil of rose from Damask was the first to appear and is the type of rose accepted as the most fragrant. It contains the largest amount of oil.

It is obtained from the rose petals of Damascus, by the method of steam distillation. It takes about 6 – 7 tons of petals to get one kilo of oil, so a single drop of rose essential oil contains the essence and fragrance of 30 roses.

Their quality is felt by the pleasant smell and by the immediate effects after applying it on the skin.

How do you know if essential oils are pure?

To make sure that the essential oils you want to use are pure and safe, you should recognize those signs meant to show you whether they have the desired qualities or not.

In the instructions below you will receive information on how you can distinguish a pure essential oil from one that is diluted or has other impurities:

1. Analyze the smell of oil
The first thing to keep in mind is the following: an essential oil will never smell like alcohol (similar to the smell of alcoholic beverages).

If it is a counterfeit product, it may have the odor of ethyl alcohol, which is often used as a diluent. This will trigger a headache soon after you smell it.

Another hint that your oil is not pure is the smell of rancidity. This is very easy to detect in the case of vegetable oils and it is a sign that the raw material used in its manufacture has been rancid.

2. See if the oil dissolves in the water or not

It will be a great way to check whether it is pure or not. You must know that if it is pure, it will not dissolve in water at all.

On the other hand, if it is fake, you will see that it will gradually start to dissolve in water, as it contains some substances used in the manufacture of soaps or other emulsifying substances.

3. Analyze the appearance of the oil on a piece of paper

Before doing this, take care and put a protective foil on the surface that you will use for this purpose. Then continue as follows:

Pour a drop of oil onto the paper

If the container where the oil is, is not equipped with a system that allows only a drop of it to drain, you can use the following trick:

Use the side with the rubber of a pencil. It will be inserted directly into the container and then glued to the surface of the paper.

If you want to test more oils, you will need to make a label so that you do not mess with each other.

Allow the oil to dry on paper.

It takes about 30-45 minutes in general until it is absorbed. If after 30 minutes the oil has not been absorbed, wait another additional 15 minutes.

Look at the place where the oil drop was applied.

If you notice that an oil circle is now visible, it means it contains impurities.

If there is no trace of oil on the paper, touch the paper with your fingers. A pure oil will be completely absorbed, which means that there should be no oily trace on your fingers.

Note: there is a possibility that the oil will leave a colored mark on the paper, but it should not be oily.

For example, oils such as sandalwood, vetiver or patchouli always leave a colored trace, being more pigmented.

4.Last but not least, you should know that some oils dry out harder than others

For example, for sandalwood or patchouli you should wait several hours or even a day. And because essential oils are often used, do not forget to store it properly after you opened its bottle recipient.

Store essential oils in a closet or drawer and do not leave them in the car. As a general rule, keep the oils in a dark and cool place.

The harsh facts about pure essential oils

The highest existent certification and offered by a government agency is “Organic“.

But organic does not mean what consumers think.

Organic means that cultivation, or products obtained from such plant cultivation, can contain up to 40 synthetic pesticides (potentially toxic substances). And this does not mean 100% pure.

There are companies that use marketing artifacts (to mislead people) and use (registered trademarks) copyrighted terms for certain words and phrases, not certified for essential oils or products.

For example: No one else is allowed to use the following phrase “CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®” except the company that had the “ingenuity” to register this trademark, just as the words McDonald’s, IKEA or Amazon can no longer be used.

The only way you can know that the oil is pure is to be part of the production process, from the seed that is put into the ground, to the seal that is put on the bottle.

For more tips on how to buy quality pure essential oils, click here.