Simple Ways to Determine the Quality of Your Essential Oil
Essential oils are one of the most preferred natural products these days. Since they are made out of natural products, its potency is greatly dependent on its quality. Factors like plant species, storage, process of extraction, and many more affect the caliber of these essential oils. Most manufacturers will ensure the quality of their products. However, as a consumer, it is wise to become familiar with these attributes to ensure the best kind of oil at all times. To know the quality of essential oils, its purity, grade, and integrity are the three vital characteristics to look into.
Purity of Essential Oil
When determining the quality of essential oils, its purity plays a critical role. The sad truth is you have no guarantee you are buying a pure essential oil even when it is labeled as one. Many oils (some are even prettily packaged) are contaminated, thinned or replaced with cheap counterfeits. Some oils are also diluted with alcohol, vegetable oils, or other kinds of solvents. Oils which are completely substituted will not have any effect at all. Diluted oils in the meantime, may not be as potent or you will not be able to get the desired effects. Altered essential oils may cause health hazards when inhaled or applied on the skin.
Essential oils which are more prone to alteration are those that are expensive such as Jasmine, Neroli, rose, and sandalwood. Common oils like cedar, orange or peppermint are seldom modified. Oils that are diluted with alcohol will have a distinct smell to it. This is why crooks use non-oily solvents to avoid detection of poor quality.
Grades of Essential Oils
Most essential oils are sold to distributors in various grades. Even though they are still pure essential oils, those with lower grades will have less aromatic principles, so they are cheaper compared to higher grade oils. Differences in oil grades are usually achieved during production and processing of the oils. When you are used to the vapor or effects of essential oil, you will know that higher grade oils produce a more intense fragrance.
Nonetheless, even when two bottles of essential oils may smell differently, it does not mean one is superior over the other. With this characteristic your personal taste is important. Some people may prefer weaker aromatic than the stronger ones.
Integrity
Essential oil integrity basically means that it comes from a single plant species, making it natural and pure. To be considered pure and natural means they are not created in a laboratory using a combination of other oils or chemicals. For example, lemon balm oil (Melisa) are counterfeited using cheap citronella or lemon oils. The difficult part with oil integrity is that it takes a trained nose to be able to detect inconsistencies.
Essential oils provide plenty of health benefits. It is important that buy only from trusted distributors or manufacturers. This helps reduce the chances of buying low quality essential oils. Pure oils are more potent when used on an essential oils diffuser or other aromatherapy applications.