15 Best Essential Oils Benefits You Can Gain From Using It

People have been burning incense for a long time with evidence of this practice going back as far as Ancient Egypt. These precious aromatics that were used as incense are among the products that are processed to produce essential oils we use today. Plants are able to synthesize two types of oils namely essential oils and fixed oils. 
 

Fixed oils produced are esters of fatty acids and glycerol while essential oils are usually an assortment of organic and volatile compounds that come from a single botanical source and these are the oils that are in charge of the production of the plant’s fragrance and aroma. The primary reason why essential oils are known by that name is that they are the lifeblood of the plants.

Essential oils are an essential part of the plant’s immune system and they play a huge role in protecting the plants from environmental threats. So how are essential oils extracted from the plants? There are several essential oils production methods and they include:

This process is mainly used for citrus. During the production, the whole fruit is placed on a device that mechanically pierces it to rupture the essential sacs enabling the fruits pigments and essential oils to run down into the collection area of the machine. After the fruit is given a thorough squeeze, the oil and juice are filtered so as to get rid of solids such as peels. When the extract settles down, the essential oil layer and the juice layer are usually separate and it’s siphoned, ready to be packaged. 

This is the most popular method for extracting essential oils. In this process, a large stainless steel container is used to house plant materials to be used for essential oil extraction. The steam is then injected into the steel container housing the plant materials, helping to release the plant’s aromatic molecules and turning them into vapor. 
 

The vaporized compounds are then taken to a condenser and are cooled back into liquid form. This causes the liquid products to drop from the condensation flask and go into a separator. At this stage, the essential oils are at the top since oil and water never mix and it’s simply siphoned off. It’s important to note that not all essential oils will float when in such a mixture as some oils are heavier than water hence they are found at the bottom of the separator. A perfect example of such oil is the clove essential oil.

In this process, plants are placed inside a chamber and pressurized CO2 is pumped inside. The gas is usually in a liquid state due to the pressure and it acts as a solvent on natural plant matter, extracting oils and pigments from the plants. The oils from the plants dissolve into the liquid carbon dioxide. The CO2 is then brought back to natural pressure making it return to its gaseous nature leaving the essential oils behind. This is one of the safest essential oils extraction process as carbon dioxide is harmless both to the human body and to the environment in general.
 

Essential oils have for a long time been used to embellish human potential and to promote optimum wellness. This is because essential oils are able to concurrently regulate our emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health. For instance, using essential oils improves your spirituality as the oils release into the air molecules that interact with the endocrine and nervous system leading to positive memory, cognition, emotions, and mood; things that harm your spiritual well-being if they are negative.

There are literally hundreds of natural essential oils available in the market today with some of the most popular essential oils being lavender, clary sage, rose, tea tree, rosemary, lemon, peppermint, and eucalyptus. One of the key factors affecting the pricing of these essential oils is usually the plant’s availability, meaning; the rarer the plant is, the more expensive the essential oil will be.

Other factors affecting the price are such as the growing, harvesting & manufacturing conditions required to produce the essential oil, and the amount of plant material required in the production of the oils. 

It’s good to note that essential oils should not be directly inhaled from the bottle; instead, you should release the oil into the air around you using a diffuser or even by applying a few drops of the oil to a handkerchief or a tissue and placing it nearby.

For topical use, also avoid using the essential oils on your skin when they are concentrated as they are too strong. You can instead, dilute the essential oil before applying it on your skin using carrier oils such as avocado, coconut, cranberry seed, borage seed, almond, camellia seed, and apricot kernel oil, among many others. After diffusing the oil you can use it for massage, bath, spot treatment, and spa treatment. Don't forget to do a patch test to check for allergies before you begin.

It’s clear that essential oils play a very huge role in maintaining and promoting our well-being which is why they have been in use in various cultures for hundreds of years. One of the reasons why essential oils have very many health benefits is that they are produced from plants and herbs that are rich in nutrition which is good for our wellness and health. Give essential oils a try today and you might be surprised at its results.