Finding Quality Essential Oils
If essential oils can be graded in a scale of high, medium and low the majority of the oils sold in the market could fall in the low grade quality while a few may pass off for the medium grade. As aromatherapy is becoming more popular the finding of quality essential oil has become important.
Natural factors affecting the quality of essential oils
The soil in which the crop had grown must be of good quality. A good soil yields a good crop and a good crop yields good oil provided the distillation is done well.
Artificial factors affecting the quality of oil
* A bottle of oil unsold on the shelf for a long time loses its quality.
* Improper packaging in clear glass bottles or aluminum or plastic containers harms the oil it contains.
* Synthetics mixed with oil give the near perfect aroma but they have a very bad impact on its quality.
* Sometimes the vendors mix cheaper oils with the costlier ones.
* At other times important components are removed from the oil, which drastically alters their composition. Finding quality essential oils: Finding quality essential oils is difficult. Many market essential oils. Their marketing strategies are good. The buyer should not be carried away by these sales promotional techniques. * Price of the oil never reflects its quality. Buying high priced bottles are never a guarantee of good oil. * The label should be carefully read, they give and indication of the content inside. An informative source says that word like ‘fragrance oil' indicates that the oil has been added with chemicals to enhance the fragrance. * The label also gives the place of crop yield. The country from which the crop was harvested is important. Their climatic conditions, the soils have a bearing on the crop. And, as mentioned a good yield is in turn a good essential oil. * Reading the label is thus important. The word ‘pure' is often prominently printed. This should not mislead the buyer. Good oil with a long gestation period on the shelf is no longer good. * Packaging of the essential oils must be done in colored glass only. Clear glass allows the sunlight to damage the contents. * Synthetics mixed with the oil can be identified carefully. They give a more stronger and pungent smell when compared to the natural oil. * The botanical names of the components provide another clue. The various components of the oil are labeled. Oils are sometimes distilled from plants having similar aroma. Finding good sellers * The trade fair and other such fairs are the places where essential oils should never be bought. The vendors often sell adulterated oils for they know the consumer cannot get back to them. * Some suppliers supply to perfume manufacturers. Perfume makers need the same aromatic quality month after month. The vendors then suitably adulterate their oils to meet these aromatic standards. Such oils may smell good but work poorly. * If essential oils are purchased online then the sellers should be accessible for contact. They should be able to provide details of the place of purchase of the crop and be ready to clarify any other doubts that arise. Good quality of essential oils is in short supply for the simple reason that the sellers are many but the importers are few. Help of an aromatherapy specialist can be sought to make a good purchase.