Essential Oils Manufacturers, Top Five Essential Oils for Your Health, recommended for various skin types, Chemistry and Extraction of Essential Oils, for Aromatherapy and other uses.

What is an Essential Oil ?

Essential oils are the volatile, aromatic oils obtained by steam or hydrodistillation of botanicals. Most essential oils are primarily composed of terpenes and their oxygenated derivatives. Different parts of the plants can be used to obtain essential oils, including the flowers, leaves, seeds, roots, stems, bark, wood, etc. Certain cold-pressed oils, such as the oils from various citrus peels, are also considered to be essential oils but these are not to be confused with cold-pressed fixed or carrier oils such as olive, grapeseed, apricot kernel, etc. which are non-volatile oils composed mainly of fatty acid triglycerides. Other aromatic, plant-derived oils, which technically aren't essential oils because they are solvent extracted, include Absolutes (hexane followed by ethanol extraction), CO2's (liquid carbon dioxide used as the solvent) and Phytols or Florosols (fluoro-hydrocarbon solvent). more info about essential oils >>

Recipes For Health And Beauty Using Essential Oils

Edited extract from The Aromatherapy Kitchen by Nicola Jenkins .
Search Press. 2001.

This feature shows you how to make a wide selection of stimulating and soothing products for cleansing, toning and moisturising, as well as wonderful natural oils and bubble baths to complete your aromatherapy routine. The recipes should not take more than ten minutes to produce, and will be ready for immediate use. I have included some of my favourite recipes, and I have described them so that you are able to imagine their aroma before you blend them.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes are best for blends that will be placed near the bath or shower. Containers with flip-top caps, pump actions or sprays are suitable. Be careful about recycling them however, as plastic can retain traces of Essential Oils . Do not use plastic bottles which have contained medication.

Flower Waters

These are a by-product of the distillation of essential oils and they smell slightly of their floral origins. Gently astringent, they can be used on their own as effective toners. Rose Water smells pleasant and is available from most pharmacies. Orange Flower water (Neroli) also has a pleasant smell. Both are useful bases for perfumes. Lavender water is an acquired taste and might be best left alone.

Techniques

Shampoos, face oils , cleansers and toners, shower gels, bubble baths, moisturisers and massage oils can be made quickly and easily. Use an unperfumed base that relates to the item you want to make. I am making a shampoo here, and have chosen an unperfumed, lanolin-free shampoo base.

The amount of essential oils added depends on the quantity of base product used. As a guide, for a total of 20ml (0.6fl oz) of liquid base product, use 8 drops of essential oils . Use 20 drops for every 50g (1.8oz) of cream base.

You can use just one essential oil, or choose several. Here, I use a total of 100ml (3.2fl oz) of shampoo base and 40 drops from a selection of three essential oils .

Perfumes are made in the same way, substituting flower water and surgical spirit or alcohol in place of the base product. To make perfumes, use surgical spirit or alcohol at Step 1 and the flower water at Step 4. You will notice that you use fewer drops of essential oil for perfumes; this is because the essential oils don't mix as well with water and alcohol as they do with carrier oils . At these lower levels, you are unlikely to get an adverse skin reaction. Click here and to find more related essentail oils info .......

The Top Five Essential Oils for Your Health

By Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege

Essential Oils carry the physical properties of flowers and plants in a highly concentrated form. They are, in short, the essence of the plant and can provide therapeutic benefits in very small amounts. The particles in essential oils, which come from various parts of the plant such as the flowers, twigs, leaves or bark, can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin and their use can be traced back for thousands of years. Essential oils were even used in ancient Egyptian times, and were made by soaking plants in oil and then filtering the oil through a linen bag.

Most essential oils have antibacterial qualities and have varying physical and emotional effects depending on the oil, such as stimulation, relaxation, pain relief and healing. The most common ways to use Essential Oils include:

• Aromatherapy
• Massaging them (blended with a carrier oil) into the skin
• Adding them to bathwater
• Using them in a compress
• Burning them in a diffuser

In The Maker’s Diet, Dr. Jordan Rubin recommends 14 Essential Oils that have unique healing properties. He suggests putting five to 10 drops (total) of these "top healing oils" into a warm bath for a real "healing treat." Below you will find five beneficial essential oils along with their uses. I encourage you to check out The Maker’s Diet to learn more about some of the more exotic, but highly effective, essential oils available.

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Producing Essential Oils in West Africa

1998-09-25 Honoré Blao

In West Africa, money grows on fields and scrub. In addition to such cash crops as palm and cocoa, local farmers grow bananas, mangoes, lemongrass, tea, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs such as basil, lemongrass, and thyme. But transforming these plants into Essential Oils for use in soaps, cosmetics, detergents, and other household products could bring in even more money while conserving the region's foreign exchange.

To meet local demand, Togo, Ghana, and Benin now import almost all of their essential oils from Europe, Asia, and North America. Ghana and Benin also import significant quantities.

Transforming local crops

To reduce their dependency on imports and increase employment in rural areas, these countries are trying to encourage the creation of small businesses that produce Essential Oils derived from local crops. "Agriculture is the main source of income for rural communities. The transformation of non-perishable goods to increase their value can help protect farmers from unstable prices of cash crops — such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, and palm," notes Professor Honoré Kossi Koumaglo, of the University of Benin in Lomé, Togo.

Dr Koumaglo is one of the project leaders of a West African initiative that links researchers at the University of Benin (Togo), the National University of Benin (Benin), the University of Legon (Ghana), and l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. With funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Dr Koumaglo and his colleagues are helping rural communities acquire the skills needed to extract essential oils from Gambian tea, basil, lemongrass, and other native plants. The research team is also investigating local, regional, and international markets for essential oils.

Lemongrass oil

So far, rural communities in Togo, Benin, and Ghana have mastered the extraction technology for lemongrass oil, which has an estimated total demand of 400 tonnes per year in those three countries. "Lemongrass oil is manufactured through steam distillation. Each distillation unit is composed of an extractor, a steam boiler, a condenser, and a separator," explains Dr Koumaglo. Distillation units can be built using local materials at costs ranging from CFAF 3.5 million in Togo (about US$5,800) to 18.8 million cedis in Ghana (US$8,200).

With financial assistance from the Canadian International Development Agency, the Ghanaian Regional Service for Appropriate Industrial Technology has provided loans for 16 distillation units, which will be used by more than 600 farmers. It also plans to set up 300 extraction units throughout the six regions of Ghana to mobilize almost 5,000 farmers. more Producing Essential Oils in West Africa >>

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Essential Oils recommended for various skin types.

Please note, many of the suggested oils are photosentizers. Angelica, and cold pressed citrus oils should not be used on the skin within 12 hours of exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light. If you choose to use one of these oils on your face, please use it only at night.

See our Methods page for suggested methods of using the oils in skincare. Also see our descriptive carrier oils page to help select appropriate carriers for your skin type.

more select appropriate carriers for your skin type >>

Chemistry and Extraction of Essential Oils

Essential Oils are natural plant products which accumulate in specialized structures such as oil cells, glandular trichomes, and oil or resin ducts. The formation and accumulation of essential oils in plants have been reviewed by Croteau (1986), Guenther (1972) and Runeckles and Mabry (1973). Chemically, the essential oils are primarily composed of mono- and sesquiterpenes and aromatic polypropanoids synthesized via the mevalonic acid pathway for terpenes and the shikimic acid pathway for aromatic polypropanoids. The essential oils from aromatic plants are for the most part volatile and thus, lend themselves to several methods of extraction such as hydrodistillation, water and steam distillation, direct steam distillation, and solvent extraction (ASTA 1968, Guenther 1972, Heath 1981, Sievers 1928). The specific extraction method employed is dependent upon the plant material to be distilled and the desired end-product. The essential oils which impart the distinctive aromas are complex mixtures of organic constituents, some of which being less stable, may undergo chemical alterations when subjected to high temperatures. In this case, organic solvent extraction is required to ensure no decomposition or changes have occurred which would alter the aroma and fragrance of the end-product. Newer methods of essential oil extraction such as using supercritical CO2 which yield very high quality oils are commercially used, but are less common and beyond the financial means of most processors.

The recovery of nonvolatile Essential Oils are also obtained by solvent extraction although the process is more difficult and complex than the recovery of the volatiles. This process yields an aromatic resinous product known as an oleoresin, which is more concentrated than an essential oil and which has wide application in the food industry (Heath 1981). more description of Essential Oils to know >>

Young Living Essential Oils

Freshly cultivated and steam distilled, the Essential Oils in Young Living's collection are life-enhancing gifts from the plant kingdom, revered for centuries for their restorative properties to body, mind, and spirit. Pure essential oils now re-emerge as a key solution to the challenges facing modern lifestyles. Superior to all other supplements, Young Living's therapeutic-grade essential oils deliver positive benefits to the body through smell, direct absorption into the skin, and by normal digestive processes. Antiseptic, calming, stimulating, soothing, Young Living's essential oils bring balance to all systems of the body. Continue to know the essential oils price ......

Essential Oils for Aromatherapy and other uses

A fragrant environment can appeal to the senses which, in turn, creates an impact on your mental and physical health. The senses bring in information from the outside that can affect the balance of the five elements, and thus affect your health. According to Ayurveda, the mind, ego, intellect, and the senses are sequential manifestations of consciousness. Every sense has a direct connection to the brain which affects the whole being. Because of this, Ayurveda uses methods that appeal to the senses, thus balancing them and through them, balancing your whole mind/body system.

The ancient texts of Ayurveda considers the use of aromatics as an important tool for prevention and healing. Aromatherapy utilizes the medicinal properties found in the Essential Oils of various plants. Aromas can have a strong effect on the emotions, making us calm or invigorated depending on the aroma. As we breathe, odor-bearing molecules activate receptors in the nose. These translate into nerve impulses, which reach the brain. These bulbs are directly connected to the limbic area of the brain, which processes emotions. This direct connection to these areas is why aromas can have a profound and immediate effect on a very deep aspect of our wellbeing.

Most often the aroma oils are diffused through the air by putting drops of oil in aroma pots or aroma diffusers. If you need to balance your physiology for weight loss, then an aroma oil with invigorating scents such as ginger, basil, calamus, ajowan, cinnamon, sage, clove and tumeric will stimulate your metabolism. If you need to be calmed than Jatamansi, German Chamomile, Nutmeg, Valerian root are best. Aroma oils are used for everything from enlivening to calming the environment. more Essential Oils for Aromatherapy >>

how are essential oils made

Most commonly, the essence is extracted from the plant using an technique called distillation. One type of distillation places the plants or flowers on a screen. Steam is passed through the area and becomes "charged" with the essence. The steam then passes through an area where it cools and condenses. This mixture of water and essential oil is separated and bottled. Since plants contain such a small amount of this precious oil, several hundred pounds may needed to produce a single ounce.

Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is the most common method of extracting Essential Oils.  Many old-time distillers favor this method for most oils, and say that none of the newer methods produces better quality oils. Steam distillation is done in a still. Fresh, or sometimes dried, botanical material is placed in the plant chamber of the still, and pressurized steam is generated in a separate chamber and circulated through the plant material. The heat of the steam forces the tiny intercellular pockets that hold the essential oils to open and release them. The temperature of the steam must be high enough to open the pouches, yet not so high that it destroys the plants or burns the essential oils. As they are released, the tiny droplets of essential oil evaporate and, together with the steam molecules, travel through a tube into the still's condensation chamber. As the steam cools, it condenses into water. The essential oil forms a film on the surface of the water. To separate the essential oil from the water, the film is then decanted or skimmed off the top. The remaining water, a byproduct of distillation, is called floral water, distillate, or hydrosol. It retains many of the therapeutic properties of the plant, making it valuable in skin care for facial mists and toners. In certain situations, floral water may be preferable to pure essential oil, such as when treating a sensitive individual or a child, or when a more diluted treatment is required.

Cold Pressing

Another method of extracting essential oils is cold-pressed expression, or scarification. It is used to obtain citrus fruit oils such as bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, and tangerine oils. In this process, fruit rolls over a trough with sharp projections that penetrate the peel. This pierces the tiny pouches containing the essential oil. Then the whole fruit is pressed to squeeze the juice from the pulp and to release the essential oil from the pouches. The essential oil rises to the surface of the juice and is separated from the juice by centrifugation. Click here and to find more tips for making essential oils ......