Aromatherapy has been gaining popularity among health gurus for its calming properties and extensive health benefits. You can find essential oils easily in supply stores or online.
However, essential oils could degrade over time if not stored correctly. When this happens, their chemical compounds are broken down, and their therapeutic and aromatic properties deteriorate. This could reduce the shelf life, useability, and quality of essential oils. Expired essential oils could also potentially cause harmful side effects such as burns and skin irritation. Read on to learn about what affects the shelf lives of essential oils and how choosing the right essential oil bottles can protect them.
What Affects the Shelf Lives of Essential Oils?
Understanding the factors that affect the shelf lives of oils can help you know what causes your essential oils to expire. Understanding the root cause can help you discover the most effective way to tackle the issue.
Light
Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause the chemical constituents of your essential oils to lose their quality. As such, the effectiveness, aroma, color, and appearance of the essential oils deteriorate irreversibly.
Moisture
When the bottles containing your essential oils aren’t of high quality, moisture could permeate the bottles easily. This could cause the oils to turn cloudy, or bead up the interior of the bottles, causing the essential oils to lose purity and quality over time.
Oxygen
When essential oils are exposed to air for a prolonged period of time, oxidation occurs. This in turn causes the evaporation and degradation of essential oils, reducing the quality and quantity of product that you have. While these oils can still be used for cleaning or diffusion, they can’t be used for aromatherapy or topical use.
Heat
Essential oils that are exposed to heat often could deteriorate rapidly. Moreover, as oils are flammable, leaving them near sources of heat or fire could be risky.
Benefits of Choosing the Right Essential Oil Bottles
- Improve Quality and Durability
High-quality essential oil bottles protect your essential oils from oxygen and moisture. Proper air-tight sealing ensures that oxygen or moisture can’t enter. This ensures that your essential oils have a longer shelf life and higher quality.
- Protect from Light Damage
Choosing the right bottles for your essential oils can also protect them from light damage. Using glass bottles instead of plastic ones is the best option, as plastic could break down over time and damage the oils.
Moreover, using colored glass helps protect the oils from UV light damage and keeps them fresh. Many essential oils are packaged in amber glass as it is the most effective in protecting against UV damage. While green and blue are common colors for essential oil bottles, they only protect sunlight and aren’t as effective against UV rays. If you choose green or blue bottles, you should store your essential oils in a dark place.
Choosing the Right Essential Oil Bottles
When choosing the right bottles for your essential oils, take time to explore your options. Ultimately, pick one that fits you the best and can maintain the quality of your essential oils. Shop a variety of essential oil bottles at The Plant Guru today!