Essential oils are extracted from organic plant materials. They can come from the flower pedals (the more expensive oils and absolutes) or they can come from the leaves, stems and roots. The most common method of extraction is steam distillation, but depending on the organic material, essential oils can be extracted using a chemical or fat solvent (called ) or by cold press method, used mostly in citrus oils. Essential oils do not become rancid, but do some lose their effectiveness with prolonged storage. As a rule of thumb, buy no more than you can use in a years time. Older Essential oils that retain their fragrance may still be used for that purpose. The resinoids will last much longer, and some essentials such as patchouli actually improve with time. To get the best out of your essential oil, mix it with a base oil. The base oils can be found at the grocery or health food store. There are many good ones to choose - sweet almond, apricot, grapeseed, vitamin E and even emu oil. We suggest storing your base oil in the refrigerator to lengthen it's life. All vegetable oils will eventually go rancid no matter how they are stored, it is a chemical process that comes from exposure to air and cannot be prevented indefinitely. Store all essential oils in a cool, dry, dark place in cobalt or amber glass bottles. The bottle is dark to protect the oil from exposure to light. Citrus and pine essential oils should be stored in the refrigerator to retard the development of irritating chemicals which takes place naturally as they age.
Email us at scents@crystalmountain-aromatics.com to request a sample of any of our oils. Limit 10 samples per order.
We have a no return policy on our oils. The reason is that
we cannot guarantee that once they are opened that they have not been
contaminated. All oil purchases are final. If you are in doubt of any oil, please request a sample.