Wonders of Essential Oils

1426 Words6 Pages
PART I. ESSENTIAL OILS AND AROMATHERAPY EXPLAINED • ABSOLUTE OILS Absolute oils, also known as absolutes or absolute essential oils are extracted from flowers, leaves or bark. It is a product of a process called enfleurage. Those delicate plants are those that are extracted using this method. Absolute oils are more concentrated and volatile than essential oils and it evaporated more easily especially if not stored properly. Absolutes are generally more expensive than other essential oils. The oil should be stored in a dark, air-tight glass bottles and should be kept in a cool dry place (away from heat or direct sunlight. If properly stored, absolute oils can last up to 5 years. Production of absolutes is a two-step process. First is enfleurage. Here, the plant materials are placed on fats. The fat absorbs the fragrance of the plant. The resulting fragrant fat is called pomade. Second step is addition of alcohol. Here the pomade is washed off with alcohol to extract the aromatic compounds. Once extracted, the aromatic compounds are distilled to produce the final product, the absolute oil. Some known absolute oils are jasmine, lily, lotus and rose • BLENDED OILS Blended oils are combination of two or more essential oils. Blended oils are usually more effective and powerful (compared if the oils are used separately) if the oils are mixed in correct order and proportion, the synergy among the single oils blended together results to its unique healing properties. As mentioned earlier, combining two or more essential oils my result in more effective and powerful blend if done correctly. Take note that not all essential oils blend well with each other. Essential oils are classified into three groups based on their evaporation rate. These are top notes (oils that evaporates most quickly), middle notes (evaporates more slowly) and base notes (oils that are

More about Wonders of Essential Oils

Open Document