What are essential oils?
When we think of oils the first thing that comes to our mind is the oils we know in the kitchen to prepare our foods of both, animal and vegetable origin, such as olive oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, or any other oil we use daily. In fact, these oils are “fixed oils”, or “non-volatile” oils. This means that these oils do NOT evaporate into the air.
On the other hand, besides the oils we know in the kitchen, are the “essential oils”. These are known as “volatile oils” because they have a very different effect on our body. These “volatile” oils evaporate quickly and penetrate the skin faster and easier than any other oils. The volatility of these oils is what classifies them as aromatic and are useful for aromatherapies. The molecules emitted into the air in the form of vapor are those that contain all the scent of the oil.
For example, if you put a “carrier” oil (olive or coconut) on your skin, you will realize that it will remain oily on your skin after a few minutes, while placing an essential oil on your skin, you will see that it evaporates quickly and is absorbed by the skin almost immediately, without leaving the oily aspect, only its fragrance.
Essential oils are obtained from plants, such as flowers, roots, leaves, fruits, etc., by a process of distillation and cold pressing or by a process of CO2 extraction. Some companies classify the extracts of their plants as being “pure essential oils”, but to be classified as pure essential oil, these should NOT be extracted with the use of chemical solvents which greatly affects the quality of the oil. Essential oils, well extracted without any additives, are extremely concentrated. These have incredible health benefits, whether for topical use, aromatherapy or ingested (some of them).
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