[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For many years, people have been using essential oils to help enhance their mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being.

The oil is sourced from a plant’s leaves, peels or flowers and extracted from the herb by utilizing a careful process of distillation. Essential oils are often confused with carrier oils, which are derived from seeds, nuts and kernels of a plant.  However, carrier oils are nonetheless significant, because they are required to dilute essential oils for use topically. 

How to Safely Use and Apply Oils

Essential oils are rarely safe for direct application to the skin; thus, carrier oils are necessary for the safe application to avoid chemical burns on the skin. It is also important to note that only some are suitable for ingestion, or use in aromatherapy. Always follow the guidelines and precautions that come with each unique oil.

In addition to the mentioned precautions, be sure to conduct a patch test on your inner arm and watch out for redness or any irritation for a period of 24-hours before using it on a large part of your body. 

When it comes to buying and storing essentials oils, the same amount of care needs to be applied.

Always purchase from reputable retailers. Do your research – where are the essential oils sourced from? Are they sourced from countries that are known to produce that specific type of oil? There are many brands out there that dilute, essential oils but still label them as “pure”.

Many options on the market are derived from synthetics or cheap blends – always take precaution, and never opt for the inexpensive option. If the price low – is it because the oil is not pure? It may not be blend of an essential oil and carrier oil. Try looking up the same oil from a different retailer for a price comparison. Your safest bet is to source your oils from natural food stores, aromatherapy websites and skincare retailers many of such will provide you with a detailed Certificate of Analysis documentation. Lucky for you, we’ll give you some tips on where to find the best essentials oils at the end of this article.  

How to Properly Store Your Oils

Now, on to storing your goodies. They should always be stored in glass containers, and never plastic. This is because essentials oils are so potent that they may cause the plastic to dissolve. Plastic is also dangerous because their potency can cause harmful chemicals to leach from the plastic into the oils.

No matter what essential oils you decide to go with, always keep them away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Ideally the oils should be stored in amber or cobalt glasses. The dark tone of the glasses stop sunlight from deteriorating the benefits of the oils. Not only can sunlight affect the potency and benefits of essential oils, but it can also cause photosensitivity.  When photosensitivity occurs it can cause skin irritations, similar to a sunburn, when you expose your skin to sunlight after application.  As a general rule of safety, limit sun exposure any time you apply an essential oil to the skin.

Some oils, such as citrus oils, including grapefruit, orange and lemon, tend to lose their potency over time and are best kept in the refrigerator.

When in a situation where you want to remove oil from your skin, cover the area with a carrier oil, or an oil-based cleanser and proceed to wash the area with soap and warm water. If you end up with oil in your eyes, flush your eye with vegetable oil or cold water to dilute. If the irritation continues, seek medical help. 

Great Brands To Buy

Now on to the fun part, shopping for the best essential oils, no matter which oil you are looking for, here are some reputable brands to buy from. Just Click the names to shop! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Vitruvi” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fvitruvi.com%2F|title:Vitruvi|target:%20_blank|”][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”dōTERRA” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doterra.com%2FUS%2Fen%2Fshop-home|title:d%C5%8DTERRA|target:%20_blank|”][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Young Living” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youngliving.com%2Fen_US%2Fproducts%2Fc%2Fessential-oil-products|title:Young%20Living%20|target:%20_blank|”][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”NOW Foods” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nowfoods.com%2F|title:Now%20Foods%20|target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”17731″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”17732″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”17734″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”17733″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]