When you think about essential oils, you probably imagine multi-level marketing companies where distributors recruit people for their down line.
In reality, that’s just one of many types of companies that use essential oils. They are very useful chemicals and can be sold directly or they may be found in different products like perfumes, bath products, and even some lotions.
Every single essential oil is different from one another. They each are associated with their own health benefits, and some of them are backed by real science.
What Are Essential Oils?
An essential oil is a compound that is extracted from natural products, namely from plants. We do this by either pressing down really hard until the oil is taken out or by distilling it.
Pressing An Essential Oil Out of the Plant
Let’s look at the orange essential oil as an example. In some manufacturing plants, they’ll squeeze the oranges to make juice, but then the peels will be taken elsewhere. Workers will press those peels so hard that it creates the essential oil.
After that, they’ll freeze the product, which separates the orange peel from the oil. Then they extract the skin and distribute the oil where it needs to go.
Distilling an Essential Oil Out of the Plant
When you hear the word “distill,” you might think of liquor. That’s because if you want something with more alcohol by volume than beer or wine, you need to put the beverage through the distillation process. This is how drinks like whiskey and vodka are made.
Distillation is simply a process that purifies a liquid using a system of heating and cooling. Let’s look at the lavender essential oil as an example.
Lavender is put on a special tray called a still. This tray is placed in a big pot with water at the bottom of it. When the distillation process begins, the water is heated, converting into rising steam. When the steam gets to the lavender, the buds in the plant release the essential oils.
The heated water and oil vapors then go through a tube and into a condenser, which gradually cools down. Once the gases turn into liquids, you have oil and water, which are already naturally separated.
Storing Essential Oils
If you’ve ever seen an essential oil before, you may have noticed that the container is a dark brown color. There is a reason for this. UV light is not good for essential oils. They break down and become less potent. That’s why they’re stored in amber glass bottles.
What Are Essential Oils Used For?
Essential oils often smell really good, but they are so much more than that. They are used for aromatherapy, which is a type of alternative medicine that seeks the health benefits from essential oils.
There are a variety of benefits, and what they are depends on the type of oil you are using. Some of them are used to reduce stress. Others have antibacterial properties and anti-inflammatory properties. They may also help with the nervous system, digestive system, and even skin conditions.
How To Apply Essential Oils
So how do you use essential oils exactly? Well, there are several options.
Diffuse Essential Oils
You can diffuse essential oils for steam inhalation. You wouldn’t necessarily do this for all of them, but it could. be a good idea for some. This is done using a diffuser, where you will put a few drops of essential oils into a tank of water. When you turn it on, it will diffuse steam with the essential oils in it.
It’s important to note that some scientists don’t recommend using a diffuser, especially if there are multiple people in the house. Essential oils have different effects on people. So if you diffuse one oil that’s beneficial to you, it may be harmful for other people in your household.
Using Accessories
A good alternative to using a home diffuser is using a jewelry diffuser. You can buy bracelets and necklaces that are designed to take a few drops of essential oils. Then when you feel like you need the health benefits from your oils, you can take a sniff throughout the day.
If you don’t want to wear jewelry, you can also get these diffusers in keychain form.
Essential Oil Blend For Your Skin
Some essential oils can have a topical use, but you need to be careful with those ones. There are certain oils that can cause skin irritation if you’re not careful. That’s why you often have to use a carrier oil.
A carrier oil is one that you use specifically for essential oil blends. They dilute the oils that can harm you, so those oils can be applied topically to your skin.
One example of these carrier oils is jojoba oil, which we actually sell at M&U.
Examples of Essential Oils
At M&U, we sell essential oils to businesses that want to further distribute them. There are so many essential oils out there. We couldn’t possibly sell them all, but here are some of the more common ones that we do carry:
Lavender Essential Oil
The lavender essential oil is one of the most commonly used ones. Its floral aroma is known to be a calming scent with inhibitory effects. People often use it to fight against anxiety, and it has shown effectiveness as a sleep aid.
One of the health benefits you may not have known about the lavender essential oil is that it also has some healing properties. It can speed up the time it takes your wounds to heal, and it also helps your body’s collagen growth. This helps with the elasticity of your skin and the health of your joints.
At M&U, we don’t necessarily sell full lavender oil. Instead, we sell lavender aldehyde, which is part of what gives it the signature floral aroma that everyone knows and loves.
Patchouli Oil
Patchouli oil comes from the leaves of the patchouli plant. Getting the oil out of this one is similar to how it is done with lavender oil where the leaves are distilled.
The Patchouli essential oil has a variety health benefits including an anti inflammatory effect, helping out with skin conditions like acne, killing bacteria and fungi, and even helping to control appetite.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil comes from the mint family of herbs. People often use this type of oil to relieve headaches and muscle aches, and there has been some research that shows that it might have some positive effects on irritable bowel syndrome.
Research Into Essential Oil Benefits
While we can’t say definitively that a few drops of essential oils can replace all other pharmacological activities, there is research to indicate that some of them might have positive effects on the body.
Here are a couple studies that have promising results. Even though there is evidence that essential oils have their benefits, scientists need further research to understand more about them.
Stress on Pregnant Women
In a 2016 study, scientists wanted to look at whether there was evidence that the lavender oil would be good at preventing anxiety, stress, and depression among women who had just had a baby.
They divided 140 women into either the treatment or control group.
In the treatment group, they inhaled a few drops of lavender oil every eight hours over the course of four weeks.
At the same time, the control group got routine care, but they did not receive the oil.
Researchers found that the women who were given the essential oil treatment had significantly less depression, stress, and anxiety than the control group.
This is just one study showing this effect. There are other studies and comprehensive review articles that have shown that lavender oil has positive effects on stress and anxiety. Researchers have looked at it as a possible treatment for people who are about to get a big operation.
Anti-Microbial Effects of Patchouli Oil
In a 2013 study, scientists compared patchouli oil with five different antibiotics: sulfadiazine, benzylpenicillin, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and trimethoprim. These antibiotics are known to have anti-microbial effects.
Specifically, they compared the antibiotics to 26 different compounds of patchouli oil. They found that two of those compounds were especially good at fighting bacteria. They were pogostone and patchouli alcohol.
Basically, this study showed that patchouli oil has strong antibacterial properties, and that’s probably because of those two compounds.
Are Essential Oils Safe?
The answer to this question is that it depends on which essential oil we are talking about and what it is used for.
If you’re buying an essential oil from a reputable source, chances are it’s not toxic. However, it’s important to note that some of them can cause skin issues, and most of them shouldn’t be consumed by mouth.
Essential oils are all different chemicals with different properties. You might want to dilute some, and diffuse others. Some are safe to have with your food, some are perfectly safe for children. Some might have a sweet taste, or a spicy scent.
Then there are others that you want to use more cautiously. Maybe you need to make sure it’s not so concentrated. Maybe you shouldn’t let your kids have it or maybe you should use it on an accessory.
It all depends on what type of oil it is. If you have any doubts, make sure you do your research before using any of them. That may be a simple Internet search or a consultation with a medical provider.
Essential Oil Supplies at M&U
At M&U, we sell a variety of chemicals to business owners who need them for products that they sell.
If you need an essential oil for any kind of product we can help you out.
If you don’t know exactly what you need, talk to one of our sales representatives. They’re knowledgeable about our processes, and they’ll help you find what you’re looking for.
Contact us today to get started!
