STORAGE LIFE

Essential oils are concentrated liquids obtained from certain parts of plants. We've covered the how-to basics here, now let's go further. Once the essential oils are separated from the remnants of plant material, it is very important to provide conditions to keep your oils stable, and to maximize their benefits for as long as possible. When stored correctly, essential oils can last a long time. Conservatively, you can keep properly stored oils for at least one year. If you follow some of the following advice, your essential oils will be good to go for three years, even.

VOLATILE ESSENCE

Essential oils are volatile liquids. This means that they evaporate very quickly. Oxidation occurs when an essential oil is exposed to oxygen. Frequent and prolonged contact with air will deteriorate the oil and increase evaporation. For this reason, it is very important to keep your oils tightly closed in bottles so that the precious compounds do not escape into the air. In this way, essential oils retain the properties and qualities for which we love and use them, so they may be equally effective in every subsequent use. Diffusers take advantage of this volatility and momentarily fill the air with tiny droplets of essential oils with the help of water vapor. Until then, essential oils are most content when tightly sealed. Also, after mixing essential oils with bases for cosmetic purposes, or after making your own household, tightly seal the mixture for the same reason. Moisture is also detrimental to a bottle of pure essential oil and can enter the bottle if the lid is left off for too long. Signs of water infiltration include cloudiness in the oil and water beading up at the bottom of the bottle.

NIGHT BIRDS

Essential oils are flammable; each oil has specific temperature at which it will ignite, or "flash point." Luckily, the flash points of essential oils are generally quite high. A comfortable room temperature storage place will suffice, but do not store oils close to a stove or any heating source, as the heat can accelerate oil degradation. Storing in direct sunlight can affect the color of an oil and its chemical compounds. This doesn't mean that you need to keep your oils in a box or drawer, but you should avoid keeping them in habitually sunny spots. To avoid heat and light, keep essential oils in a cool, dry place. Amber or cobalt blue glass bottles are preferred over clear glass. Most essential oils already come in colored glass bottles when you purchase them. Never store pure essential oils in plastic – they are corrosive and will eat away at the container.

To avoid oxidation and moisture, store bottles of oil with their lids on when you are not using them. Or transfer your oils to a smaller container. The less empty space in a bottle, the better!

Caution # 1: Essential oils are concentrated liquids that should not be ingested and applied to the skin undiluted (the exception is the essential oil of true lavender). KAIAA strongly recommends keeping your oils out of children’s reach.

Caution # 2: Essential oils are concentrated liquids that evaporate easily. Certain compounds are highly flammable! Be careful not to hold or open the bottles near any heat source or direct fire!

LOVE LASTS THREE YEARS

French author Frédéric Beigbeder says love lasts three years. The same goes for essential oils. With proper storage, rest assured their quality will be preserved for up to 36 months, or 3 years! Although volatile and delicate, with proper storage essential oils can last a very long time. However, KAIAA’s oils never remain unused for so long. Some things are simply too precious to keep at arm's length.