What exactly are essential oils?

Have you ever squeezed an orange peel or walked through a garden of flowers and enjoyed their fragrances? If so, you have already experienced an example of the aromatic qualities of essential oils. Essential oils are found in the bark, seeds, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. While essential oils are vital in the development and health of plants, individuals have long been able to benefit from their natural benefits in many aspects of day-to-day life.

QUICK FACTS

Essential oils have traditionally been used in food preparation, beauty treatment, and for personal health-care practices

Oils are extracted from bark, seeds, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of the plant using two main techniques:

1. Low-Heat Distillation: Essential oils are most often extracted from plants through distillation, a process in which steam is circulated under pressure through plant material, liberating the plant's aromatic compounds into the steam. As the steam cools, the mixture condenses and the essential oils are collected in their purest form.

2. Cold Pressed: A process used to extract oils from citrus rinds by using low heat and pressure.