Since chemists can synthetically “copy” the constituents of pure essential oils, many companies mark their essential oils as “therapeutic” even though they buy them from various independent brokers and have little expertise in meeting quality standards.
Diluted and adulterated oils may be based on essential oils, but they are „enhanced“ with certain synthetic constituents produced in the laboratory to increase volume or fragrance.
Why you need to choose quality essential oils?
The production of pure and high quality essential oils is very expensive, as it requires several hundred or thousands of kilograms of plants to extract one kilogram of pure essential oil.
For example, extracting half a kilogram of Melissa requires 3 tons of plant.
The essential oil of rose from Damask was the first to appear and is the type of rose accepted as the most fragrant. It contains the largest amount of oil.
It is obtained from the rose petals of Damascus, by the method of steam distillation. It takes about 6 – 7 tons of petals to get one kilo of oil, so a single drop of rose essential oil contains the essence and fragrance of 30 roses.
Their quality is felt by the pleasant smell and by the immediate effects after applying it on the skin.
How do you know if essential oils are pure?
To ensure that the essential oils you choose to use are pure and healthy, you should recognize the signs that are supposed to show you whether or not they have the desired qualities.
1. Analyze the smell of oil
The first thing to bear in mind is this: the essential oil can never smell like alcohol (similar to the smell of alcoholic beverages).
If it is a counterfeit product, it may have an odor of ethyl alcohol that is sometimes used as a diluent. Soon after you smell it, this will cause a headache.
Another indication that your oil isn’t pure is the scent of rancidity. In the case of vegetable oils, this is very easy to spot, and it is a warning that the raw material used in its manufacturing has been rancid.
2. See if the oil dissolves in the water or not
It’s going to be a perfect way to verify whether it’s pure or not. You must know that if it’s pure, it doesn’t dissolve in water at all.
On the other side, if it is fake, you will see that it will eventually begin to dissolve in water as it contains certain substances used in the manufacturing of soaps or other emulsifying substances.
3. Analyze the appearance of the oil on a piece of paper
Before you do this, take care of it and put a protective foil on the surface that you will use for this purpose. Then proceed as follows:
Apply a drop of oil to the paper
If the container where the oil is, is not fitted with a device that allows just a drop of the oil to drain, you can use the following trick:
Using the side of the pencil with the rubber. It is placed directly into the jar and then stuck to the surface of the paper.
If you want to try more oils, you’ll need to make a mark so that you don’t mess with each other.
Enable the oil to dry out on paper.
It takes about 30-45 minutes in general until it is absorbed. If after 30 minutes the oil has not been absorbed, wait another additional 15 minutes.
Look at the place where the oil drop was applied.
If you notice that an oil circle is now visible, it means it contains impurities.
If there is no trace of oil on the paper, touch the paper with your fingers. A pure oil will be completely absorbed, which means that there should be no oily trace on your fingers.
Note: there is a possibility that the oil will leave a colored mark on the paper, but it should not be oily.
For example, oils such as sandalwood, vetiver or patchouli always leave a colored trace, being more pigmented.
3. Some oils dry out harder than others
For example, for sandalwood or patchouli you should wait several hours or even a day. And because essential oils are often used, do not forget to store it properly after you opened its bottle recipient.
Store essential oils in a closet or drawer and do not leave them in the car. As a general rule, keep the oils in a dark and cool place.
Facts about pure essential oils
The highest existent certification and offered by a government agency is „Organic„.
But organic does not mean what consumers think.
Organic means that cultivation, or products obtained from such plant cultivation, can contain up to 40 synthetic pesticides (potentially toxic substances). And this does not mean 100% pure.
There are companies that use marketing artifacts (to mislead people) and use (registered trademarks) copyrighted terms for certain words and phrases, not certified for essential oils or products.
For example: No one else is allowed to use the following phrase „CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®“ except the company that had the „ingenuity“ to register this trademark, just as the words McDonald’s, IKEA or Amazon can no longer be used.
The only way you can know that the oil is pure is to be part of the production process, from the seed that is put into the ground, to the seal that is put on the bottle.
