Essential Oils and Refrigeration ‒ May 27th, 2014

For most oils refrigeration is not necessary but can't hurt. With the blue oils you definitely should refrigerate if you want to slow the oxidation process and keep the blue color as long as possible. Chamazulene is what causes the blue color and when it oxidizes it will cause the oil to become green. When this happens it doesn't mean the oil is necessarily bad but just a sign that some of the chamazulene has reacted with air. My general rule of thumb is basically "if the oil smells good, it is good" LOL. You can also extend the lifetime of citrus oils by refrigeration as limonene and monoterpenes in general are susceptible to oxidation. When limonene oxide forms in a citrus oil you will know it, even a very small amount will cause a foul odor. The biggest enemy to the oils by far is oxygen. Keeping low amount of airspace in the bottle is crucial to preservation for long periods. If possible, you definitely want to change to a smaller container before the bottle is half empty. If you refrigerate a half empty bottle it may slow the oxidation process but it will not protect against it, the oxygen in the bottle will still react with the oil, just at a slower rate. Don't put the oils in the freezer because some of them have components that will crystalize out. Many times when components crystalize out at the bottom of an oil the person doesn't notice it then pours off the liquid on the top which won't be representative of what the total chemistry of the oil should be. To make matters worse, the oil left at the bottom will now be abnormally high in the crystalized component after some of the liquid is poured off, so even after you warm it back up and get it liquid, its chemistry will not be right. So its not really the freezing of the oil itself that is the biggest concern but the resulting changes in the relative percentages of key components that result if a person uses a partially frozen oil before its all brought back to room temperature and thoroughly re-mixed.

Dr. Robert Pappas is a chemist with more than two decades of experience in the essential oil industry. He has worked extensively with professionals from around the world, and focuses primarily on essential oil analysis and education, performing quality and purity testing for clients large and small. His opinions are widely respected in the essential oil industry. For a time, Dr. Pappas' relationships with growers prompted him to begin sales of essential oils to better serve the needs of his customers as they sought the best options for essential oil purchases. It was during this period of time that Welcome to Life! began. Although Dr. Pappas later sold the burgeoning business to his brother, we continue to provide our oils exclusively from from this source. We feel confident that the oils remain as pure and amazing as they were under Dr. Pappas, and are pleased to offer them to our clients.

Dr. Pappas continues to study, analyze, and educate about essential oils. With his permission, we reprint his Essential Oil Myths so you can know the truth among the lies in the essential oil industry. For further study and verification, please visit Dr. Pappas' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=essential%20oil%20university