25 Surprising Facts About Essential Oils
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Essential oils are incredibly popular for natural health, cleaning, and personal care. But despite their popularity, there are many essential oil facts most people don't know, including how they're made, how concentrated they are, and how to use them safely.
I'm sure you'll learn something new from this list!
I used to be a total skeptic about essential oils, but I soon found that they really worked for several problems, and I was hooked.
Soon after, I set out to find the best essential oils company for my buck. Along the way, and since then, I found out some very interesting things about them that I'm sharing in this post. I'm sure you'll find them to be eye-opening as well.
In this guide you'll learn:
- why essential oils are so concentrated
- how many plants it takes to make one bottle of essential oils
- the truth about internal use of oils
- how oils interact with water
- why some oils expire faster than others
- and more surprising essential oil facts.
25 Essential Oil Facts Most People Don't Know
Essential Oils Aren't True Oils
Essential oils are oils; however, they're not like the oils we typically think of. They are, instead, volatile (evaporate easily) extracts that can have a slightly oily feel to them.
The word “essential oil” is actually a shortened version of the original term, “quintessential oil.” This term comes from the Aristotelian concept that matter is made up of four elements: fire, air, earth, and water. The fifth element (quintessence) was thought of as the spirit or life force. Evaporating or distilling the “quintessential oil” out of the plant was thought to bring out the spirit of the plant (source).
Essential oils are typically produced through steam distillation or cold pressing, depending on the plant. The essential oil is then separated from the water phase.
Many Parts of Plants Are Used to Make Essential Oils
A plant's bark, roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and blossoms can all be used to make essential oils. Different parts of a plant can also yield different properties than others. For example, essential oils made from the Bitter Orange (Citrus aurantium) plant include Neroli (from the blossoms), Orange Petitgrain (from the leaves/twigs), and Bitter Orange oil (from the rind).
It Takes a Lot of Plant Material to Make Essential Oils
There's different information in various sources, but one of the figures I've read is that it takes 60,000 roses (about 180 lb) to make just one ounce (29.57 ml) of rose otto oil. Now you can see why essential oils are so expensive and why it's tempting for some companies to add “fillers” to oils to make them cost less.
Essential Oils Have Been Around for a Very Long Time
Contrary to what some might think, Young Living and doTERRA didn't bring essential oils into being.
In fact, it's thought that essential oils were used in the following:
- Ancient Egypt: for embalming, cosmetics, and medicine.
- Ancient China: mentioned in “The Yellow Emperor's Book of Internal Medicine.”
- Ancient India: used in Ayurvedic medicine
- Ancient Greece & Rome: Physicians noted the medicinal effects of many plants.
The Term “Aromatherapy” Came From France
In the 1930s, the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé coined the term “aromatherapy.” He severely burned his hands doing an experiment in 1910, and lavender oil healed it quickly with minimal scarring. He then published Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Végétales in 1937, officially introducing the term “aromatherapy.” He then went on to study the many beneficial properties of essential oils.
Essential Oils Are Very Strong
This makes sense due to how much plant material goes into each drop of essential oil. While I don't encourage fear regarding using them, caution is warranted due to this concentration.
Fragrance Oils, Scents, and Natural Oils Are Not Essential Oils
In general, if you see the term “fragrance,” “scent,” or “natural oil”, you don't know what you are getting, but you are likely not getting a pure essential oil. A natural oil might be something all-natural (but not an essential oil), but the others are likely artificial.
Water and Essential Oils Don't Mix
Do not use water to dilute essential oils. If you ever mistakenly apply one to your skin and it ends up burning or itching, do not use water to address the problem. Instead, you should use a carrier oil.
Diluting of essential oils for use on the body needs to be done with a carrier oil and not water. The most common oil used for this is fractionated coconut oil, because it doesn't spoil easily, but you can use whatever oil you like.
Also, if you're making a homemade product with a water base and essential oils, you will need to use an essential oil emulsifier to make the oils blend thoroughly into the product.
What “Neat” Essential Oil Application Means
If an essential oil is being used “neat,” that means that it's being applied without being diluted. Note that this can not only be wasteful but it can also be dangerous.
Essential Oils Must Be Diluted
Since they are so strong, it's best to always dilute essential oils before using them, and this is crucial with “hot” oils like oregano, lemongrass, cinnamon, clove, and thyme.
Many people (particularly essential oils direct sales company representatives) recommend using essential oils undiluted. This will of course result in more sales, but it's really not a safe practice.
In fact, the oils are powerful even when diluted, and there are a growing number of reports about people becoming sensitized to them.
Most professional aromatherapy organizations recommend dilution rates between 0.5% and 5% depending on the oil and application.
Allergies and Essential Oils
It's often said that if you are allergic to a plant, you'll be allergic to that plant's essential oil. That may or may not be true.
Essential oils have a different chemistry than the plant. If you're allergic to a chemical in the plant and that chemical is in the oil, you will be allergic to the oil; however many people are not. The reason for this is that most food and environmental allergies are to the proteins in those things. Essential oils don't have proteins in them, so most people are not allergic to essential oils.
However, if you're allergic to a plant, I recommend using caution with the essential oil or avoiding it completely unless you know you don't react to it.
Essential Oils for Children and Babies
You should never use undiluted essential oil on a baby or child, and you should be very careful using essential oils on children of any age.
The younger the person is, the more sensitive the skin will be, so use extreme caution when working with infants and young children.
Regardless of how you choose to use them, keep essential oils out of the reach of children and babies.
Essential Oils and Pets
It's important to be cautious using oils around all animals, but you especially should be cautious when using them on cats.
Cats are highly sensitive. In some cases just having them in a room can be enough to affect them.
Expensive Does Not Necessarily Mean Better Quality
It's been estimated that 95% or more of essential oil companies blatantly adulterate oils or purchase from essential oil “experts” that blatantly adulterate oils. “Adulterating” means heating, adding things to or taking them out of the oils, or otherwise altering them from their natural state.
As a general rule, the low-cost oils would likely have a tendency to be more adulterated, and the more expensive oils test out to be higher therapeutically.
However, there are expensive essential oils that have been found to have adulteration problems as well. So paying extra doesn't always mean that you are getting a higher quality oil.
Essential Oils and Internal Use
That is a hotly debated issue. When I first started trying to use essential oils, I thought that it was fine to use essential oils internally anytime, but I've since changed my mind on this.
Because essential oils are quite strong, it's important to respect them, and they should only be used internally under the care of an aromatherapist or practitioner, or with great care.
Furthermore, it's possible that essential oils with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties could damage the good bacteria in the gut. Therefore, it might be wise to use a probiotic when using these types of oils internally and to not use them for a long period of time. Otherwise, you might make changes to your microbiome and create a real problem with your gut health.
Why Place of Origin Should Be on the Label
Quality essential oil companies will put the country or region of origin on the label of their essential oil bottles. The reason for this is that factors about the location of the plant's growth, including soil, weather, altitude, and more, will contribute to the quality and/or composition of the essential oil.
Harvest Time of Day Matters
For many plants, the time of day that they are harvested is critical, and for many, the best time to harvest is in the morning. For example, lavender is best harvested in the early morning after the dew evaporates and before full blooming. Intense heat will result in evaporation of volatile oils, a less complex aroma, and more camphor, while too early will give a lower yield.
Harvest Time of Year Matters
Likewise, the time of year for harvesting plants for many oils matters as well. For example, the best time to harvest is from late spring to early summer for higher levels of camphene, -pinene, and bornyl acetate. Harvesting in cooler seasons will result in higher levels of camphor and borneol, and the oil will smell more medicinal.
Harvest Developmental Stage Matters
For the most part, plants should be harvested at full bloom or just before to have the most volatile oil present in the trichome plant glands. It's true; plants have glands!
Essential Oil Usage Near Ears and Eyes
Never put essential oils in or too near to your eyes. They are very strong and can do damage. If you are going to use them there, be very, very careful.
Essential Oils Expire
Some people keep essential oils around for a very long time and accumulate huge stashes of them (sometimes due to getting discounts from MLM essential oil companies for ordering them every month). Essential oils do expire and might not be safe to use after their expiration date.
How to Store Essential Oils
Essential oils should be in dark glass bottles (brown or blue) and out of direct sunlight. So, for example, an open shelf in your bathroom is not a great place to keep them.
Storing oils in a dark, cool place (like the refrigerator) can help keep the oils from having their chemistry changed by light and heat.
Essential Oils Can Help with Emotions and Mood
Many people talk about using essential oils for physical issues, cleaning, or perfumes, but essential oils also can be helpful for moods and emotions. In fact, there are many oils that are known for being mood-boosting essential oils. Diluting a citrus oil (orange, lemon, or grapefruit) or peppermint gives me a real lift in the middle of the day.
This benefit makes sense because smells affect our moods, and pharmaceutical companies use nasal delivery for some medications. So the nose is one means of delivery into the body.
Essential Oils in the Bible
There are a number of essential oils/ritual scents mentioned in the Bible. Some of the oils and resins mentioned include spikenard, frankincense, and myrrh, cedarwood, cassia, hyssop, cypress, galbanum, sandalwood, and myrtle.
How to Use Essential Oils
There are many ways to use essential oils. You can:
- apply topically to the skin
- diffuse into the air
- take internally (read above for more about the internal usage debate) and
- use in personal and home care products like Homemade Hair Rinse, DIY Chest Rub, Homemade Hair Spray, and Baking Soda Cleaning Paste.
It's great to be able to use the power of oils in natural products rather than using toxic chemicals for health, clean beauty, and natural home care.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an essential oil?
An essential oil is a highly concentrated, volatile plant extract made by distilling or mechanically pressing plant material.
Why are essential oils so expensive?
Essential oils are expensive mostly due to the amount of plant material needed to make them. For example, some sources say that it takes 60,000 roses (about 180 lb) to make just one ounce (29.57 ml) of rose otto oil.
Can essential oils expire?
Yes, essential oils can and do expire. Exposure to light, heat, and air causes them to expire more quickly.
Are essential oils safe for pets?
Animals can be quite sensitive to essential oils so caution should be used around them and the oils should never be applied directly to their skin. Diffusing oils can even be too much for pets and cats are especially sensitive.
Do essential oils mix with water?
No, in the same way that cooking and other oils behave, essential oils don't mix with water. You need to emulsify essential oils in order to combine them with water or a water-based product.
I hope these essential oil facts help you understand essential oils better and enjoy them more as well.
Source: Sell, Charles. (2010). Chapter 5: The Chemistry of Essential Oils. (Can Baser K H, and Buchbauer G. Editors) in the book Handbook of essential oils: science, technology, and applications, (pp. 121-150). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
Just to share because I never see it mentioned. My dog has a pre existing seizure disorder. I diffused eucalyptus oil using a candle warmer in a very large open area once. My dog acted funny and when I lower the warmer he sniffed it, snarled, then walked way and had a bad seizure laying several minutes within 15-30 seconds (oops…). I looked up general seizure triggers in dogs and found eucalyptus and rosemary oils listed.
Oh that’s terrible. I will pass this on to the company though I assume they have heard about it. Thanks!
Do you have any info about using oils during pregnancy? My friend forwarded me an email from YL with some information but just want to be extra careful 🙂 Thanks!
Hi there. Here is a post that should help.
These is a lot of info on the web about what oils to avoid during pregnancy. I would do a quick search for essential oils to avoid during pregnancy and go from there. I hope to write a post about this.
I just started using EO’s I have been putting Lemon EO in my water … I like water.. use only 2 drops.. Is this harmful to me..
I can’t say. Sorry about that. I will say that I talked about internal use in this post. I don’t use them internally much at all and I wouldn’t give anyone medical advice to do so :). https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-use-essential-oils/ Hope that helps.
I really appreciated your post. I’ve been using oils and have had amazing results. I’m in agreement with you over the ingestion of oils. I think many ppl over ingest because society is so accustomed to ingesting any form of Medicine. I use YL oils and fell confident in their purity; but unless there is a very specific reason for putting oils into the digestive track, you are wasting them. They are very effective when used topically because they don’t have to pass through the digestive system. Diffusing oils and rubbing on the soles of your feet is the beauty of using oils to heal children. It is an effortless way to treat them (and cranky husbands! ) I will definitely research the oils you suggested. 🙂
Thank you! I am so glad! I’ll be interested in hearing what you think if you try it. They have a $2 off sale right now, but it’s on their Christmas blends.
Take care!
I have purchased “Tranquility & Attention Assist”. I would like to diffuse Tranquility. How many drops do I put in the water? Also, do I add more drops as I add more water? I want to apply Attention Assist on my 3yr old grandson. Do I need to dilute this?
The diffusers I have say about 2-3 drops per 100 ml. Hope that helps. In general you should dilute the oils for at least the first few times you use them to make sure there is no reaction. I can’t medically advise after that but I would say to use your best judgement. I use undiluted on my kids sometimes and diluted at other times. Thanks!
SO appreciate the unbiased info, Adrienne!
Thanks Kylie!
Adrienne, I’ve followed your entire EO series…could you clarify regarding use on pets? We have fleas, even in the midst of winter, and I know I can use peppermint throughout the house, but have heard differing opinions about actually applying on the animals (in our case a 25-30# beagle). Even if the peppermint works for the carpet/furniture, it does us no good if we can’t eliminate the ones he carries….and yeah, we live in the country, so this is a constant struggle for us…
Hi there. Thanks for asking. I acknowledge that there can be some concern when using oils on pets, but diffusing an oil should be fine, especially if its isolated to a room and the animal can walk away. Just like how humans know if something is making them feel sick and they will leave, the animals will do the same.
The companies I teamed up worked with Nancy Sheheen. She ran a large pet therapy clinic which focuses on essential oil used on pets. She uses them on birds, dogs, cats, horses, and everything else. Of course look at various sources and take care when using them around your animals.
Hope that helps!
I acknowledge that there can be some concern when using oils on pets, but diffusing an oil should be fine, especially if its isolated to a room and the animal can walk away. Just like how humans know if something is making them feel sick and they will leave, the animals will do the same.
I know a lot less about animals than humans obviously, so take my comments for what they are worth :). I had pets growing up but I have none right now and have never used oils on pets.
The companies that I have recommend have teamed up with a wonderful lady named Nancy Sheheen. She runs a large pet therapy clinic which focuses on essential oil used on pets. She exclusively uses oils in her practice and she is very smart when it comes to this stuff. She uses it on birds, dogs, cats, horses, and everything else.
I hope that helps. I have read that you can try diffusing around an animal to see how it responds prior to using it on the animal. I can’t recommend that medically, but I think I posted about it … but not sure.
Does that help?
Excellent article about oils! It was very informative for me, especially about whether or not to use them internally, thanks a lot. I will be sure to try the fractionated coconut oil it sounds very nice.
Thanks!
Thank you for a well written article. I do however disagree on your comments on animals. Some oils, particularly Lavender should not be used around cats Cats do not have the ability to metabolize oils, even through the fragrance, which when breathed in goes into the blood stream, The liver then is unable to metabolize it and could cause death, Also some oils are equally dangerous to dogs such as tea tree oil. When diluted to 1 percent such as in pet shampoos are fine, But to place even diluted onto the pads I think is too risky, Oils should be diluted to 1-2%. IE. 2% of one teaspoon. Also dog are highly sensitive to scents. If your dog or cat become lethargic, coughs, drools, becomes unstable ect… they may be having an adverse reaction to oils. I have also read that they can be sensitive to certain highly fragranced candles.
Thanks for commenting.
You are accurate in that oils need to be used cautiously around cats. Cats are not only very small to begin with, but have disproportionately small livers compared to other animals. So many oils could be more hazardous to them. The Native American and Rocky Mountain Oils customer service department usually cautions pretty heavily when using oils around cats.
I am not a cat expert, but I don’t think a cat will die by breathing lavender that is diffused into a room. Apparently the companies I represent have never had a case of an animal death (that a customer reported to us at least, which I assume they probably would have) using any pure oils. Worst case scenario the cat would just avoid the room. In fact one way that we tell people to know if an oil is safe for an animal or not is to diffuse it in the room. If the animal avoids the room while you are diffusing it then you should be caution if you decide to apply it to the animal’s skin. Remember when you diffuse an oil into the room, the oil is lightly in the air. We are talking less than 100 ppm (parts per million).
I am not sure what comments you are referring to about what I said about animals – can you tell me what in particular you disagree with?
There can be some concern when using oils on pets, but diffusing an oil should be fine, especially if its isolated to a room and the animal can walk away. Just like how humans know if something is making them feel sick and they will leave, the animals will do the same.
Of course consult with your vet on this.
Does that help? Thanks again!
I am totally with you on #11 and 12! Personal research is vital for me, even when dealing with a regular medical doctor I research the prescriptions he or she gives me.
Another thing that I have run into with aromatherapists is that we can have different attitudes about specific therapies. For example, having scientific evidence of the actual benefits is really important to me and I have run into a few aromatherapists that propose treatments or ingredients that, on further research, are considered on the fringe of aromatherapy and natural healing. There is nothing wrong with the fringe if you believe in it and want to go that way, it just isn’t the way I want to go. .
Do you know if either of the companies that you recommend or if young living our doterra have kosher supervision, meaning that there is a symbol such as the OU (a ‘U’ inside a circle), the Orthodox Union, on the package? Thx
Hi there. I can’t speak to Young Living or doTERRA but if any oils are packaged in joint packaging locations (not dedicated to one oil company) then they would need to bring a rabbi in to certify just those batches. Native American and Rocky Mountain are not technically certified. While their products are technically Kosher in their ingredients, we do not have a certified Rabbi to bless them which is the main requirement for Kosher certification.
I hope that helps :).