 How essentials oils are made.
How are essential oils made? One of the most commonly asked questions, from both novices and those well versed in oils, is how are these essential oils made? How an essential oil is produced can often determine its purity and potency. In the essential oil industry, there are typically four methods to extract essential oils: steam distillation, cold pressing, resin cutting and resin tapping.
Steam distillation
Steam distillation is the most common way to extract essential oils. It involves placing water and select aromatic plants into specialized equipment called a distiller. The water is boiled to the point where it creates steam. The steam pulls the essential oils out of the plants.
Once separated, the oil-laden steam is cooled in a condenser where the oil becomes a liquid again. Different essential oil companies will use different distillation methods, some more gentle than others. Essential oils contain hundreds of small molecules called constituents and too much heat and pressure will destroy these beneficial components. That’s why the slightest variation in the temperature or pressure can alter the oil’s chemical profile. The gentler the process, the more potent the oil.
Cold pressing Oil companies generally use cold pressing to extract oils from citrus fruits such as lemons, grapefruits, limes, oranges and tangerines. Cold pressing is preferred with these fruits because other oil extraction methods can compromise the potency of the oil. In the past, cold pressing was performed by hand. These days, the rind of the citrus fruit is placed in a container with spikes that puncture the peels while the device rotates. The punctures release the rind’s essential oil, which is then collected and separated from the natural juices.
Resin cutting Oil harvesters use resin cutting to extract oils such as frankincense and myrrh. The harvester scrapes the outside of the plant, which causes the plant to produce a sap-like substance to heal the wound. The sap eventually hardens into a resin that is then collected and taken for distilling. Done properly and responsibly, resin cutting causes no harm to the plant. Resin tapping
Resin tapping is similar to resin cutting and is used to extract such oils as copaiba. Instead of merely scraping the outside of the plant, a harvester using resin tapping will cut a small hole in the trunk of the plant, enough to allow sap to seep from it. The plant eventually fills the hole with resin over the next few days, allowing the harvester to collect the extra resin.
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