Will essential oils go bad if left for a long time, and will essential oils expire

This article is originally from HerbCare

Vanilla School of Magic.

In fact, plant essential oils are the most durable way to preserve plant essences, as long as they are not exposed to light, do not contact with air, and are stored at room temperature of about 25 degrees, they can maintain the longest usable state. Second, plant essential oils will not have the so-called "corruption", "deterioration" of the chance, the reason is very simple, the same plant ** "wine", can be aged more and more fragrant, and essential oils are the same principle, the older the more fragrant, so over time, the organic components, such as alcohols, tenes, acids and other components, will polymerize into aromatic esters, wine is so, essential oils are the same. Over time, the changes caused to essential oils are that the light molecules slowly volatilize away, or polymerize into aromatic esters, so the taste becomes less pungent, mild, and calm.

Taking lavender as an example, the main ingredients are lavender alcohol and lavender ester, which is also the most important ingredient pointer to check the quality. For example, if the essential oil has the shortest expiration date, half a year to a year, after being in contact with the air for a long time, the color will become darker and the taste will not be so clear. Generally speaking, after the essential oil is opened, it depends on the time and area of contact with the air, and the loss rate of some of its volatile molecules.

Most of the time, such as the more intense high volatile essential oils: eucalyptus, tea tree, basil, rosemary, after opening more times, it will present a sweeter taste, not as spicy as when it was first opened, it is the transformation of taste, and it cannot be said to be bad. None of the above will change the traits.

The significance of the shelf life lies in the accuracy of the usage formula, so there is a standard shelf life recommendation, which is roughly as follows: the fruit is within half a year after opening. Grasses within one year after opening.

Flowers to be opened within one to two years. Wood within two years after opening. There are no such restrictions for resins and fragrances, but they are still based on two years after opening.

Note: Leaving essential oils for too long will indeed make them more viscous, but if you feel the following changes, you should be careful about the sourcing and quality of the essential oils**. 1. It becomes greasy or even foul, indicating that the essential oil is not pure, but other substances have been added, and these substances have deteriorated.

2. Discoloration: Leaving it for too long will indeed cause some specific essential oils to change color, and some are normal, such as holly wood will turn reddish-brown.

Essential oils that have not been opened can be stored for two to three years, but the essential oils that have been opened should be used up as soon as possible. In particular, the prepared compound essential oil should be used up as soon as possible.

Essential oils expire. Essential oils contain a lot of organic ingredients that have a certain shelf life, and if they pass the expiration date, then these organic ingredients can easily become food for some bacteria**, and then become a breeding ground for nourishing bacteria.

1. Bacteria

Expired essential oils may breed a large number of bacteria, and at this time, they can be used on the skin of the skin to cause bacterial infection and itching.

2. Deterioration

After the expiration date of essential oils, some chemical ingredients will undergo subtle changes, and then apply ** can easily cause allergies, light redness and acne, heavy **ulcer.

3. Utilization

If it is only expired for a month or two, in order not to waste it, the scented essential oil can be used as an aromatherapy and dripped into the aromatherapy machine to make the room fragrant.

The shelf life of essential oils is generally around two to three years, but if stored properly, essential oils that have passed their expiration date can still be used in many cases.

First of all, it is necessary to determine whether the essential oil has deteriorated. If you smell a pungent sour odor after opening the bottle, it may have gone bad and should not be used again. If there is no obvious anomaly, there are a few ways to detect if it still applies, such as:

1.Use the inside of your arm to test for mold rubber allergies. Take a small amount of essential oil drops and gently massage it on the inside of the arm, if there is redness, itching and pain and other allergies, it should not be used again.

2.Drop a few drops of essential oil in mineral water. If the essential oil is mixed with water and produces turbidity and precipitation, it means that the essential oil has deteriorated and can no longer be used.

3.Smell it. If the smell of the essential oil is noticeably different from before, it may have gone bad and can no longer be used.

In general, although essential oils have an expiration date, expired essential oils can still be used in most cases as long as they do not deteriorate significantly and are stored properly.

Smell first, the taste has changed, and the bottleneck has some overflowing essential oils that become viscous under the oxidation of the outside air, the general essential oil is still not easy to deteriorate, and the bottle cap should be tightly closed after use, like sandalwood, these essential oils are the longer the better, of course, for the purer essential oils.

Yes, and it's light-sensitive, and it should be bottled in dark glass, which is volatile, so it should be made of glass