Essential Oils for Beginners

What are essential oils? 

A variety of plants cover the Earth in different shapes, sizes, colors, and scents. Many of these plants contains compounds that typically can’t be seen with the naked eye—they hide within the roots, flowers, seeds, bark, or other areas of the plant. These compounds are known as essential oils. They are highly concentrated, making them extremely potent. Also referred to as volatile aromatic compounds, essential oils give a plant its aroma, protect it from harsh environmental conditions and insects, and even play a part in plant pollination.

 The science behind essential oils 

When you hear the word “volatile,” you may think it holds a negative connotation; however, in the case of essential oils, volatility refers to a substance’s ability to change its state quickly. The chemical makeup of volatile aromatic compounds in essential oils allow them to disperse quickly through the air. This is why you can instantly smell the potent aroma of an essential oil from the moment you open the bottle—even from a distance. As volatile aromatic compounds move quickly through the air, the essential oil user will experience the scent when the compounds interact directly with the brain’s olfactory sensors. (You’ll learn more about how essential oils interact with the brain in chapters two and three). With over 3,000 types of volatile aromatic compounds discovered so far, it is important to note that these compounds greatly determine the benefit, aroma, and nature of each essential oil. Because of unique chemical makeup, each essential oil will vary from species to species, and even from plant to plant.

Essential oil use throughout history 

While some view essential oils as a new trend, the use of plant extracts and plantbased products is deeply rooted in traditions of the past. Ancient civilizations used plants for things like aromatherapy, personal care, health care practices, religious ceremonies, beauty treatments, and food preparation. The infographic below shows that essential oil use is not a fad, but rather a long-time tradition started centuries ago in civilizations all over the world.

Egypt: Egyptians used plant-based products in beauty treatments, food preparations, burial rituals, and religious ceremonies.

Greece: In ancient Greece, men like Homer and Hippocrates explored the aromatic uses of plants, building on discoveries made by early Egyptians.

Rome: Ancient Romans often used plant extracts for massage, perfume, and scented baths.

Iran: In medieval times, people in the region of Iran often used and traded spices or resins for perfumery and maintaining health. India: Ayurvedic medicine, a holistic healing system native to India, has developed over the span of 5,000 years and includes the use of aromatic and plant compounds.

China: For centuries, traditional Chinese practices have included the use of plant materials to promote wellness.

France: Rene Gattefosse, a French chemist, is credited as the first to coin the phrase “aromatherapy” as he studied and researched essential oils thoroughly in the 19th century.

How are essential oils produced? 

Now you know that essential oils are derived from plants, but you may be wondering, “How does it work?” While there are several methods for producing essential oils, dōTERRA® focuses on steam distillation and expression in order to produce high quality oils. Both of these processes are organic, and allow the aromatic compounds to retain their potent, powerful aroma. It is important to remember that not all essential oils are created equal. The purity of an oil can change depending on geographic location, distillation methods, weather, and other factors. Additionally, no matter how well a plant is selected, cared for, and harvested, the quality of an essential oil can either be preserved or destroyed during the distillation process. Because of the attention to detail and precision necessary in distillation, it is often less of a process and more of an art form. Distillers must be precise and pay careful attention to harvesting, temperatures, time of distillation, the amount of pressure used, etc. To learn more about how a plant part becomes an essential oil, read about steam distillation and expression below.

Steam distillation

 As you may have guessed, the process of steam distillation uses heated steam (as well as pressure) to extract essential oils from their plant parts. Because this method produces clean, pure essential oils, it is the most commonly used process for producing essential oils. The pressurization used during steam distillation protects the complex chemical compounds of essential oils, because it allows the oil to be distilled at temperatures well below the normal boiling point.

The chemical profiles within the oil would be damaged or destroyed with other processes that use higher temperatures. Steam distillation begins with boiling water, which results in steam that passes through the plant material. As the steam passes through the plant part, the heat and pressure release the essential oil from microscopic protective sacs within the plant. The steam then carries the volatile aromatic compounds that were released from the plant into a collecting tube. Here, the steam cools and is condensed back into water, yielding a layer of oil. The layer of essential oil rises to the top, where it is separated from the water and collected. Since essential oils are lipid soluble, it is easy to separate them from water.

 Expression Unlike the process of steam distillation, expression (often called “cold pressed”) doesn’t use heat to extract the essential oil. Typically, this process is used to extract essential oils from the peels of citrus fruits like grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, and bergamot. During expression, the rind of the fruit passes across grated cylinders that grind the peel’s surface, breaking open tiny sacs that contain essential oil. After the essential oil sacs are opened, the fruit is sprayed with water in order to collect the essential oil after it is released. This watery mixture then goes through a filtering process to get rid of any excess peel pieces, and the water is separated from the oil.

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