Essential Oils and how they are obtained

Essential Oils and how they are obtained



There are several different methods of extracting oil from the plants.



Distillation

Steam distillation is the most widely used method of producing essential oils. A quantity of the plant is added to a still, covered with water and steamed. The vapour is cooled through a condenser which reduces it to water. This water us then collected and the essential oils either floats on the top or sinks to the bottom if it is heavier. The oil is then seperated from the water and ready to be used.

Expression

This method is probably the easiest method of obtaining essential oils. You could even express your own oils at home. Citrus oils are obtained using the expression method. The peel of the fruit is squeezed onto a clean sponge and once saturated the oil can be bottled - simple!

Sue