Aromatherapy oils

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Many shops sell oils labeled ‘Aromatherapy oils’ which means the bottles contain a mixture of about 2-3 per cent essential oil in carrier oil mainly meant for massage. It would seem more sensible to label these bottles ‘massage oils’ to avoid possible confusion. Once essential oils are added to carrier oils their shelf life is dramatically reduced from years down to a few months.

With the increased popularity and use of essential oils there are new small firms starting up to market their own range but it is very expensive to properly test the purity of each batch oils. If trust is placed in wholesalers, this can be disappointing as they too can be misled by suppliers from other countries. As a safeguard, make yourself familiar with the price range of essential oils. At the time of writing, camphor is the least expensive with sweet orange and eucalyptus low in price; most oils are around two, three or four times the price of camphor; frankincense and German chamomile are expensive, while rose, jasmine and enroll (orange blossom) are about 150 to 175 times the price of camphor. Tuberose is right off the top of the chart only used in the most expensive perfumes. Price is the best guide, but bewares also of those international city center clinics who charge exorbitant prices for oils. There is nothing beyond 100 per cent purity.