What Are Essential Oils?

With trends for natural products and homeopathic alternatives on the rise, you may have heard of essential oils. The increase in preference for such products has caused an abundance of essential oil options on the marketplace; terms like cold pressed, diluted, fractionated, and steam distilled saturate the shelves, while we see bundle kits, blended oils and essential oil DIY recipes on social media. The options can be overwhelming, which is why it is important to go back to the basics and answer the question: What are essential oils?  

Essential oils are natural plant extracts (such as plant leaves, flower petals, citrus peels or even tree bark) with varying properties obtained through steam distillation or cold expression. Steam distillation is a method of extraction in which the oil is drawn from the plant and separated from the condensed water. Although an ancient method, it still remains the most popular method of extraction today. Cold expression, also referred to as cold pressing, is often reserved for citrus essential oils, though this method is now gaining popularity amongst other botanicals. In this method, the rind, or peel, is pressed and punctured, causing the release of oil that is collected and cultivated. Regardless of the extraction method, the finished results are rich, potent oils with a variety of fragrance-notes, and a variety of uses. Paradise Springs Essential Oils offers a variety of both cold pressed and steam distilled essential oils.

When learning about essential oils, it is also important to note that these potent extracts are available in their singular form (Paradise Springs 100% Pure Tea Tree Oil, for example), blends containing multiple pure essential oils (Paradise Springs Calming Blend), and diluted essential oils, such as Paradise Springs USDA Organic Lavender Oil infused in hydrating Jojoba Oil. Depending on their intended purpose, there is a perfect oil for every use. Essential oils can be used for aromatherapy, diffusion, natural beauty recipes, natural skin care solutions, natural cleaning solutions and more. Try adding Paradise Springs Organic Lavender Oil to a relaxing bath, or put a few drops of Paradise Springs Rosemary Oil into your shampoo to give hair extra shine.

While shopping for the perfect essential oil, synthetic blends, which can sometimes be found on the marketplace to save money on more costly essential oils, should be avoided. Essential oils should always be pure and natural, both for maximum benefit as well as safety. Oils, such as our line of Paradise Springs Essential Oils, are sometimes classified as wildcrafted or USDA Organic. Wildcrafted is a practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or “wild,” habitat, while a USDA Organic certification guarantees that an essential oil has been cultivated through approved methods. Both of these methods assure us that the essential oils are free from synthetics, harmful additives, herbicides or pesticides introduced into the plants’ growing life cycle and, therefore, the finished essential oil.

Curious to give essential oils a try or simply add more to your collection? Click here to explore the variety of natural, aromatic essential oils Paradise Springs has to offer.