Essential oils (aka EO’s) are basically plant extracts. They're made by steaming or pressing various parts of a plant (flowers, bark, leaves or fruit) to capture the compounds that produce fragrance. It can take several pounds of a plant to produce a single bottle of essential oil. In addition to creating scent, essential oils perform other functions in plants, too.

~ Source: John Hopkins Medical

There are three primary ways to use essential oils.

First there’s aromatically, when you inhale the oil’s aroma either from the bottle or via steam or a diffuser.

You can also apply them topically—neat or diluted with a carrier oil like olive/coconut oil before application. *With most oils you can dispense a few diluted drops on your skin. With others you’ll want to add them to your favorite lotion, cream or bath gel.

Finally, you can even ingest small amounts of select essential oils to enjoy their flavors as well as their benefits.

However you use your oils, we recommend you always check the label on how to best apply them. Essential oils are highly concentrated natural extracts located in a plant’s seeds, leaves, bark, flowers, roots, stems, rinds and other parts. Distillers of essential oils use various methods to extract these oils that render them even more potent than they were in their respective plants. In such a concentrated form, it’s important to know how to use oils safely and what precautions to take.

*If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before trying any oils.

The cellular level is the level of cells, the most basic structural units of the human body. Just like a house is made of many individual bricks sealed together by cement, the human body is comprised of millions of cells that combine to form tissues, organs and whole organisms.

It is essential that a cell is able to respond to its environment and communicate with surrounding cells to regulate both its own activities and the actions of its neighbor. Scientific research at the cellular level is providing new insight into the most devastating human diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

(BY-oh-uh-VAY-luh-bul)

The ability of a drug or other substance to be absorbed and used by the body. Orally bioavailable means that a drug or other substance that is taken by mouth can be absorbed and used by the body.

What is bioavailability vs absorption?

Absorption is the movement of drug from the site of drug administration to the systemic circulation. Bioavailability is the extent to which absorption occurs. In other words, bioavailability is the fraction of the administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation in the unchanged form.

• Quality of Essential Oil being utilized

• Chemical composition of the oil

• Method of application

• Dosage/dilution

• Skin integrity

• Client Age

1. Plants — Plants should be produced from the certified seeds, grown in exceptional soil, and harvested at exactly the right time.

2. Preparation — a strict commitment to respect and protect the time-honored methods of distillation, every effort should be made to preserve “nature’s living energy” in a manner as close to its natural state as possible… Using pure water free of additives, in a distillation process that uses low temperature and low pressure to better preserve plant properties, capture the pure essence of the plant, and preserve the quality of the oils.

3. Purity — achieved through the use of quality plants and meticulous preparation, and not through ultra refinement, the finished product is 100% pure. Therapeutic oils are unadulterated, uncut, and free of chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals.

4. Potency — Essential Oils should meet or exceed exiting world standards, oils should be analyzed to find the finished oil’s phytochemical profile to ensure it delivers optimal amounts of every key plant compound.

Some oils, mostly those from the citrus family, can cause photosensitivity to direct sunlight for at least 12 hours after application. Make sure you stay out of direct sunlight after applying these undiluted essential oils to your skin.

Everyone’s body is different, so as you start out with small amounts of these oils, watch for any reactions to the essential oils you use. If your skin becomes irritated, apply a carrier or fatty oil to the affected area to dilute the essential oil.

Not really! Essential oils don’t expire in the same way you’d think of food or other items ”going bad,” but they do go through a process of oxidization that begins as soon as the bottle is opened and the oil is exposed to oxygen in the air. Light and heat also increase oxidation.

-oxidization-

When an oil comes into contact with oxygen, ultraviolet light, and heat, its composition begins to change. The oxygen bonds between molecules are transformed into carbon bonds. Over time, the essential oil starts to lose its strength and effectiveness as its chemical composition is broken down by oxidation. This is why most essential oils are sold in amber-colored bottles; the darker glass provides better protection against ultraviolet light.

it’s pretty easy! Just follow these tips:

• Keep them sealed

• Store them in dark amber bottles

• Keep them out of direct light and heat