Education / Training
Joni is a well-organized, knowledgeable,
and thorough instructor. She teaches
aromatherapy for lay people, staff,
and professionals. She specializes
in introductory aromatherapy training
for massage therapists and aestheticians
(skin care professionals). She also
‘trains the trainers’
for aromatherapy skin care lines,
especially those oriented to the
natural product, wellness, and spa
industries. Classes are tailored
to meet the needs of the sponsor
and/or attendees and are designed
to be comprehensive and participatory.
The Nature of Essential Oils
Essential oils are produced by aromatic plants such as herbs, flowers, grasses, and trees. Botanists believe that plants produce essential oils to attract bees for pollination, repel insects, act as regulators and catalysts, and help protect the plant from disease. Essential oils also give the plant its unique, signature scent.
Essential oils are present in various parts of a plant such as the flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, wood, and rinds. Different essential oils are obtained from different plant parts. For example, essential oil of rose is from the blossoms, orange is from the rinds, and vetiver is from the roots.
The plants from which essential oils are extracted are grown all over the world. The amount of sun and water received by the growing plant, the climate, the location, and the condition of the soil all have impact on the essential oil's therapeutic actions as well as its fragrance. Certain locations are known for producing the very best of a certain essential oil. Highland lavender is grown in the high mountain regions of Provence, France, and this lavender is one of the finest for its aroma and therapeutic qualities. Bulgaria has the reputation of producing the best rose oil. This global production gives us a wide range of oils and broad scope of healing properties.
Extracting the essential oil must be done at the right stage of plant development, and the method chosen must be the best to preserve the oil's properties. Steam distillation is used for most plants. In this case, the plant material is placed in a vessel and steam is released into it. The steam and the essential oils rise from the vessel, condense, and separate into two parts-the essential oil and the hydrosol. Cold-expression extraction is used for citrus rinds by shredding the rinds and extracting the oil by pressure. Other methods include enfleurage (soaking plants in oil), liquid solvents (certain plants can only be extracted by this method), and carbon dioxide (an expensive, relatively new process that uses high pressure without heat).
Some plants produce an abundance of essential oils and others produce very little. The concentration of essential oil in the plant and how it is extracted will ultimately dictate its price. Peppermint and citrus produce a large amount of oil and are less costly. Rose produces very little, taking 2,000-3,000 pounds of petals to produce one pound of oil. For this reason, rose is a precious oil and quite expensive.
Essential oils are highly concentrated-75 to 100 times more concentrated than the dried herb. Because of this, only a small amount is needed to be effective, and they are generally diluted before use. Essential oils are not water soluble, and are best diluted in alcohol, oils, fats and waxes.
Because essential oils are volatile, they must be stored in dark glass bottles, away from heat and light, tightly closed. Essential oils should not be stored in plastic (unless diluted and used quickly) because they will absorb chemicals from the plastic as well as dissolve it. Properly stored essential oils last for many years. Citrus oils' potency diminishes more quickly than others and some oils improve with age such as sandalwood, patchouli, rose, and jasmine. Essential oils do not go rancid because they do not contain fatty acids.
When choosing an essential oil, refer to the botanical name of the plant from which it was extracted to verify the correct oil for the desired therapeutic effect. Botanical names were developed to universally identify plants. Plant families are organized by genus, species, and variety. Most plants are identified by the genus and the species, such as true lavender is known as lavendula vera. Lavandula is the genus and vera is the species. Others add the variety when appropriate such as Hyssop officinalis var. decumbens. Decumbens is the variety. Some oils have multiple names and some different oils are called by the same name. For example, immortelle is also known as helichrysum or everlasting, and an oil called marjoram may be a true marjoram (Origanum marjorana) or a type of thyme (Thymus mastichina). Using the botanical name is the best way to eliminate the confusion caused by multiple and similar names.
Essential oils are therapeutically effective only if they are pure, unadulterated, and extracted from healthy plants that have been properly grown, harvested, and distilled. Most essential oils are complex, and their unique restorative properties cannot be synthetically duplicated in a laboratory.
