Have you ever wondered if your essential oils go bad or expire? I’m here to tell you that essential oils do have a shelf life. The good news is that there are ways you can preserve the life of your essential oils. Read on to find out just what makes an essential oil go bad and for ways you can help lengthen the life of your oils.
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Why Essential Oil Shelf Life Is A Bad thing
First, you invest a lot of money into your oils. Some of them are not cheap. You want to get the most out of your essential oils so keeping them in top shape is a priority. There are several ways essential oils can deteriorate, making them possibly dangerous, such as oxidation which could cause the skin to burn, blister or turn red. They are oxygen, light, heat, and time.
Oxygen
Your bottle of essential oil comes with a plastic orifice reducer cap in the opening of the bottle. This helps reduce the amount of oxygen that gets into the bottle. Oxygen is bad for essential oils because it causes oils to oxidize – or to become chemically fused with oxygen. This can change the chemical make-up of the essential oil. Making it something that it is not. The plastic orifice also prevents large spills if the bottle were to tip over accidentally.
Light
As cute as it may be – having a fancy wall display for your oils isn’t very good for them. Stored this way they are exposed to UV lights. You want them to store your oils in a cool, dark location to prevent any exposure to those nasty UV lights. Some recommend storing essential oils in the refrigerator. I personally store my oils in a wooden box designed for essential oils. Why are UV lights bad? Sunlight speeds up oxidization. Keep reading to find out why essential oils are stored in dark amber bottles.
It’s not just a fluke, or for a pretty bottle, all essential oils should be stored in a dark colored glass bottle. The amber colored bottles your oils come in are designed to limit the amount of UV light that the oils are exposed too. As we have already learned, UV light speeds up oxidization and should be avoided.
Keep Reading: Why Does Lemon Essential Oil Eat Plastic?
Heat
Heat exposure is another way your essential oils can go bad. Essential oils should be stored in a cool, dark location. Heat can cause your oils to evaporate more quickly. Essential Oils are volatile, meaning the evaporate and releases their scent. Heat intensifies this, thus causing your oils to evaporate more quickly, leading to waste.
Time
Time, of course, can cause your oils to deteriorate. All essential oils have a shelf life. Some longer than others. So, if you are saving Frankincense for a special occasion, don’t. Use it up, as it only has about a 2-year shelf life.
How to Lengthen Shelf Life
Any of the above ways- oxygen, lights, heat or time, can contribute to the shortened shelf life of your essential oils. Here is a quick list of ways to keep your essential oils lasting longer.
–Store essential oils in a cool, dark location away from heat and light.
–Keep the plastic orifice reducer on the bottle to prevent oxygen from flooding into your bottle.
–When not in use, keep the cap tightly closed.
–Reduce oxidization, by storing oils in the smallest bottle possible. For example, store 5 ml of oil in a 5 ml bottle, not a 15 ml bottle. You want to have as little “head space” as possible meaning the area between your oil and the opening of the bottle.
–Store essential oils in dark colored glass bottles.
How To Tell If an Essential Oil is Bad
There are four ways you can determine the essential oils shelf life.
- The scent has changed. If it doesn’t smell like it should, it’s probably bad.
- An oxidized oil will go cloudy, or the color will change.
- The consistency of the oil has got thicker or thinner than when you first opened it. Keep in mind that all essential oils have a different consistency.
- Some essential oils company’s put an expiration date on the bottle. If the expiration date has passed, then it is probably bad.
Other things to considered
-Keep in mind that the company you bought your oils from may have let the bottle sit on the shelf for a while before you purchased it. This is especially so if they do not put expiration dates on the oils. Check to see if they rotate their stock often.
-Write the date you purchased your oils on the bottle. Or keep a log so you know how long you’ve had the oil to determine how old your essential oil is.
Why can’t you use bad essential oils?
So, here’s the thing, don’t inhale or use topically expired essential oils. First, oxidization can be bad for your skin when used topically. It can cause burns, blisters, and rashes. Since the chemical composition has change, it has become something different then it was intended to be. Second, inhaling a bad essential oils can’t be good for your body, especially if it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do.
So, then what? Do you just throw them away?
You can still use some of the expired essential oils. Use lemon and orange or any other citrus for cleaning. You can drop a few drops to freshen up your sink, dishwasher or trash can. Use expired peppermint as a pest deterrent.
Shelf life Of Common Essential Oils
Now onto what you are dying to know.
This is a list of the more common essential oils and their recommended essential oil shelf life.
1-year shelf life – lemon, orange, mandarin
2-year shelf life – lime, frankincense
3-year shelf life – rosemary, neroli, oregano, Melissa, bergamot, blue tansy
4-year shelf life – cinnamon bark, cardamon, peppermint, ylang ylang, lavender, geranium, clary sage, chamomile
6+ year shelf life – cedarwood, vetiver, sandalwood, wintergreen, rose, myrrh, copaiba, ginger
7+ year shelf life – patchouli
Wrapping It Up
So to recap, there are four things that can cause an essential oil to go bad, or expire: oxygen, light, heat and time. But there are things you can do to prevent premature expiration. If you are doing all you can do to prevent your oils from going bad, then you can expect a good long essential oil shelf life for your oils.
Looking to purchase a few essential oils for your collection? I urge you to try Plant Therapy. They are what I use and recommend. They offer 100% pure quality essential oils for a great price. Free shipping too in the USA! Click on the logo below to take a look! This is an affiliated link.
Keep Reading: Ultimate Guide To Choosing Quality Essential Oils
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