The Best Containers For Your Essential Oils

Essential oils are a natural way to infuse your homemade products with aromatic and medicinal uniqueness.  Essential oils are concentrated compounds extracted from plants and can pack a punch not only in aromatic intensity, but in your container.  To prevent deterioration and permeation, it is imperative that the products containing essential oils are packaged in the right kind of container.  Pure essential oils are very potent.  Care should be taken to ensure they are stored in an airtight container.  All oils have different properties and caution and experimentation should be used in determining what kind of container will work best.  Glass bottles with airtight lids are recommended.  Rubber and plastic containers and cap components can be damaged and deteriorated by pure essential oils.  Prolong the life of your pure essential oils by storing in a cool, dark, dry place.  Citrus essential oils are the most prone to oxidation, so to avoid the damage caused by temperature variation you could store them in your refrigerator if you have the space.  Carrier oils and massage oils will also benefit by being stored in this way.  Both essential oils and vegetable oils do not like extreme or repeated changes in temperature.  Essential oils are moderately volatile and will evaporate fairly quickly so be sure to replace the cap tightly when you have finished using them.  They are also flammable, so keep them away from sources of ignition such as fires, candles, and flames.

Glass is impervious to essential oils and essential oils are not damaged by the glass, so it is the number one choice for storage of your essential oils and the recipes you blend yourself.  It is recommended that you use dark amber or cobalt blue colored glass bottles since this filters out the sun’s ultra-violet light.  Dark amber was always the color of choice, but today dark shades of blue, green, and violet have become popular and they all offer some protection to your oils.  Using clear glass does not harm the essential oils, but it does not offer any protection from the deteriorating effect of any direct sunlight.  Glass mixing bowls, stirring rods and beakers are perfect for stirring and blending oils when you are making lotions and creams.

Some metals can react with various essential oils.  Never store undiluted essential oils in Aluminum as some of them have chemical constituents that can cause the aluminum to be damaged and leach into the oils themselves, particularly strong oils like Cinnamon or Thyme.  Aluminum can be used for products containing “diluted” essential oils.  If you need to use a metal bowl or container, it is best to use a high grade stainless steel.  Stainless steel whisks, spatulas and steel spoons are great for stirring and mixing.  Do not use plastic or wooden spoons.  Stainless steel spray bottles are hard to find and expensive, but there are some available.

Some types of plastic bowls can be used for blending and mixing, but most plastics have a tendency to absorb the essential oils, making it near impossible to clean afterwards.  Undiluted essential oils should not be stored in plastic containers, as some properties in many essential oils will break down the plastic, which can destroy the oil and often cause leakage.  If the oils are diluted with carrier oil, they may be stored in high quality plastic bottles and containers for several months. 

PET or HDPE Plastics can be used to store blended products such as lotion and massage oils.  PET or PETE is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is commonly used for beverage, food and other liquid containers.  PET does not contain BPA or any estrogen-like chemicals.  It is not known to leak any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.  However, as with many plastic products, if reused multiple times, the chemicals can start to break down over time.  PET has the number ‘’1” as its recycling symbol.  PET has a high permeability resistance rating is an alternative to glass for some products as it is less expensive, weighs less, and recycles well.

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) has a high density and high chemical resistance  As with PTE HDPE is not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but reuse may cause plastic to begin to break down over time.  HDPE has the number “2” as its recycling symbol.  Once they are used with the essential oils the plastic container may not be able to be used for other scented products because of the absorption of the scent.  Essential oils can ruin rubber, so it is best to use silicone or nylon scrapers to scoop out all of your mixtures. 

If you want to reuse your essential oil bottles be sure to clean them thoroughly.  Be sure to use the hottest water available and some soap or detergent.  Let them soak for a few minutes and then use a cleaning brush to clean the insides to remove any stubborn remnants.  On tiny bottles you can use a Q-tip or a tooth pick.  Rinse with hot water and turn upside down on clean paper towels to drain.

For your bowls and other containers, you can rinse them with hot soapy water and then run them through the dishwasher.  Be certain the majority of the oil has been completely rinsed to avoid damaging the rubber-based parts in the internal workings of your dishwasher.

After cleaning and rinsing, the last thing to do for making sure the residue has been removed from your bottles or equipment is to rinse them with a little alcohol.  Rubbing and denatured alcohol have a lot of water and impurities in them, so you can use a “high proof” alcohol such as a cheap vodka which is odorless and free of impurities.  This high-proof alcohol dissolves and helps remove any residual essential oil or carrier oil that might be left in your bottles or droppers.  It also helps them to dry quickly because of the high alcohol content.  Again let them dry upside down on paper toweling.

Here are some links to sites where these can be purchased:
AromaTools
My Oil Business
Amazon
Specialty Bottle
My Oil Gear