My first Magazine essential-oils-for-beginners | Page 4

How are essential oils produced?
Now you know that essential oils are derived from plants, but you may be wondering, “How does it work?”
While there are several methods for producing essential oils, dōTERRA® focuses on steam distillation and
expression in order to produce high quality oils. Both of these processes are organic, and allow the aromatic
compounds to retain their potent, powerful aroma.
It is important to remember that not all essential oils are created equal. The purity of an oil can change
depending on geographic location, distillation methods, weather, and other factors. Additionally, no matter
how well a plant is selected, cared for, and harvested, the quality of an essential oil can either be preserved
or destroyed during the distillation process. Because of the attention to detail and precision necessary in
distillation, it is often less of a process and more of an art form. Distillers must be precise and pay careful
attention to harvesting, temperatures, time of distillation, the amount of pressure used, etc. To learn more
about how a plant part becomes an essential oil, read about steam distillation and expression below.
Steam distillation
As you may have guessed, the process of steam distillation uses heated steam (as well as pressure) to
extract essential oils from their plant parts. Because this method produces clean, pure essential oils, it is the
most commonly used process for producing essential oils. The pressurization used during steam distillation
protects the complex chemical compounds of essential oils, because it allows the oil to be distilled at
temperatures well below the normal boiling point.
3
4
2
5
1
6
Steam Distillation
(1) Water is heated creating steam. (2) The steam passes through the plant material pulling out the oil. (3) The oil rises with the steam. (4) The steam is cooled in a
condenser. (5) The oil rises to the top of the water and is extracted. (6) The floral water is collected for use in home and beauty products.