Essential oils maintain their health benefits even when they’re kept at room temperature. However, if your essential oils aren’t stored properly, they’ll become stale and smell bad. You can extend their shelf life by storing them in the freezer.
Essential oils are all the rage these days.
More and more people are using them to treat their ailments and help create a more relaxing environment.
Recently, I’ve become intrigued by the benefits of essential oils and have started experimenting with them in my home.
However, after trying many different brands, I found out that not all essential oils are created equally.
Some oils lose their potency after just a few months. Others seem to lose all of their potency even after a year or longer. I’ll confess that I tried keeping my favorite essential oils in a cabinet near the stove (the “heat spot” in my house).
While doing so, I noticed that some bottles were clear and others were very yellow in color.
I also noticed that some oils smelled like citrus and others smelled like oil.
Because nothing was labeled, I didn’t know which oils were potent. I was taking a gamble with every drop I purchased.
So, I decided to start testing each bottle once I brought them home from the store.
After several months, I discovered which oils still retained most of their scent and which ones were really just wasting my money.
Because I had a concern about essential oils (which I set aside for testing) going bad and becoming stale, I started looking into other storage options. Keeping them in the refrigerator was one option, but I decided that was too big of a hassle.
So I started looking into alternatives.
I found several blogs that talked about storing essential oils in the freezer.
I decided to try it for myself and boy was I surprised by what I was finding!
Many of the oils that I purchased were not only clear in color, but they were also very potent.
Others that I purchased a year ago were no longer potent at all.
The lavender oil that I bought a year ago was so stale that I threw it away and purchased new bottles at the grocery store instead of risking using them to see if they still worked.
I also learned that if the oils are stored in a cool and dark area, they can retain most of their potency even after a year or longer.
My refrigerator was the only place that would keep my oils clear in color and potent!
With this information, I started storing all of my essential oils in my refrigerator.
I was amazed to find out that most of the oils were still potent after over a year (and some even longer than that).
My only concern was whether or not the oils would still be potent after six months (my next expiration date).
But to my delight, many of the oils were still clear in color and they were still potent after six months as well.
In fact, the essential oils that I purchased a year ago were still potent after six months as well (they were stored in my freezer)!
This is such great news for those on a budget.
You can buy high-quality pure essential oils in bulk and they’ll be ready to be used for years (no more wasting money).
Before I realized this, I was throwing away lots of essential oils because I thought they were “old” and no longer effective.
Now, I no longer have to worry because I can reuse my favorite oils over and over again.
I’ve also been able to educate others about the cost and convenience of storing essential oils in the refrigerator.
My storage method has transformed the way I purchase quality essential oils in bulk. Now, I know that I can reuse them again and again!
But not only is the quality of my essential oils better now, I also save money on my grocery budget every month.
So now, instead of spending between $45-$60 dollars on essential oils each month, I spend less than $10 on quality essential oils that will last me for years (or even months in some cases)!
If I have more than one bottle of oil, I usually use the oldest one first. Then I store it in the freezer until I need it again (I usually do that with bottles of carrier oils).
All of the essential oils that I purchase now are stored in my freezer. I’m no longer wasting my hard-earned money on essential oils that I know are no good anymore. Instead, I am saving money and being much more productive using my time wisely with my small but growing collection of essential oils.
I purchase my essential oils in bulk from a number of different companies (pure essentials, doTERRA, Young Living, etc.).
I generally buy between 15-20 bottles of oil at a time. But I’ve also purchased as many as 33 bottles of oil at one time!
For bulk purchases, I order directly from the company (pure essentials, doTERRA, young living, etc.
What Temperature To Store Essential Oils At To Extend Their Shelf Life?
Essential oils are very volatile and are sensitive to light and air. As a result, essential oils tend to lose their potency and aroma more quickly when exposed to light or air. Therefore, it’s recommended that essential oils be stored in dark bottles tightly closed when not in use. Essential oils stored in this manner can remain potent for many years and sometimes decades.
For maximum potency, it’s also recommended that essential oils be stored at temperatures from 44–57 degrees Fahrenheit (7–14 degrees Celsius).
But many people store their essential oils in the refrigerator at a temperature of 39–42 degrees Fahrenheit (4–6 degrees Celsius).
How To Store Essential Oils To Prevent Mold And Extend Their Shelf Life?
If you don’t remember when you bought your bottle of essential oil, it’s wise to store it in the refrigerator (or freezer) anyway.
But if you do remember when you bought your bottle, you can actually test how potent your oil is by smelling a few drops of it (about 10-20 drops). If the oil has a strong aroma or strong scent, it’s good to keep using it. But if the scent is weak or it has an aroma similar to dish detergent or chlorine, you should discard your bottle of oil and replace it with one that is fresher and more pungent.
How To Tell If Your Essential Oils Are Bad?
When stored properly, most essential oils have a short shelf life of about 2-3 years. After that, how well your oil stays potent depends on the scent and aroma that the oil. If it has a pungent aroma and a strong scent, it’s good to use for your aromatherapy needs. On the other hand, if the aroma and scent are weak or nonexistent, you should discard the oil and replace it with one that is fresher and more pungent.
In brief, it’s possible to salvage bottles of essential oils that have gone bad. However, it’s much easier and less expensive to purchase new bottles of essential oils that are fresh instead of wasting your money on old bottles of rancid and stale oil.