Creating an Oily Station
You have started to build your essential oil collection {YAY!} and if you are anything like me, you have begun to plan out an area that will become your “oily station”. This little area will be the home to your glass bottles filled with aromatic liquid magic. A space that you’ll find yourself at very often. Staring at the bottles, organizing, reorganizing, and trying to decide the perfect option to choose. It will start out small - usually with 12 little bottles and a diffuser but will quickly grow to a variety of bottles of different sizes, colors and shapes. You’ll later find yourself with multiple “oily areas” around your home, and relying on the content of these areas for just about everything - but let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet!
Creating an oily space is crucial. It is an important step in your essential oil journey! To see results when using these bottles of plant juice, you must be consistent. [Please don’t leave your oils in the original box never to be opened, seen, smelled, or loved.] Choose to display them in a way that gets you excited and where you see them often. The more you see them, the more often you will be drawn to use them! Also add a glass water bottle (or any way to store water) next to your diffuser to make diffusing easy!
There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a home for your oils! Most importantly, the chemistry of an essential oil molecule can be changed. Essential oil molecules can be changed under two conditions: heat and light exposure. This change is called oxidation. When an essential oil molecule is changed, the oil can be more skin irritating. Citrus essential oils are the most prone to oxidation. A good rule of thumb for citrus oils is to avoid applying them to skin after they have surpassed a year of age. You can still continue to clean with them, diffuse, and make room sprays but don’t apply topically.
Keep all essential oils out of direct sunlight and in a cool place. Avoid storing your oils in places that tend to become extremely hot, like near the stove in the kitchen or your car. Ever wonder why essential oils are stored in dark amber colored bottles? This is to protect them from potentially damaging sun exposure. You know those really valuable oils you saved up all your essential rewards points for - that you only use on special occasions or in your fancy glow serum? We’re talking about rose, blue tansy, jasmine, etct. - store those in a completely dark place when you're not using them, like a wooden box that always stays closed. Choose one that complements your oil area, but protects those precious drops!
Another important tip is to keep the lids of your bottles on and tight. Every time the bottle is opened, the oil is exposed to potential change. Always replace the lids quickly after use, and tighten them as best as possible. Be mindful of essential oil bottles with safety tops and hot oils like peppermint, cinnamon, thyme, clove, wintergreen and oregano. Keep them high and out of reach from children, as they can be extremely skin irritating when not diluted correctly.
Once you have begun to build a beautiful collection of essential oils, you will find that these little bottles are not only aesthetically pleasing- they are an investment in our health, well being and cleaner living - we must take proper care of them! I hope you enjoy creating your oily station as much as I do… since my collection is always expanding, I’m always adding new oil areas to my home!