Essential oils: how to use them and where they came from?
As
we know in a product that meets and usually with a good Inci what a
heavenly scent will find that it will not be nothing synthetic, but
essential oils. Have you ever stopped to wonder what they are and where they come from?
This
evidently is supposed, even without knowing anything, is that they are
natural, but they are very concentrated, so use with caution here, and
some are even advised if you are pregnant, nursing or children under 12
years.
That
said allarmiamoci not, but Let us be aware of: essential oils are
extracted from plants, leaves, stems and flowers as early as 4000 years
ago ', so is dating one of the oldest laboratories found by
archaeologists near Cyprus.
They
are useful in cosmetic preparations DIY, in foot baths or baths in
natural environments fresheners or candles, candy or sweets, and again,
coming to our limbic system, help to acquire relaxation phases or
solving problems of insomnia.
But what are they?
Are
complex mixtures of organic substances of different chemical nature,
extracted from plant material; liquid oily substances are lipophilic
with high volatility and perfumed like plants from which they are
derived.
Are usually immiscible in water and soluble in organic solvents instead as alcohol.
But how do you get?
The
main methods are pressing, extraction with fats, the extraction with
volatile solvents and finally the distillation for extraction with
supercritical fluids.
One
most commonly used, although give a less valuable to the product
obtained, is the distillation in steam current which, however, in
contrast, allows a higher speed of the process and a reduced use of
steam.
The
technique rather than produce a better final product is certainly that
extraction by CO2 used for example in obtaining extracts such as
vanilla, cinnamon or cloves.
In
the vapor stream is the force of the steam that is created within the
system that carries out all the work: the cellular membranes of the
flowers, swollen with water vapor break pouring so the substances
contained in them, oils precisely, in the water vapor . The
vapor then condenses, droplet after droplet door inside the container
at the end of the circuit such oily substances causes it to "float" on
the water in the container.
At
the end what you will get will be a solution of water insoluble and oil
in suspension to which will then be necessary to follow a series of
additional steps required to obtain the final product as we all know.
The
oils are natural and also very expensive because this serve up to 200kg
of flowers to obtain 1 liter of essential oil, variable quantity
depending on whether you use leaves, flowers, bark, or, depending of the
botanical species in question and depending on the extraction method used.
Some
oils are very useful to Tea tree also called malaleuca or medical
plant, antibacterial and antifungal natural to lavender, with a strong
sedative power, the power of mint with the opposite hand, energizing or
cypress, by the strong anti-cellulite.
Finally,
how can we forget that a good perfume unique and natural at the end
only a few drops of essential oils carefully chosen placed in alcohol
and then in water.