Essential oils are an often expensive investment, and you want to make sure they last for a long time. A few simple tips will keep them as fresh as you bought them, even years (or more) later.
Tips:
- Keep away from sun and direct light: Light breaks down the delicate oils. This is why oils are sold in dark-colored glass (such as amber or blue). Keep your oils in the dark when not using.
- Keep in a cool and dry environment: Heat and humidity are both bad for oils. Store in a cool area of your home, and keep away from dampness. Your bathroom is not a good choice.
- Keep away from heat: Besides higher temperatures breaking down the delicate oils, essential oils are flammable. Store away from sources of heat, such as heaters and stoves.
- Keep oils safely away from children and animals: Essential oils are very concentrated. Think of them like medicine. If you have small children, lock them up, or keep them up high. Some brands have child safe bottle lids, others do not. I remind my boys often that the oils are not toys, and that they are to not touch them. Same with animals, if you use a diffuser or similar, keep it out of reach for them, and as well children. Oils are potent.
How to store?
I have found that wooden boxes work well at home. One of my favorites is this one, which holds 68 bottles! It is huge, but can also handle roller balls.
For travel, I prefer a padded box that fully zips up. You won’t need to worry about bottles clanking. It is on the right side in the photo below.
For smaller storage, the wooden boxes that store 25 bottles also work well. We have two of those. The only downside is often the dividers do not come out, meaning you cannot use them to store roller balls (which are tall and skinny). They are good starter boxes however, or if you want to have separate boxes by brand (I do this for some of my oils, as I use 5 or so brands).
Whichever storage you choose, keep your oils in an area that doesn’t fluctuate temperature wildly, and keep out of bright light. And be sure to use your oils often, so you can enjoy your investment!