How Essential Oils are Extracted from Plants and other Scent-able Things

The process of extracting essential oils from plants and other scent-able things is accomplished in a variety of ways. Probably the most common means of acquiring these essential oils is by distillation. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this process, it is quite simple. The plant that the oil is being extracted from is subjected to a steady flow of steam that seeps through the plant’s interior. While the steam travels through the plant, it collects the oils that are hidden inside and turns them to vapor. While the steam flows out of the plant, it carries the vaporized oils with it. Once out of the plant, all one has to do in order to retrieve the oils is cool the vapor down and the oils will return to their original liquid form.

This process of distillation is not restricted to the plants themselves. It can also be used on other scent-able things, such as citrus oils. Citrus oils are taken from the fruit of plants that are otherwise used for food. Like the plant, steam is used, but in this case to detach the oils from the citrus rind or peel. Although distillation extraction is less successful with citrus (the expression method is a more productive method for these oils) it is often employed as way of retrieving the oils from these fruits.

Another way that one can extract essential oils from plants and other scent-able things are by pressurization and chemical extraction. Manufacturers that find it difficult to use the distillation method on a larger scale often use these methods. By pressurizing the plants, the oils are ‘squeezed out’ and collected with the aid of special machines. As well, certain chemicals can be applied to the plants so that the oils are extracted by some chemical reaction that occurs when they come in contact with the oils.

Other ways that plants and other scent-able things can have their oils extracted involves crushing or smearing. Some plants that produce essential oils can have their oils removed by applying them to a fatty substance. This substance serves as a slate onto which the oils can be smeared. Things like rose petals can be pushed down and rubbed against this surface to where the oils are left behind to harvest. Also, there is the process of crushing the source of the oils in order to extract it. For instance, citrus peels can be squashed down and pulverized until the oils within it are separated from the rind. Or, things such as rose petals can be collected into large quantities to be subsequently crushed to where their oils are separated as well.

Not all methods of extracting essential oils from plants and other scent-able things are as simple. Many are much more complex and involve several stages. For example, the citronella oils necessitate a preparation of the leaves before they can be suitable for extraction. The most frequent method for citronella oil extraction is by distillation, as we have already discussed. However the leaves of the citronella plants are usually left outside of the distillery facilities for several hours, much longer on rainy days, before distillation is even considered. After this, of course, the steam is applied and oils are extracted. Unfortunately, while the leaves are dried, some of the oils are lost. This is done by simply collecting more plants for harvesting.

A more modern, and thus safer, way of extracting essential oils from plants and other scent-able things is by vacuum distillation. Like distillation, it removes the oils by a vapor. However, the boiling points of the oils needn’t be reached since a vacuum effect is introduced into the still. 93 percent of the air in the still (the chamber where distillation is accomplished) is removed so that boiling can be achieved without losing some of the oils that are typically lost in the process of traditional distillation. As well, it is much cleaner and safer. This is because the vacuum removes many undesirable substances. As opposed to normal distillation, the vacuum method loses far less of the oils. A cold plate is set in the still next to the device that heats the substance. Very little is lost since the condenser plate collects the vaporized oils and reintegrates them, so that, most of the oils are retrieved. And, these are the ways that essential oils are extracted from plants and scent-able things.