Essential oils are an investment in your health and well-being. Learning the dos and don’ts of storing them is just one important way to protect your wellness investment and maximize their benefits.
Whether you’ve just jumped into essential oils or have a longtime collection you’ve been meaning to organize, these tips for properly storing your favorite products will keep your house happy and your health prioritized!
A tight lid prevents oxidation, air, or water from getting inside the bottle.
YL tip: The plastic fitment on the bottle allows the oil to escape one drop at a time and also helps keep air and water out. Be sure to leave it on the bottle!
Photo by Ashley Griffin
YL tip: Keep essential oils in a closet or drawer and avoid leaving them in your car. A good rule of thumb is to keep oils in a cool, dark place.
If you’re anything like us, you keep your favorite oils on hand wherever you go—your gym bag, your desk, and your purse. You can preserve your oils and store them safely while on the go by using a carrying case made especially for essential oils. Take the 30 essential oils carrying case with you wherever you go!
You love your oils and you’re not afraid to show it! Display them in your home with a stylish shelving unit along with a potted plant or chic decor. Be sure to keep them away from sunlight and enjoy an eye-pleasing display of your fave always-on-hand oils!
Need a little inspiration on how to display and organize your oils? Check out the photo submissions from Young Living members throughout this post!
Photo by Mackenzie Waldron
Have questions about storing your oils, keeping the quality consistent over time, and getting the most out of each little bottle? Here are some frequently asked questions:
Some essential oil lovers swear by putting their oils in the fridge. It isn’t so much the lower temperature that matters—oils do not need to be kept that cold—but the consistent climate. Your fridge stays the same temperature day and night, which helps preserve the oil. If you don’t want your oil to be cold when you use it, be sure to remove it about 1–2 hours before you’ll need it so the oil can return to room temperature. Once you’re finished using the oil, put it back in the fridge so it can return to a consistent temperature.
Putting essential oils in the freezer is perfectly safe. The consistent temperature and lack of light will help to preserve your oils. There are some oils—like Rose, Thyme, and others—that may have natural components that solidify or crystallize in the freezer. If your oils do this, simply allow them to thaw before you use them by keeping them at room temperature. Once you’re finished with them, return them to your freezer to store.
Photo by Frankie Gene
Essential oils are incredibly powerful, which means that many oils will dissolve plastic. For this reason, it’s recommended to keep oils in glass bottles or stainless-steel containers. Keep this in mind when you make essential oil-based DIYs like DIY body spray or facial toner.
You’ll notice that all Young Living essential oils come in amber bottles. That’s to protect them from light, which can alter their delicate composition. We recommend always storing your essential oils in dark or opaque bottles to preserve their quality.
Essential oils don’t expire in the traditional sense. When stored properly, essential oils can last for years. But because of a process called oxidation, which begins the moment you open your bottle and expose the oil to the air, oils will gradually change over time. Following the suggestions mentioned above—storing oils in dark bottles, keeping them out of the sun, and storing them at room or cool temperatures—will help prolong the lifespan of your oils. Read this article to learn more about essential oil oxidation and expiration.
Photo by Rachel Lynn Engen
Looking for more sparks of inspiration for how you can use your oils? Check out essential oils for travel (and other vacay must-haves) or how to create your own essential oil diffuser blends.
What’s your favorite way to store your essential oil collection?
Tell us in the comments!
View Comments
I use essential oils for my horses, and I was wondering if it would be alright if I kept my oils in a cupboard in the barn all year long? In Wisconsin, the winters are usually freezing (the barn is heated), and the summers are fairly hot (the barn usually stays below the temps outside).
Hi Brianna, Great question! Essential oils should be sealed tightly and stored upright in a cool, dark, dry location. Cool temperatures should be considered near room temperature at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You will also want to make sure that the oils are stored in a location where they will be kept safe from fluctuations in temperature. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey there, I just got my starter kit and am going to use grapeseed and coconut for carrier oils. How should I store my mixes? I have plastic containers and was wondering if that would work?
Hi Stephanie, It is advised that you store essential oils in their original containers. However, if you decide to mix oils or store them in different containers, we recommend using dark colored glass. We do not recommend storing undiluted essential oils in plastic containers. Many essential oils are incompatible with plastic material. Using a PETE or PP plastic bottle can help, but we recommend switching to glass or stainless steel if you would like to use the same bottle for extended periods of time.
I just started using essential oil. I bought the starter kit and I'm addicted!!! Now I want to make sure I have it everyday. I've been thinking of ways to transport 2 bottles of 5ml essential while traveling. The smallest carrier YL has is a 10 bottle carrier. So this weekend I decided to use a hard eyeglass case and a small handkerchief to pad the bottles (I'd say tissue paper would work, too.) It worked great. So the next thing I did was buy a very small diffuser for traveling. I have yet to try that one. Thank you! I love my YL EOs!!!
Is there a danger when the oils get too cold? Here in Austria/Europe we have temperatures of minus 10 degrees centigrade over days, and what if the shipment service let the parcel sit in the cold?
Hi Agnes, Low temperatures will not negatively impact your essential oils. However, the cold may cause some oils to thicken or congeal. Placing the bottle in warm water or rolling it in between your hands will help the oil to liquefy again. In addition, citrus oils may become cloudy when cold, but this occurs naturally and you may continue to use them as usual.
I live in AZ and I am wondering about the shipping in are summer heat? Will the integrity of the ils be spoiled when shipped at 115 degrees on some days?
Hi Toni, UV exposure will cause the greatest damage to the constituents of the oils. Prolonged exposure to heat and UV light will cause the oil constituents to change or diminish. If a package is exposed to heat while in transit or delivered and sitting on the porch or in a mailbox, but the oils are inside the package and not directly exposed to UV light, the efficacy of the oils will not be compromised.
I currently use the largest Young living case which holds 130 oils, I carry them to work each day. I would love to have a case that holds this many oils in one of the newer style cases as I feel the largest case is outdated in its style. I find the foam insert moves inside the case therefore I am not able to use the inserts around the edges. Will they be bringing in a newer design large oil case soon, as I need another? 😊
Hi Melissa, Thank you for your question. Please visit https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/product/premier-aroma-collection to check out our Premium Display 140 case now available. Thank you for stopping by!
Does Young Living sell amber glass bottles to be able to make my own mix? I don't know where to find them at.
Hi Debbie, You can purchase Essential Oil Sample Bottles from Young Living here: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/product/essential-oil-sample-bottles. Thanks for stopping by with your question!
I keep my oils in a closet that is dark and cool. I use the dark amber bottles for my blends. I was wondering if there is a specific temperature that is best for the oils?
Hi Connie, Thanks for stopping by with your question. A cool temperature for essential oil storage is considered around room temperature at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You will also want to make sure that the oils are stored in a location where they will be kept safe from fluctuations in temperature.
I was wondering, I have heard a lot of different stories about shelf life for essential oils. How long do YL oils usually last if not opened? How long do they usually last if opened and stored properly?
Thank you for your help.
Great questions Jackie. Young Living’s essential oils do not expire and will maintain their integrity, efficacy, and beneficial properties virtually indefinitely, provided they are stored properly in a dark-glass bottle, upright and tightly sealed, out of sunlight, and in cool temperatures. Thanks for stopping by!
Should citrus oils be stored in the refrigerator to help extend their shelf life?
Hi Tina, Citrus essential oils should be stored properly in a dark-glass bottle, upright and tightly sealed, out of sunlight, and in cool temperatures. We recommend cool temperature over refrigeration as the oils may be exposed to moisture in the fridge. Thanks for your question!
Wondering: If cooking, painting, other oils can become rancid, why not essential oils? I understand the brown bottle for protection from UV, but what about regular room temp. My eatable oils I always store in the fridge because in the past they have gone rancid in the pantry. Thanks!
Hi Deanna, According to our internal testing and validation, our therapeutic grade, plant-based essential oils do not degrade or lose their vital constituents if stored properly in a dark-glass bottle, upright and tightly sealed, out of sunlight, and in cool temperatures. We hope this information is helpful to you!
My A/C is out. Am I better off leaving the oils out or putting in the refrigerator?
Hi Margaret, Great question! For your situation we recommend storing your oils in a dry, dark location with the bottles sitting upright. Thanks for stopping by!
I keep my oils in a box w/a lid on my dresser so I can grab them daily as I need them. I keep brand new, unopened bottles (extras of my fave oils) on the shelf in my master closet. When I am on the go and need to carry oils in my purse, I grab my Vera Bradley bag and pop my CDWO's in there and zip it and pop it in my purse. I also keep a few bottles of oils in the storage cabinet in the guest bath so that I can get the diffuser going first thing every morning to keep my guest bath smelling clean and fresh all day!