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!
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I absolutely love the train case style and wish we had something like that available. Like a caboodles case but taller for the oil bottles. I don't like the idea of lying them on their side. Too precious to waste if they accidentally leaked! Right now I use a 3x5 black recipe box but it's getting pretty full :/
I'm like you Andrea. I use recipe a recipe plastic box also. But I have 5 of those with a wooden box that sits handy in the house. The rest I store in containers. But to leave the house, I just use the little key chain YL pouch that holds sample bottles that I fill myself. When I travel I make sure to stack all of my oils neatly in the recipe boxes which I then place in an insulated zipper bag and add cold pasks to make sure they stay nice and cool. Don't want to take any chances! #happyOILing!
How do you label the sample bottles!
Our own Young Living labels work great by placing the sticker on the front of the sample bottle, not the cap. There's plenty of room, and it looks pretty, too!
I use preprinted labels from Abundant Health - at abundanthealth4u.com. They are made for Young Living oils and you can find blank labels there, too.
I use sticky labels I purchased at Walmart . A pack is less than $2. You can find them in office supply section.
I use my Brother PTouch labeller. I use it for my classroom and home anyways and they stick nicely to the bottles but not too tightly that they are impossible to change later
I have someone asking me about the temperatures. So if left in a car and gets really hot, you then need to bring to room temp? Is that right? Is it as effective at that point? What about the opposite? What does cold temps do?
If an essential oil is exposed to extreme heat conditions such as in a car, the main issue will be that the lighter molecules may more easily evaporate. You may wait for the oil to cool before use if you choose. If a heated bottle is opened, some of the lighter molecules may evaporate out, thus slightly changing the original ratios of components in the oil. However, please rest assured, the oil will still be considered beneficial.
Low temperatures will not damage or freeze your essential oils, but they may change their appearance. For example, rose oil may thicken or gel when it gets too cold; placing the bottle under warm water or rolling it in your hands will help the oil to liquefy again. Citrus oils may become cloudy when cold, but this occurs naturally and you may continue to use them as usual.
I would love to see you carry yl branded Keychain cases (for sample bottles)!
Love this idea :)
I carried my oils into a store & restaurant with me after convention (session A) because it was 103° in DFW yesterday but was really sad when I realized a small Lavender and small bottle of Ortho Ease were in a different bag in the hot trunk. 😢 I moved them to the other bag as soon as I realized it. Hope they weren't hurt too badly. Thanks for the information.
Your oils will be fine after they’ve been in a hot car. Just don’t open them when they’re hot.
source: ‘Chemistry of Essential Oils’ by David Stewart, chapter 12, page 431
I recently traveled with grapefruit, lemon, and peppermint when I had a business meeting. Although the bottles were tightly sealed, after a few hours in the car the grapefuit had leaked all over. As a constant business traveler I am desperately looking for a good way to travel with my basics.
I believe having a container that will store them upright can make a difference in the risk of leaking. I have struggled with this myself.
I do use the smaller cases and when helping someone start up their use of oils, I treat them to the 10 bottle case as a welcome to Young Living Oils.
As a certifies aromatherapist, my full set of oils are needed as I go place to place to do therapy. I have the large 130 case (and do put 15ml bottles in it though you can't get as many in it then. I then set that case in side a small travel suitcase on wheels for double protection and easing carrying place to place. (Would love a Young Living case on wheels that holds both 5ml and 15ml bottles as well as supplies, kind of like a pharmacy case.
Love that idea, Valerie!
I wish someone would make a case for roller bottles. I don't carry many essential oils with me but I carry a lot of roller bottle blends. What do people use to keep them safe?
I got my husband a hard leather cigar case to carry oils with him all the time. The roller bottles fit perfectly in it as well as the 5ml bottles. It has three channels so it holds his favs to carry in his suit jacket pocket for church, or his cargo shorts pockets the rest of the time. Even fits in his jeans pocket.
I got it at a cigar store, but you can probably find one online.
Here is a link to one similar to what I got.
https://www.google.com/search?q=leather+cigar+holder&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS610US610&espv=2&biw=914&bih=437&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDwQsARqFQoTCIuZsbPSp8cCFUyVDQodeVUMGg#imgrc=6swo0Ib9a2MugM%3A
I make little pocket pouches for the oils and a bag for them to go in. Let me know if you are interested. I can also line the bag with plastic for an easy wipe off cleaning.
I custom make them to fit your style and needs.
How much and what size is the pouch?? Could you email information? Bhoffarth70@yahoo.com
Hi,
How big is your pouch case? Do you have a picture you could send me. I'd love a small one that holds around 6 bottles. How much do you charge?
Thanks!
Patty
I work in remote camps and the smaller 10 carry case is perfect for throwing in my backpack. I now have 2 of them that travel back and forth with me. They're a perfect size, and in a pinch you can fit 14 bottles in each lol
I keep the 5ml bottles in my bag and refill them from the full size bottles when needed so I always have my favorites on hand.
I haven't been able to find a storage case from YL, other than the smaller ones, that hold the 15 ml bottles. I bought the 30 bottle case but it only holds the 5 ml bottles. Most of the oils I buy only come in the 15 ml size. How about selling an insert for the case that will hold the 15 ml sized bottles?
Hi Cyndi.....believe it or not the case does hold 15 ml bottles!! You just have to twist the larger bottle into the hole, I know it does not seem like it would fit, but it does after some time of "forcing" it in, it will fit and will stretch a little and will go in easier after a while, the foam insert is made to fit the 5 ml and 15 ml bottles. I had the same problem when I first got my case :)