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 pour the oils into the sample bottles that I got from YL when I use that particular oil often so that I won't kept opening the EO bottle very often. As for traveling, I also do the same.
If I have oils that only come in 15 ml, I take an empty 5 ml bottle and put in that particular oil. You can get rectangle labels printed with all the YL oils on them as well as the circle lid labels.
I'd love to know the item number for the rectangle YL labels. Thank you!
I like the 30 count bag had room for all my favorites,
I have been curious about Leslie's question also.
I love reading your blog. And I love the look of the Young Living Essential Oil cases on the outside, but I would also love to see a graphic of them on the inside too.
Hi Annie! Here's an image of the inside of the 10-oil cases: https://www.flickr.com/photos/youngliving/17246808742/in/photolist-rkaY1E-pvAFDA-rZJXCM-sh3pnq-rZArCb-s4nkjG-eZYjNm-eJkoc5-eJgPps-dR1P7s-dR1Nhh-dQVf7r-dR1NnU-dQVeZ2-dQSwhw-dQSwTJ-dQLVcp-dPBLNw-dPvYLM-dxh2Re-a4KqGf-a4KAN5-85dbAG-85dagq-85d5xs-7Rsxnk-7RsxjM-7RvNFS-7RsxmF-8GCzXz-8GFRSj-8GCFRk-6iyfWF
What happens to them when they get really hot during shipping? Mine arrived and the bottles were super hot. It seems like that would ruin them right?
Thanks!
Leslie
Hi Leslie! UV exposure will cause the greatest damage to the constituents of the oils, and heat and light combined will affect them even more quickly. If a package is delivered and sitting on the porch for several hours (or even a few days), but the oils are not directly exposed to UV light, the efficacy of the oils will not be compromised. If the oil is hot, cool it before using. Prolonged exposure to light will cause the oil constituents to change or diminish.
I was wondering the same thing. If it is shipped during hot summer months. Mine have arrived hot as well! What should we do wait and order in spring and fall?
If there is an oil that I want to carry with me at all times, I put a small amount of it in one of the little sample bottles and put that in my purse, and keep the full bottle at home. That way my 'tool box' is intact in one place.
I do this as well. It keeps your larger supply of oils safe at home, and allows you to have more varieties of your oils in a small wallet carrier that fits in your purse without adding excess weight.
We love this idea!
On my last trip through Arizona during summer, I alsways had a coolbox with me to protect them from the heat - which goes p high easily during summer in the car.