essential oils 101
By definition, essential oils are the vital (and aromatic) fluids of a plant, shrub, root, herb, flower, seed or tree. You can think of the oil as a plant's "immune system" -- it is essential to the lifer and health of the plant. Oils are typically extracted through careful steam distillation that ensures all the important, therapeutic, and health-giving constituents of the oil remain intact.
We actually use essential oils a lot in every day life. They are used to flavor foods and can be found in things like toothpaste and mouthwash to give it that minty kick. Oils are also in perfumes and skin care products. All while essential oils are found in many products we use regularly, it is important to note that not all essential oils are created equally. Oils found in food and cosmetics are typically something that is synthetic, your body processes it as a toxin therefore it becomes harder to break down or can be stored in fat cells. These types of synthetic oils work against your body.