Essential Oil

Essential oils are concentrated liquids that contain the natural fragrances of various plants. It can be said that they contain the aromatic "essence" of a plant.

Properties
Essential oils are hydrophobic, which means that they don't mix well with water. Most oils are found in liquid form at room temperature. They contain the fragrance of a plant. These aroma compounds are volatile, which causes them to evaporate fairly easily.

Distillation
Oils can be obtained from plants through various methods of distillation. The most common method used to distill essential oils is the steam distillation method. Steam distillation usually involves flooding a plant-filled flask with steam. The steam is cooled and separated into a hydrosol ("flower water") and an oil.