How to distinguish the types of essential oils? How to choose the right one for yourself?

　　When purchasing fragrance products, we often cannot distinguish between water-soluble essential oils and oil-soluble essential oils, which also brings many misunderstandings to our actual life. They are all essential oils, what is the difference? In daily life, how should we choose in different scenarios?

　　What is essential oil?

　　Essential oil refers to the general term for volatile aromatic substances extracted from spice plants or aromatic animals. It is usually extracted from the flowers, leaves, stems, roots or fruits of plants through steam distillation, extrusion, cold soaking or solvent extraction.

　　What types of essential oils are there?

　　Single essential oil: Single essential oil is the essence extracted from the whole plant or a certain part of a plant. It has high purity and can be used on the skin after being fully diluted. Single essential oils are usually named after the plant, such as rose essential oil, lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, etc.

　　Compound essential oil: a mixture of more than two single essential oils and base oils in proportion, which can be used directly. It generally has targeted effects and is mainly used in the skin care industry;

　　Water-soluble essential oil: a product obtained by dissolving essential oil in 40% to 60% ethanol or other water-soluble solvents such as propanol, propylene glycol, glycerin, etc., which are commonly found in life, such as floral water and perfume;

　　Emulsified essential oil: a product made by mixing emulsifier, water, essential oil, and stabilizer, or a product directly made by ultrasonic emulsification process. It is not easy to disperse in water, has high concentration, high heat resistance, and long fragrance retention time. It is generally plant oils, such as peanut oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil, etc. The other type is organic solvents, commonly used are benzyl alcohol, triacetic anhydride oil, etc.

　　What is the difference between common aromatherapy machines and aromatherapy machines on the market?

　　Aromatherapy machine: water-added aromatherapy sprayer (commonly known as water oxygen machine), aromatherapy machine is a branch of it, and common ones on the market are humidifiers or water replenishment devices.

　　(1) Ordinary humidifiers use ABS or plastic materials as water tanks;

　　(2) Water and essential oils are atomized through ultrasound, and essential oils are brought into the air through water molecules;

　　(3) The main medium is water, the aromatherapy transmission speed and effect will be weaker, it has a humidification effect, and the essential oil evaporates faster.

　　Fragrance diffuser: A waterless aroma sprayer, commonly known as a fragrance diffuser, is mainly composed of a movement (vacuum pump), an atomizer and a working program control panel.

　　(1) PP material or aluminum alloy is used. The chips, atomizers and other components of the fragrance machine are oil-resistant, water-resistant and corrosion-resistant;

　　(2) The essential oil molecules are refined into spray using the physical vibration principle and quickly spread into the air. Ultrasonic vibration equipment generates high-frequency vibrations of 1.7 million times per second, decomposing water molecules and essential oils into nano-scale cold mist with a diameter of 0.1-5 microns, which is suspended in the air in a negative ion state. It will not drip or adhere to the surface of objects and can diffuse with the slightest airflow;

　　(3) The fragrance has strong diffusion. The diffusion effect of essential oils is consistent and stable.

　　How to choose the right essential oil?

　　Generally, water-soluble essential oils and emulsified essential oils (i.e. oil-soluble essential oils) are used for daily fragrance diffusion. The simplest way to distinguish them is: drop them in water, and those with oil floating on the water surface are oil-soluble essential oils, while those without floating are water-soluble essential oils.

　　(1) Water-soluble flavors are widely used in jams, juices, jellies, fruit dews, sodas, ice creams, tobacco and alcohol. They are also indispensable in cosmetics such as perfumes and floral water. Its advantages are good transparency in water and a light top note; its disadvantage is poor heat resistance. Therefore, in aromatherapy, it is often used as a water-soluble essential oil in a humidifier or atomizer aromatherapy machine.

　　(2) Emulsified flavors, also called oil-soluble flavors. They are made by dissolving natural and synthetic flavors in oily solvents or directly blending natural and synthetic flavors. Oil-soluble flavors made with organic solvents or miscible with flavors are usually used in cosmetics such as creams, lipsticks, hair oils, and hair fats. Oil-soluble essential oils generally also need to be used with a diffuser with stronger atomization and better diffusion effects to ensure the consistency and stability of the fragrance transmission.