Anyone keep their essential oils in the fridge?

bcabrobin

I’ve never heard of this, but in an essential oils Facebook group they were saying you should......thoughts?

shllnzl

My first thought was that the little bottles would be constantly lost or tipping over, falling out, getting broken, etc.

My next thought was the container needed to store them and trying to fit that into the refrigerator.

I don't think I will go that route.

However, I seem to remember reading that the fragile citrus oils might keep longer if refrigerated. I have seen warnings that old citrus oils should not be applied to skin.

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

Keeping them in the refrigerator, even in a sealed container, will eventually flavor your food. They are potent things and while I love the smell when I open my oil cabinet I do not want my food to taste that way lol. Most oils will be fine stored in a cool location in your home. The oils that you might want to keep in the freezer (yes, the freezer lol) are the "blue oils", such as blue chamomile or blue tansy. These oils, when fresh, have a lovely color. Kept in the freezer they retain that color and all their properties but at room temperature they gradually lose some of both. This information comes from experience and from Jeanne Rose's book "375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols", a great reference book.

Alison

I never have but had never considered it either.

I keep them in a place that doesn't get sunlight. I've never had a problem with any.

burekcrew86

I keep mine in our basement which is the coolest part of the house.

OhiohillsLouise

@burekcrew86 I am with you, mine are in my basement, so unless I am working down there they are in the dark and kept cool.

kfoto

I have a refrigerator just for my oils. The company I got mine from have a plastic seal and most don’t have a strong smell. I haven’t had any food absorb and flavors. But my other refrigerator might? Once open then it’s in a cool dark place. Remember to not leave eos lids off because of oxidation which will cause skin irritation.

@seeker.nancy - Central Texas I love the 375 oil book by j. Rose.

annbeck62

I've never heard of it and don't keep mine refrigerated. I've taken a couple aromatherapy courses through the years and it was never mentioned. Some of the more resinous ones may thicken to where it's hard to use them.

SuperC

Put eos in cool places. I store mine in the bathroom medicine cabinet since it’s very cool in there, and dark too.

Jaylene

I store my citrus oils in the refrigerator. Monoterpene-rich oils can degrade quickly which are citrus and pine and can lead to skin irritation It is best to store them in the refrigerator (I live in San Diego) or similar conditions, cool and dark. I put them in one of those organizing containers (2x10 inches) and they easily slide in and off of the shelf. Hope this helps😊