FAQs
What is an essential oil and how are they made?
An essential oil is produced starting from gland secretions found in the leaves, seeds, roots, fruit rinds, wood and flowers of medicinal and aromatic plants. Then they are transformed by steam distillation, hydrodistillation, and cold expression into essential oils.
How do I use essential oil?
There are many ways to safely use an essential oil. Below are some of the most common ways. Always follow recommendations on the individual bottle of an essential oil.
- Inhalation Add the recommended number of drops of an undiluted essential oil or an essential oil blend on a tissue, cotton ball or to the wick of a nasal inhaler. Deeply inhale for 2-4 minutes and alternate between nostrils every minute. Do not continuously inhale longer than 30 minutes. Wait at least 1 hour between sessions. Use as needed.
- Diffusion Bring the power of nature indoors and enhance your wellbeing with an essential oil diffuser. Add the recommended number of drops of undiluted essential oils and create your own aromatic blends with an ultrasonic diffuser, or waterless nebulizer (our favorite type).
- Passive Diffusion Add the recommended number of drops onto lava rock, handkerchiefs, rocks, or clay for the natural aerial diffusion of essential oils.
- Local Massage Add the recommended number of essential oil drops to a carrier oil and massage over a specific area.
- Full Body Massage Add the recommended number of essential oil drops to a carrier oil and gently massage over the body.
- Bath Add the recommended number of drops of diluted essential oil to a carrier oil on their own, or with an emulsifier and/or Epsom salts. Add the recommended amount of the blend to a bathtub that is filled with enough warm water up to the waist, and soak for 5-10 minutes. Don’t forget to inhale deeply!
- Compress Add the recommended drops of diluted essential oils to a bowl of warm or cool water. Place a small hand towel into the water and wring out excess. Place the compress on the specific area of the body for 30 minutes. Wait at least 1 hour between applications.
- Steam Inhalation Add the recommended drops of undiluted essential oils to a bowl of hot water. Cover head and bowl with a towel and deeply inhale steam. Intermittent inhalation: 3-5 minutes on and then 2 minutes off. No more than 25 minutes of inhalation per session. A minimum of 1 hour between sessions.
- Spot Application There are some scenarios where undiluted essential oils may be used - for example in the case of insect bites; however, this practice should only be carried out by professionally trained and certified clinical aromatherapists. Using undiluted essential oils can increase the risk of skin reactions, systemic toxicity, and drug interactions.
How do I dilute an essential oil?
Opposed to neat application of essential oils directly applied to the skin, diluted essential oils are those mixed with carrier oils at various percentages according to one’s health history, the application, condition, and safety considerations.
What is a carrier oil?
Most essential oils applications require a carrier oil. Essential oils are potent (50 to 100 times more concentrated than the plant itself) and are best used on the body with the aid of a gentle vegetable oil. Doing this allows for even distribution of the essential oil across the area of the body being treated, and better permeation through the skin. An example of a carrier oil is Jojoba oil (fun fact - jojoba oil isn’t really an oil, but a wax!).
How do I know the dilution rate?
Dilution rates vary depending on many factors including age, health, the condition being treated, the location of the condition, and the application method. On average 2-2.5% dilutions are used with the exception of 0.5-1% dilutions which are reserved for facial conditions, people on heavy medication, infants and small children, and in some cases for people suffering from chronic conditions. Always consult a professionally trained and certified clinical aromatherapist to ensure the right dilution for you.
How do I store and preserve my essential oils?
Always keep a tight lid on your essential oil bottles, and store them in cool places out of direct sunlight and heat.
What is a GC/MS Report?
Also known as a chromatogram, shows the properties and purity of an essential oil through quantifying percentages of each chemical constituent.
What is a Flight?
Soli Flights are curated as an experiential celebration of the biodiversity within species and ecosystems. Our Flight Collection takes you over the world to countries like Bulgaria, France, Kenya, Oman, Somaliland, and Peru where you will be introduced to some of the purest and unique essential oils sourced from those regions.
What are the best oils to start with?
Start with oils that are generally safe, you naturally resonate with, and/or when used in various combinations smell beautiful and help to support overall well being! Some popular ones are lavender, frankincense, geranium, sweet lime petitgrain, peppercorn, and rosalina.
How does Soli compare to other brands on shelf at WFM or online like DoTerra or Young Living?
We strive to go the extra step to provide truly transparent, ethical sourced essential oils. Through our blockchain data, GC/MS reports, expert consultants we invite you to see where our oils come from. You will see that we source from growers with sustainable management of biodiversity, while supporting local communities, and artisans. We also follow safety guidelines as set by the world expert in essential oil safety, not placing heavy and challenging demands on essential and carrier oil-bearing plant populations. We want to go beyond sustaining and regenerate.
What is blockchain technology?
Blockchain is a public electronic ledger that can be openly shared among users to create an unchangeable record of transactions, each record is time-stamped and linked to the previous one. For essential oils, data is collected at every stage of the supply chain and blockchained for an immutable record while qualifying sustainability measurements. Check it out at https://www.bext360.com/
Are essential oils safe for pets?
When using essential oils, bear in mind that most pets are very sensitive to their scents, and they differ physiologically to humans. Therefore, never use essential oils on your pets without consulting first with a certified animal aromatherapist. When using essential oil in your home, diffuse or blend in rooms that don’t have caged animals (e.g. birds) and always have a place for your pet to escape!
Why are not all the oils organic?
Organic certification is very costly to growers and doesn't always mean sustainable, or unadulterated. For instance our wild-harvested plants are "organic" because they grow in a natural wild environment and are free of any agrochemicals. We want to uplift the small growers who are utilizing regenerative agricultural practices while producing the finest small batch essential oils.
What does ‘wild harvest’ mean?
Per Lawinsider “plants or portions of plants that are collected or harvested from defined areas of land which are maintained in a natural state and are not cultivated or otherwise managed.”
How do you harvest but at the same time preserve highly precious species such as Rosewood?
The rosewood tree is trimmed of its low hanging lateral branches only. This actually stimulates growth of the tree to create more canopy in the agroforestry system in which it is planted.
What does AOP mean in Lavender?
Organic Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil which originates from the Haute Provence region of France, and is the only lavender recognized by the quality certification AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée - controlled designation of origin) or AOP (appellation d’origine protégée - protected designation of origin).