Temperature and BPAL

[Neko]

Los Angeles has been experiencing a heat wave lately, and my room, the little oven that it is, is well over 100 degrees at this point. I'm terrified for the saftey of my BPAL! The imps are have swollen shut from the heat (the glass and plastic have expanded to the point where it is almost impossible to pry the vials open), and the bigger bottles are so hot that their laminated labels are sticking together, and peeling off when I try to pull the bottles apart.

 

I live in a co-op so I don't have a fridge, and despite having the window open and the fan on, the room is still a ridiculous temperature. I'm terrified that all of my oils will spoil, so I need a solution and fast!

[Witch's Dagger]

Maybe try a cooler?

[fairywingmaker]

I was going to suggest a cooler also

[starrykitten]

A cooler is a good idea! Also those bags they sometimes have in grocery stores so your ice cream doesn't melt while you shop for your other things.

 

ETA: Though this won't help you, Neko, is it ok to refrigerate BPAL's in such emergencies?

Edited September 9, 2004 by starrykitten

[diabolique]

i'd run out and buy either a cooler or some lunch boxes, pack them full of ice/ice packs, put a towel over them, and stick all of your oils in them.

[blackrayne]

I think the cooler sounds like a good idea as well.

 

And it isn't just the heat that screws with the labels... I have found that the disgusting humidity here made all of my 5ml bottles stick together too. I finally moved them into a new home the other week, though, and now they are safe from constant touching and thus sticking.

[lixolux]

im having the same problem, i put my imp box in the back corner of my darkest closet - though still hot it was at least 10 degrees cooler in there!

 

im tempted to take them with me, in box, everywhere i go, seeing as ive been trying really hard to stay entirely in air conditioning until this heat lets up!

 

I think the cooler idea is the best - put a ice pack in there and like a towel and then the imps. Im wary of putting them in the fridge because once i put a refresher spray in there that was peppermint lavender and orange essential oils - whoa! the bouquet totally changed cold, it was a fierce orange and not a soft lavender anymore!!

 

what is up with this weather? and yesterday was so dry i couldnt breathe and today is so totally humid its so crazy!

[kebechet]

Los Angeles has been experiencing a heat wave lately, and my room, the little oven that it is, is well over 100 degrees at this point.

I'll second the cooler. The oils don't need to be cold, but they'll stay stable longer in temps up to 85.

 

Neko and lixolux, are you guiys fuckall miserable, too? I've felt like CRAP ever since the end of last week.

[SpinalDesign]

It got pretty hot in my house thanks to the fact we have no AC so eh I was melting with you neko! I keep all my imps and bottles in a wooden box so I just wrapped a towel around it and put a ice pack on top and then wrapped another towel over it and kept it near one of the fans. Nothing got hot or melted but the oils had a nice cold feel when I put more zombi on.. Mmmm it felt sooo good!

[quinkel]

We know that Beth's oils last for about a year if stored correctly in a cool dark place, but....

 

Some of the bottles i have are more for spring/summer and also with the last orders soon I will posses a staple of autumn scent I would be able to wear at least for the next 5 years

 

What will happen to the scent and quality of the oils if i freeze them in small quantities and defreeze a bit in the season needed?

 

I don't think so huh? Otherwise Beth could do it herself and it would be on the site

 

*off daydreaming about BPAL*

[shriekingviolet]

some how I don't think freezing oils would be a great idea. I would think it'd mess up the consistency either when you froze the, or during the thawing process.

[quinkel]

You know what? I go experimenting this evening

 

no really I hate wasting BPAL even scents I am not fond of. I will freeze a imp of Bluebeard (no quinkel NOT IN THE GLASS VEIL!!!) and report back what happens

 

to be continued....

[Ina Garten Davita]

I don't know if this will help but I purchased a set of very swanky olive oil from NapaStyle as a gift for my moms back when I was still living at home in Boston. It was in the midst of a very cold winter. UPS delivered it and never rang the bell so we didn't know it was out there until someone came by and told us there was a box on the porch. The oils were frozen and I freaked out and called NapaStyle customer service and they said that freezing the oils would in no way effect the flavor/aroma or texture, just to let them sit at room temperature until ready to use. And they were just perfect and quite delish drizzled on moms homemade pizza.

 

Will perfume oils be the same, perhaps. It's worth a try. Just make sure there is enough room in the vial or bottle for expansion.

[Nadirah]

In the morning I've put mine in the fridge when its been sweltering. After a couple hours I pull them out and put them back in my dresser. It would be interesting to see how long they would last in the freezer... I wonder if they would solidify?

[enozgirl]

Question -- did the oil expand a lot in the bottle? I'd hate to think of freezing a bottle of precious LE scents and returning to the freezer to find the bottle had burst because the oil expanded too much....

[ChupaChup]

I have stored essential oils in the refrigerator for several years, at least 3, and they are still fine. I use them to make my own skin care oils and the carrier oils I use also last in the refrigerator. Since BPAL are 85-100% essential oils, I would expect them to do the same in the refrigerator. I'm not sure about the freezer, I think that extreme of temperature might alter the oils. But I have read somewhere (can't remember at the moment) that some people do freeze essential oils.

[talks2cats]

I am expecting my order sometime in late November. I am wondering what might happen if the package arrives while I'm out of town and sits outside and the temp is below freezing. Last year I had a vial of patchouli explode in my coat pocket on a cold day. Let's just say the hall closet smelled like patchouli for awhile LOL

[ivyandpeony]

I don't know about the freezing issue - I was just going to suggest that you have the PO hold your mail while you are gone, then deliver it when you return. If you go to:

 

http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps8076.pdf

 

(sorry, having trouble with hyperlinks today), print out the form and leave it for your mail carrier a few days before you are planning to leave, they will hold it and bring it all to you on the day you specify. I usually do this even when we have a dog-sitter so they don't have to fret about collecting the mail and can focus on the baby.

 

If you aren't in the US, your PO probably provides a similar form and service.

[talks2cats]

thanks! Had not thought of that; now I have a safety valve. Hopefully I'll get the pkg before Thanksgiving so I can wear it over the holiday!

[metterklume]

out of my head! I was just thinking this doing dishes - if this coming winter is anything like last one, we had 20 days or so where it never got above 0 F. I'm not going out of town, but I wonder if i should be worried about oils sitting in the mailbox for even a couple hours in that kind of weather. meep!

 

but then again, that was in January/February, and the two orders I have out will likely be here by christmas or a little after - and then I may just have to hold off ordering till late February or something. yeah, that'll happen. *grin*

[Neko]

Maybe you can install a mini-heater in your mailbox! *grin*

[ipb]

i'd try to help and reassure, but my orders last year came in oct, dec, and march... completely avoided the worst of winter because i was too po'

 

eta: but more on the point, here's a list of oils and freezing points.

SUBSTANCE     FREEZING POINT (deg C)
corn oil           -20 
sunflower oil      -17 
olive oil           -6 
sesame oil          -6 
peanut oil           3 
palm oil            24.1 
coconut oil         25.1

 

BUT

keep in mind that there's a nominal amount of insulation with the cardboard and bubble wrap... so inside-the-box-and-bubblewrap temperature isn't going to be the same out outside-the-box.

[Serenity]

Should I worry about my oils freezing and shattering or anything in my mailbox due to cold weather?

 

I'd assume that the freezing point of the oils is really low... but, figured I'd ask!

[feline.by.design]

Actually, as far as I know, the cold is far, far better for oils than the heat. I'd be far more concerned if I had a *hot* mailbox rather than a cold one, because extreme heat can make oils really wonky.

 

The ideal storage place for oils is a "cool, dark place." I recall that some people store their perfume (not necessarily BPAL) in refridgerators.

 

-doreen

[kimmer]

Believe it or not, I have had two things arrive frozen recently. One, a 5ml of Egg Nog, the other an imp of Morocco (and none of the other swap items were frozen). Just for the record, we'd had -15 temps that night.

 

It doesn't seem to have effected the quality of the oils, and the bottles didn't break. With imps though, I could easily see the caps popping off (taped or not).