When it comes to the RUUT Essentials list of ingredients, you will see the term “Cold Pressed” repeated with some frequency. As a matter of fact, almost every essential oil listed has been defined as a cold pressed oil. Why would we make that distinction for those ingredients? What is so important about a cold pressed oil?
The Best Oils Are Cold Pressed Oils
Cold pressed oils are obtained by pressing, squeezing, and grinding down a fruit or seed to extract the oil from within. From ancient days, this was done with heavy millstone, or a mortar and pestle. Today more advanced stainless steel presses are able to extract precious oil very efficiently. Although heating up the ingredients can make an oil easier to extract, much of the natural flavor, nutrition, and aroma of the oil will be lost in the process. Retaining those nutrients makes cold pressing the ideal extraction method for essential oils.
In order to be considered a cold pressed oil, the mechanical process for extraction must not bring the temperature above 49°C (120°F).
Other Methods of Extraction
Expeller Pressing
An expeller pressed oil uses a similar mechanical extraction method to a cold pressed oil, only it has been allowed to reach temperatures of over 49°C. When this happens, the oil is referred to as an expeller pressed oil.
Baking/Boiling Extraction
The steady application of heat will make oil much simpler to separate, though the oils fatty acids will undergo a chemical change, making them less effective nutritionally for the human body. Ingredients are either baked alone, and the oil is then separated mechanically, or the ingredients are added to a boiling mixture, gathering the oil from the surface of the water after the process is complete.
Solvent Extraction
Large industrial operations will typically use a solvent extraction, as it is the fastest and easiest method for gathering large quantities of oil. Once the oil is separated, the solvent must be removed from the oil; however, trace amounts of solvent may remain in the mixture. This again highlights what makes a cold pressed oil so valued when it comes to measuring purity.
Quality Matters to Us
Whenever possible, we use cold pressed oils in our blends of essential oils. If you have questions about our ingredients, you can visit the ingredients page, or you can contact us directly if you cannot find the answer you were looking for.