Packing a therapeutic punch, we obtain essential oils from their parent plants using a process called steam distillation. To achieve this, the plant (leaves, flowers, roots, or the whole plant) are steeped in water and heated. Tiny molecules turn into a gas and are then cooled until they condense into a liquid and can be collected.

Within each essential oil, there are many different tiny molecules, and every plant produces an oil with a different composition. It's these constituents and their relative concentrations that give essential oils their unique therapeutic properties.

In plants, these tiny molecules perform important functions like defence against insects, diseases, or even being eaten by herbivores! Some will protect the plant against oxidative stress (antioxidants) and help cells repair when damage occurs.

Often, the different constituents work together synergistically to achieve these effects; the sum of their activities is greater than any one acting alone. So even the most important ingredient is always supported to do its job even better.

Most cosmetic manufacturers isolate this key ingredient, producing an extract from the essential oil. At Hedgewitch, we use the complete essential oil so that we don't lose all the other constituents that help it perform at its best.