What is Oakmoss?
Algae and fungi went on a date and took a “lichen” to each other.
This is a cute saying I heard in science class as a kid growing up. It explains the unique properties of lichens, which are composite organisms made of two distinct biological entities: algae and fungi.
This is a long way of saying: oakmoss is an essential oil made from a lichen. It is obtained through solvent extraction.
As you might guess from the name, it’s a type of lichen that grows on oak trees. It’s primarily found on European Oak, also known as English Oak, though it has been known to grow on other types of trees, such as fir, pine, and beech. It thrives in humid, shaded environments.
If you’ve never smelled oakmoss, put it on your to-do list. It smells a-maz-ing!
Longevity & Endurance
Oakmoss is highly prized for its aroma and is harvested throughout the world for perfume. Not just because it has a unique scent, but because its compounds allow it to act as a fixative, meaning that it preserves other more volatile aromatics in the perfume and prevents them from breaking down too quickly and losing their scent.
I experienced this fixative quality the very first time I put a few drops of oakmoss oil in my diffuser. The scent lasted in my room for two whole days! Luckily, it smelled so good that I didn’t mind, but since then I’m careful never to use more than a drop or two.
I find this fixative quality of oakmoss to be quite mesmerizing. An oil with the power to preserve and persevere? How amazing is that? And from an oil made from a lichen?
Working with this energy, I use oakmoss when I need endurance, longevity, or perseverance in a task. It adds great power to situations that call for patience (which, in case you’re wondering, is not my middle name).
If you have a long-term manifestation in the works, considering adding some oakmoss to your intention-setting blend.
Do you use oakmoss essential oil? What do you think of it? What do you like to use it for? Let me know in the comments!
Where to buy Oakmoss Essential Oil
Oakmoss is a little more esoteric in the essential oil world. I buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, an independently owned company in Oregon. Their products are beautiful and of the highest quality. The smell of this oil is divine!
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