Does Melissa Oil Go Bad? How to Read an Old Bottle
Found a bottle of melissa oil at the back of a drawer? Four quick checks for date, smell, look and feel, and what oxidation does to a lemony oil.
Does Melissa Oil Stain Clothes? What to Do Fast
One drop on a sleeve leaves a grease-type mark. Here is what extension services advise: blot, pretreat, wash, and skip the dryer until it is gone.
Melissa Facial Steam: Safer Ways to Enjoy the Scent
A bowl of steam is the trickiest way to enjoy melissa oil. Read the cautions, a one-drop approach if you try it, and gentler ways to enjoy the scent.
How Is Melissa Oil Made? Yields, Stills and Variation
Lemon balm gives up very little oil. See what yields are reported, how steam distillation works, and why one melissa oil can smell unlike another.
How to Store Melissa Oil So It Stays Fresh
Heat, light, moisture and air age an oil. Learn how to keep melissa oil fresh, when to decant into a smaller bottle and how to judge an older one.
Melissa Oil in a Diffuser: How Much and How Long
One drop, short sessions and a ventilated room: how to diffuse lemony melissa oil, pair it by nose, and who should check with a professional first.
How to Grow Lemon Balm: Sun, Spacing and Harvest
Sun, spacing, seed, cutting and reseeding tips for lemon balm, plus a look at why a garden clump yields only a few drops of melissa oil.
What to Blend with Melissa Oil: Partners That Work
Melissa's bright lemon top note looks for a soft partner. Here is how lavender, bergamot, geranium, rose, chamomile and ylang ylang each play the part.
How Long Does a Bottle of Melissa Oil Last?
A half-ounce of melissa oil holds roughly 300 drops. Here is how to count them, why the doses stay tiny, and how to keep the last drops fresh.
