Shelf-Life of Natural Oils and How Best to Store Your Oils Questions and Answers

[MarkiMark1776]

Hi everyone,

I have a Money Drawing spell kit that I have not used since receiving around a year and a half ago. I opened the general box it can in to see that it was the correct thing I ordered, but did not open the spell kit itself, or use any portions of it. Does a Spell Kit have any sort of expiration date (both physically spoiling of oils, herbs, etc. and the magic in it's contents expiring)?


Thanks,

MarkiMark1776

[catherineyronwode]

MarkiMark,

If it was stored in a cool place out of the sunlight and the oil still smells good, it should be fine. Read other posts in this thread for further confirmation.

[Mlance38]

I would like to know about the shelf life of the lucky mojo oils. I would like to stock up on them but if they expire before I could use them then I would like to know. Thanx in advance

[MissMichaele]

Miance38, I have had Lucky Mojo oils last for a couple of years with no change in fragrance, texture, or quality. Stock up to your heart's content and don't worry.

Miss Michaele

[Mlance38]

That's great, thanx again

[Brooke]

I live internationally and find it cheaper to do a large order at once which is usually only once a year. I often get oils that I might not need at the time as would rather have them on hand if I do rather than need it and not have it and have to wait for it. I have oils and powders that I purchased 3 years agos and have only used once twice or never as yet and they are still all fine. So I don't think there would be an expiry date on them.

[AmbitiousGUY]

Hi everyone!
new member here (my first post)

My questions are for those more experienced, and those who can best see and feel energy:

1. Can mineral oil retain energy as long and as much of it as natural organic oil?

2. Which organic substance is better at retaining energy? mineral oil, organic oil, animal fat/tallow, honey, sugar, beeswax?

3. Out of all organic oils, olive oil is most celebrated in the Bible for its superior properties. Many other oils have been produced and used but none as emphasized as oilve oil. So what would you say, in your experience, do walnut/almond/linseed/sunflower/etc oils have equal or lesser energy retaining qualities?

4. Moving even forward - are refined oils (soy, sunflower, olive) better than the nonrafined (which are of better taste, but get rancid faster).

Sounds like splitting hairs, but I am really interested in this.
(sorry for grammar, english is not my mother tongue).

[Miss Aida]

Hello, AmbitiousGUY ,

While this is a forum to assist people with their Lucky Mojo products, your questions are a little too involved to answer briefly.

I am moving your post to a subforum that may answer some of your questions. I suggest that you read the 2 pages there.

If you are very interested in these topics (and you do sound very motivated!), I suggest that you enroll in Miss cat's Hoodoo Course. You seem to be the type of person who can be very creative and absorb information like a sponge. Andthis type of information is taught, formally, by Miss cat

Here's the link to the information: www.luckymojo.com/mojocourse.html

Wishing you the very best in your workings!

[Moonlightdream]

Probably a silly question but I wonder how long the anointing oils and sachet powders can be kept? Do they have expiry date? Thanks

[Miss Aida]

Hello, Moonlightdream,

I just moved your post to the subforum that answers your question about oils. I am not sure about sachets, though but I imagine that if they're stored properly, it can be indefinite.

I hope this helps

Take care

[brit]

Hi

I have read recommendation to add vitamin e to the mix in order to slow the oxidisation of the oil.

However, there are so many strengths of vitamin e out there, some of it pretty costly.

So I wonder, roughly how many mls of vit E do you add per liter (or you can answer this in imperial and I will work it out), and what strength is the vitamin E oil you use (usually measures in International Units, or IU per container of x milliliters).

Pretty specific question I know, but answer would be much appreciated by my little oils lol

Thanks

[Miss Aida]

Hello, Brit,

Lucky Mojo Oils are made with Vitamin E Oil in them already. If you wish to add more, as your bottles get low,
This is what I do:

I add 2 drops per 1/2 ounce of oil.

If 16 drops = 1 cc (ml), then one cc of Vitamin E would be added to 8 ounces (or two 4 oz. bottles of any Lucky Mojo Rootworker's Special.

Take care and have fun!

[brit]

Thanks for the very specific answer
I'll put it to use tonight.
Thanks again!

[sunflowershine]

If you're into using natural forms - make sure to get tocopherOl, rather than tocopherYl acetate.
Tocopherol is the natural form of Vit. E. Tocopheryl acetate is an ester of acetic acid and tocopherol. So it's not entirely the same as natural Vit E though it does work similarly.

[Pyromancer]

I don’t know but I have oils from 2015, and I still use them and they haven’t gone bad

[catherineyronwode]

At Lucky Mojo, we compound our spiritual oils that are based on almond oil or olive oil with Vitamin E. Mineral oil is used for oils based around minerals, such as Lodestone Oil and Magnet Oil.

As a result, They have a very long shelf life for natural oils. Storing them in a cool, dry place without direct sunlight adds further time to their valuable functionality.

[MasonEdwards]

catherineyronwode
Good advice, I bought a special box for my oils and keep it in it

[ivancito_hoodoo]

Love this topic...thank you all for sharing your knowledge

[thochstrat]

I love my oils that I got from this site. I bought some oils from another vendor, and they did not have half the power and they went bad right away. With the Lucky Mojo oils, they work for everything I needed them for, and they smell amazing. I will never buy products from another site. Thank you so much for your wonderful products and information that you provide.

[Poppy]

I bought some LM oils and herbs in 2014 but haven't used them. I would like to use them now, will they still be perfect to use? Thanks.

[catherineyronwode]

Hello, Poppy, and welcome to the Lucky Mojo Curio Company Forum. When you have moment, please do go over to the Public Instroductions for 2019 and tell us a little about yourself and how you use hoodoo and rootwork in your life.

Because you are new here, you broke a couple of our rules (no big deal -- i just want to set you on the right path) -- you started a new topic and you posted the same message twice.

Please do not start new threads: I have merged your topic into the proper thread, the "Shelf-Life" thread" -- and because it is three pages long, you can read it from the beginning for more details (but don't worry, i will reply farther down into this message!

Please do not double-post: When a new member joins the Forum, their first 3 posts must be hand-approved by a moderator. We do this to keep out spammers, robot-posters, and trolls. This is explained in the Forum Rules, but we always give new folks a pass on this until they learn the ropes, so we have deleted the second copy of your post.

Now, on to your questions:

1. OILS: We cannot know or be responsible for how you stored the oils and herbs, so we do not know if they are still good after 5 years. Oils should be stored in a cool, dark place -- and since we "dose" them with Vitamin E, if they are well cared for, they can indeed retain freshness for 5 years. Open them up and smell them. If they smell bright and fragrant, they are still good. If they smell like rancid cooking oil or "off" in any way, they are not going to be usable.

2. HERBS: As for the herbs, the test for usability is a bit different. They must be stored in a cool, dry, and preferably airtight and lightless environment for longest freshness. Sunlight will turn green dried herbs brown. We are occasionally asked to replace herbs that have lost their scent, turned brown, or gotten "bugs" in them, two or more years after purchase, but this is a storage problem, not our responsibility. If you are using a green herb in cooking (magical cookery, that is) or to burn as an incense, crush a bit and see if it still has any scent. If there is no fragrance, simply dispose of it in nature and buy a fresh supply. If you are going to be using a non-edible root in a mojo bag or in a spell of any kind, the integrity of the root is all that matters -- it should not be "moth eaten" or falling apart, but whole and firm, as when you purchased it. Whole seeds stay fresh for a very long time if well stored. Tree resins stay usable virtually forever.

Good luck!

[Poppy]

Thank you for replying so quickly. I am indeed new here. I'm sorry if my post appeared twice, it disappeared when I first wrote it so I rewrote it because I thought it had not worked the first time. I also didn't know that we are not allowed to start topics, sorry. To answer your question, I am new to hoodoo, I have not done any hoodoo work yet. I bought the LM oils and herbs but never opened them so they have been kept in their original packaging inside the cardboard box they were shipped in. I will open them and test them as you have kindly explained, thank you

[catherineyronwode]

Looking back over this thread, i noticed that in the post by "docstrange" a.k.a. Dr. Dotson, on page one, he noted that he would be teaching a class on do-it-yourself perfumery and incense making at the 2009 Hoodoo Heritage Festival. That class was wonderful -- and Dr. Dotson's extensive notes from the lecture were collected into our popular book, "The Black Folder," which contains many years of workshop notes. Furthermore, in the companion volume, "The Red Folder," you will find the lecture notes for a workshop titled "How to Store Herbs, Roots, and Curios by Professor Charles Porterfield," which relates directly to the topic of this thread.

Here is how to buy both books:

BOO-GRI-BKFO
The Black Folder edited by catherine yronwode
$15.00





You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

For more information, see:
http://www.luckymojo.com/blackfolder.html

BOO-GRI-REFO
The Red Folder edited by catherine yronwode
$15.00





You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

For more information, see:
http://www.luckymojo.com/theredfolder.html

[IgnacioJ]

I've read through this entire thread, finally. I'm grateful that Lucky Mojo oils are made from natural products, and contain vitamin E oil for a longer shelf life. It's a little worrying that I have used both Lucky Mojo and non-Lucky Mojo oils, and after all that, I have to admit I don't know what those other oils are putting into the atmosphere. Not one to be paranoid, but it does motivate me to replace those oils with Luck Mojo equivalents as soon as possible.

[catherineyronwode]

IgnacioJ --

Thanks for your confidence in our commitment to stewardship of the Earth as part of our sustaining the old-style hoodoo work we love. It means a lot to me.

[SuziQ412]

Oil life would depend on the base. Safflower oil, almond oil, etc about 2 years. Extend the life by adding Vitamin E oil. Jojoba oil lasts indefinitely. I would not use mineral oil except in negative work.

[catherineyronwode]

SuziQ412 --

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If you read this thread from page 1, you will see that here at Lucky Mojo we use Vitamin E in all of our vegetable-based oils, and you can read instances of folks extending the shelf life of Lucky Mojo oils past the 2, 3, or even 5-year mark by storing them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

As far as mineral oil being relegated to negative work, your statement, given as fact, made me laugh. It's a newbie thing, i think. Of course you have all the right in the world to your opinion and your beliefs, but at Lucky Mojo, we work according to traditional methods, and i have been doing this since the 1960s, so our justly famed and highly popular Lodestone Oil, Magnet Oil, and other oils containing minerals as their primary ingredient are traditionally made on a base of mineral oil and are not meant for "negative work" in any way.

I was not offended, but i did laugh a little. You won't get far coming here to tell the old cat how to lick cream.

Good luck, and no hard feelings, i hope!

[SuziQ412]

No offense taken. This is precisely why I am here. I have been "hodge-podging" things together for the past 3 to 4 years and feel as if I am doing things wrong, and apparently I am. I am interested in learning the traditional, proper way of doing things. Thank you for the correction.

[SuziQ412]

I am truly sorry if I've offended anyone. That was never my intention. I gave bad advice and I was taught wrong. This is why I'm here. I came to learn and to hopefully make some new friends. Please forgive.

[catherineyronwode]

Nope, no offense intended or taken! No forgiveness necessary. If it weren't for Covid i'd invite you over for a cup of tea!

Back earlier in this thread, probably on page 1, i mentioned two of the symbolisms of mineral oil -- it is a mineral (hence good with minerals in it) and it is a laxative (thus used in formulas to drive people out of your life). and if you look at it that way, you will maybe understand it more thoroughly.

It's also used by factory-based conjure oil makers because it has an indefinite shelf life -- but that is more a matter of commercial convenience than of magic.

[GoldenRule]

SuziQ412,

People will learn rather quickly on here that no one here knows more on any of these subjects than miss cat. I’ve yet to see anyone give advice on here that she hasn’t already heard before and taught before to the masses...with this forum being her platform.

If you really are serious about learning Rootwork, I encourage you to take some serious time to read through all of these threads. It will take a lot of time, but it’s like reading books - many books- for FREE!

There are lot of “rules” for doing magick that people pick up on from the internet -and try to pass on here. But if people try to do that with things that don’t have a valid historical background, and she will just smack it down right away - and she’ll give reasons and historical explanations for it all. Thankfully we have her here to teach us all.

I am fortunate to know this lady personally, and even if we took her knowledge of Hoodoo out of this conversation completely, we’d be hard-pressed to find another researcher and expert alive today who knows more about the origins of Southern folklore or folk magic. She’s an anthropologist of yore; she’s travelled the country and collected stories, spells, and remedies for decades.

Please listen to the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour every Sunday at 3:00 pm Pacific Time online on BlogTalk Radio to hear her and co-hosts present the longest-running Hoodoo show on air!