How to Store Thailam, Kuzhambu and Ghritham at Home

How to store Thailam is one of the first questions people ask once the bottle has arrived, and the answer is short: closed, cool, dry and out of the sun. The same four words apply to a Kuzhambu and to a Ghritham. This guide takes each product in turn and explains what to do when an oil thickens in winter.

How do you store a Thailam at home?

Keep the bottle upright with the cap closed, in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight. A bathroom cupboard or a shaded shelf is a good home for it, as long as it does not stand beside the radiator or on a sunny windowsill.

A Thailam is cooked until the water has left the oil, in the classical Sneha Paka process, and that is why a finished Thailam keeps well. Your part at home is simply not to put water back in. Three habits take care of that:

• Close the cap after every use. A closed bottle keeps steam, splashes and dust out.
• Pour, do not dip. Pour the oil into a dry palm or a small bowl instead of putting wet fingers to the neck of the bottle.
• Choose shade. A cupboard is better than an open shelf in full light, and any place is better than the edge of the bath in the sun.

What happens inside the bottle over time is explained in what keeps a Thailam fresh. The full range is in the Thailam collection.

Is the bathroom a good place for an Ayurvedic oil?

Yes, provided the bottle stays closed and stands away from heat and direct sun. The bathroom is where most people use their oil, so it is the practical place to keep it.

A bathroom is steamy for a short while each day, and a closed cap is all the bottle needs during that time. The two places to avoid are the shelf directly above or beside the radiator, where the oil is warmed again and again, and the windowsill, where it stands in daylight for hours. If your bathroom has no shaded spot, a bedroom cupboard does the job equally well.

What should you do when a Thailam turns cloudy or thick?

Nothing needs to be done, because it is normal for an oil to thicken or turn cloudy in a cold room. Leave the closed bottle at room temperature and the oil becomes clear and fluid again.

This is something you notice in an unheated bathroom in winter or after a parcel has spent a cold night in a delivery van. The oil has not changed; it is only cold. Do not place the bottle on the radiator and do not heat the bottle in any other way.

Warming oil for Abhyanga

Many people like their oil warm for Abhyanga. Pour the amount you need into a small bowl and warm the bowl in warm water. Do not heat the bottle itself.

How do you store a Kuzhambu?

Store a Kuzhambu exactly as you store a Thailam: cap closed, cool, dry and away from direct sunlight. A cupboard or a shaded shelf is the right place.

Art of Vedas Kuzhambus come in 200 ml food-grade PET bottles. Like any oil, a Kuzhambu may thicken or look cloudy in a cold room, and it clears again at room temperature. Pour it into a dry palm or a small bowl, close the cap. You will find them all in the Kuzhambu collection.

How do you store a Ghritham?

Keep the jar closed in a cool, dry kitchen cupboard away from direct sunlight, and always take the Ghritham out with a clean, dry spoon. Do not keep it next to the cooker or the kettle.

Art of Vedas Ghrithams come in 150 g food-grade PET jars. The spoon matters more than anything else here: a wet spoon, or one that has just been in a cup or a plate, brings water and crumbs into the jar. Close the lid straight after use. A Ghritham becomes firmer in a cool room and softer in a warm one, which is normal. See the Ghritham collection for the range, and the guide to the shelf life of Ayurvedic oils and Ghritham for how to read the date on the jar.

Storage at a glance

Product	Where to keep it	Avoid
Thailam	Bathroom cupboard or shaded shelf, cap closed	Sun, the radiator, wet fingers at the bottle neck
Kuzhambu	Cupboard or shaded shelf, cap closed	Sun, the radiator, heating the bottle
Ghritham	Cool, dry kitchen cupboard, lid closed	The cooker, sunlight, a wet or used spoon
Oil for Abhyanga	Today's portion in a small bowl, warmed in warm water	Warming the whole bottle

Why is a PET bottle practical for oil used in the bathroom?

A PET bottle is shatterproof and light, which matters in a room with a tiled floor, bare feet and oily hands. If it slips, you pick it up again.

PET is the clear, light plastic used for edible oils and drinks. It is not made with BPA and needs no plasticisers, and it is widely recycled under resin code 1. The quality team behind our oils confirms that the shelf life and quality of the oil are the same in PET as in glass, so nothing is given up for the convenience. Glass is fully inert and recyclable too; it is simply heavy and it breaks, which is less welcome beside the bath. The comparison is set out in PET or glass for Ayurvedic oils, and the practical side is covered in packaging weight and recycling.

The small oils used by the drop are the exception. They are dosed with a dropper, and glass suits a dropper bottle, as explained in why Nasya oil is in glass. Store them in the same way: closed, cool, dry and out of the sun. The whole range can be found from the Art of Vedas home page.

Thailams and Kuzhambus are for external use only. Ghrithams are food supplements and do not replace a varied diet.