EO Stuff to Know

My best advice about EOs (essential oils)? Do your homework. Here are the basics you should concern yourself with:

• Purity
• Quality
• Ethics & Customer Service
• Cost

In my own personal searching, I discovered doTerra essential oils first. I was totally satisfied with my experience using them while I was dealing with colds and other illness. I even used some while I was in labor with my baby. After my passion for homeopathy grew, so did my curiosity. I don't like to blindly follow, I like to ask questions do LOTS of research. I considered becoming a "Wellness Advocate" for doTerra because I liked the idea of selling a product (that I used) that would help others. The more I researched, the more disappointed I became. One red flag, was that I had to sell to make money. More specifically, that I was required to fill out tax forms, purchase a certain amount of product in a certain time frame to make money. I wanted to guide people in a direction that they could help themselves. If I made a buck or two, great, but I HATE the idea of shoving something down someone's throat. As I continued to search, I found an article called "A Skeptic's Guide to Essential Oils" that laid out very neatly, things to consider when choosing an essential oils company. I would also suggest reading these posts from Whole New Mom. It is a 6 part series, but well worth your time. I appreciate the thought, energy and research this person put into this, It very much mirrors how I would (and did) approach this subject. LOTS of info.

So.....onward.

Purity - If I am paying for something that is "pure" I want to ensure that it's free from impurities and uses the highest quality products available, at a decent price. While some companies claim to be "certified" or this or that, be aware that there are no regulation standards on the essential oils industry. So if a company says their oils are "certified pure therapeutic grade" or "certified pure", just know that particular company that set that standard for themselves. This can mean a variety of things. If you go a a health food store and find a bottle of Lavender for $5, but see it elsewhere for $15 or more, know that the quality isn't the same. Even though both might say "pure", the amount, or concentration, of the ingredient varies greatly. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. A better quality oil will cost more. If you pay $5 for something, expect it to work like $5. Consider what types of plants are used, where they are grown and how they are distilled. Which leads to...

Quality - Quality it huge! Where is this plant grown, and how? Is it organic, natural or wild grown? What country is it grown and harvested in? (Can you even find this info through the company you're using?) I think it's important for plants to be grown and harvested in the areas that they thrive in naturally. Just like certain trees grow best in certain areas of the world, I feel that transplanting plants and herbs to other areas of the world to grow them won't improve the quality of a finished product. As far as distillation goes, there are 3 main levels: 1st, 2nd or 3rd distillations. 1st is the best. As you increase the number of distillations, temperature and pressure must be increased in order to extract more oil, which in turn decreases the quality. Once you reach 3rd distillation, most of the therapeutic quality is gone and in the case of peppermint, what remains is sold off to candy companies and the like. Also beware of "rebottling". This means that a company will purchase their oils from someone else, then rebottle them into their own containers before selling them, often at an inflated price. So again, do your homework.

Ethics & Customer Service-  Customer service and ethic responsibility to their employees is also important. In this glorious (and terrifying) age of technology, search this out on the internet. Research customer reviews, good and bad. Find out the company's responsibility to the farmers they work with and the employees that work for them. Are all treated and compensated fairly? Look for the amount of informational materials they have available to you. Is there mention of how to best use their oils? Do they list the ingredients in their oils and proprietary blends? Can't find the info? Ask questions! Put Google to good use.  

Cost - I am pretty frugal. I hate over-paying when I don't have to, but I also don't mind paying good money for a something worthwhile. Crappy shoes make your feet hurt.  A crappy mattress makes life miserable. Make the investment. Buy it right. Like I said earlier, if you paid $5 for it, expect it work like $5. One last thing that bothered me initially, was that I had to be a member or rep for certain brands before I could get a good deal on oils and other products. Why is this? If you can afford to give that "discount" to reps, why can't it be that way across the board? Search for the best quality at the best price for you.

Basically, do your research! After I did, my mind was changed about certain companies that I really liked. I'm not going to try and persuade you in either direction, just educate yourselves. If you have any questions, ask!