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I have heard that some essential oils aren’t as good as others and I was wondering where a good safe place to buy them is? Also I am guessing they aren’t the same but when you make an oil infusion is that different the essential oils? Like less potent? Just wondering if there is a way I can make my own to save money.
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I have a friend that is a midwife and uses essential oils. I’ve asked her to swing by and help us out on this. I personally never use them but many who do find them very helpful and the research on them is sound. There are several companies out there.
Essential oils are not the same as oil infusions. An oil infusion is made by adding herbs to oil (olive, almond, sesame…).
Essential oils are the distillation of the volatile oils within the plant itself. You would need a fairly elaborate set of chemistry glassware and a truck load of material to make a bottle of EO. Best just to buy them.
Personally I much prefer regular herbs. I have a strong bent toward self sufficiency and try to be plant based rather than product based. But hey, it ain’t the apocalypse yet and those little bottles are awfully handy to tote around in your purse for emergencies so why not?
I also have an over-acute sense of smell..a scented candle will about kill me. Then there’s the fact that if Tea tree oil touches me my body breaks out in blisters all over. I inoculated myself to it years ago…long story. So anyway, my personal motivation to pursue their use is somewhat lacking but I know lots of people that use and really appreciate them.
Hopefully Laura will chime in and give us some more useful guidance than what I can offer.
Patrick
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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I use essential oils all the time. I have a few different sources that are good quality in my opinion.
There are two MLS sources that are of equal quality. Young Living and DoTerra. I use both. I like Young Living’s blends better than DoTerra’s but DoTerra is just slightly cheaper on the single oils. I have also bought some from Butterfly Express and they are good quality oils. I also have purchased from Native American Nutritional. I like these because I can buy quantity for a much cheaper price. Convenience is key for who I buy from. I’m a Doterra distributor so I have an order each month, my Daughter is a Young Living distributor. I can get either of these with no shipping. I see specials for Butterfly Express each month but have to pay shipping, and like I said before, Native American Nutritional gives me a good discount when I order larger bottles, but again shipping prices apply. I get a discount at all 4 places. Don’t pay retail — I can hook you up with someone who will let you have them for wholesale.
It’s hard to know if someone else has good oils or not. I tell by the smell and feel. If it feels oily, it’s not very high quality. I like to compare the smell with either Young Living or DeTerra. If the smell matches then it’s a good quality. It’s amazing the difference between the oils. I have tried many places on the internet but none of them match up to these 4.
I hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you questions. (beverly@bshell.com)
Beverly
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I will echo what my mom, beverly, said. I use primarily Young Living and a few Doterra oils. But mainly because they are very convenient for me to get and I know they are the highest grade. We actually did a “test” of these two and Native American and Butterfly Express and some others that I have on hand. Young Living and Doterra seemed to be about equal in the smell and feel test. I also did a price comparison by ounce and it seemed that Young Living and Doterra were actually within a dollar or two of Native American and Butterfly Express. Because of the shipping costs, for us, it makes sense to stick with what’s close by. I’m not sure where you live but if you are interested in Young Living, I am more than happy to get them to you at wholesale prices.
good luck!
jennie
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I have owned some DoTerra, some Aura Cacia, and now mostly have Butterfly Express. From what I can tell, Butterfly Express seems just as good a quality as the other MLM companies (Do Terra and Young Living), and they are a good deal less expensive. They also sell herb packs (pre-blended herb mixes for tea, tinctures or salves), and homeopathics, all at good prices.
The thing that most impressed me about Butterfly Express is their guidebooks. I wanted to learn more about essential oils, and first bought a DoTerra book on the subject. It was thin, the information scanty, and was more of a catalog or marketing tool than a guidebook. I was at an Expo a couple years back. I ran into Butterfly Express and took a look at the book written by LaRee Westover. It had a great deal of detail and answered many questions I had about essential oils. I was able to talk to LaRee at a class there and was impressed by her genuineness and desire to help other people.
If you look here:
You can download a copy of the Essential Oils guidebook for free.
Much of the Herb guidebook is here as well:
I own both books. They are well worth the cheap price.
A great deal of material is required to make a small amount of essential oil. They are very concentrated and powerful. A little goes a long way, and it’s a great way to carry a great amount and variety of medicine in a compact package. I find this is an ideal solution for those of us that are interested in preparedness and are concerned about the future. I certainly don’t think they are a rival to other medicines- that would be foolish. I believe they are complementary and should be used judiciously. They may help in some cases where other medicines may not be as effective. I have found that adding some kinds of essential oils to salves makes them more effective.
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I’m going to give my two cents on this one as well. I love DoTerra and Young Living but I’m highly skeptical of Butterfly Express. They do have cheaper prices but they don’t test their oils as carefully as the other two. They claim their ingredients are exactly the same as their competition but when I questioned them on some details, they could provide absolutely no clear explanations on the harvesting practices of their growers. In order the maintain the quality of the oil, many plants need to be harvested in a very special manner. For example, the chemical make-up of some oils will differ if the plant is harvested in the morning rather than the afternoon. In some cases, the chemistry changes if the plant is wild crafted verses grown on a farm of some kind. So the actual essential oil may be the same but the chemistry is different and, yes, this difference does make a HUGE difference in how well the oils actually work. Unfortunately, when following proper harvesting techniques, sometime the yield of oil may actually go down. The end product is better but they get less of it. Naturally, the farmers are more interested in profit so it is to their benefit to produce an inferior product. Butterfly Express does not have the same rigorous quality assurance protocols that DoTerra or Young Living do, which could mean they sell lower quality oils. I’m not saying it does mean they sell lower quality oils, I’m just saying there’s no way of knowing. Even under pressure, they admit they don’t know if their oils are purchased from growers who pay attention to these kinds of important harvesting techniques.
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First I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate (that means I do sell the oils). Now that is out of the way.
I have been using herbs for over 20 years and essential oils off and on. Some experience great and others not so great.
I have spent more money than I care to admit on health food store brands.
Here is how I determine quality. Smell-If can smell diesel or herbicides- I run. Having met many ‘sharers’ (like myself)
from various brands. The energy of the person determines many things-When I was first introduced to doTERRA I was not interested
because of the people I met and the same with Young long before. There is a difference between quality between all of them.
BUT before someone jumps me-for this. Understand I get foot zones and that friends uses another brand and my kids can smell the difference.
I went with doTERRA because I was able to sit with Dr. Hill and discuss my health which was not very good at the time. He gave me a very simple protocol to follow. In fact he said just get what you need and take care of yourself. I went home discussed it with my husband who had just come home from deployment. i waited a month and then signed up as an orphan-no sponsor, no upline, nothing. I have no regrets I learned what I needed and began to heal. I do muscle test and bless all of my essential oils and supplements, etc from whatever source they come from.
I tell those who are researching essential oils you are making an investment in your health. Buy the best quality that RESONATE with you. You find that by samples and any ‘sharer’ who really is your friend will let you sample an oil or two, beyond that because it may be their business they may ask for a small monetary amount to replace those supplies. There are many ‘serial’ samplers who take advantage and ask for samples from every one and never buy-forgetting that that is someones livelihood. You must sit and determine what Brand (Young, Butterfly, doTERRA, ETC) RESONATES with you and with each family member-they can be different. I love my friends who use other brands. We share knowledge about each oil and herbs which I value. I own a varied library of herbs and essential oils usage books. I make many of my own body care products. I am grateful that I have doTERRA in my life. It has changed my life for the better. I am grateful for the herbs that have helped me and worked synergistically with those essential oils to help my body heal itself. Find the best investment in your health and then go forward with that in peace.
That is my opinion. It is frustrating to see the division in complimentary healthcare companies.
Updated: with doTERRA there is not a minimum order required, and you do not have to share the oils unless you want. Remember, I did not do that for over a year- I took care of me. There is a one time $25 dollar fee for a preferred member that gives 20% off retail. Wholesale is $35 initial sign up and $25 every year after that gives 25% off retail. I know the contracts 100 year exclusive, meaning the grower can only sell to do TERRA and the rejects cannot be resold period. Yes it is my business, but not my only business. I am a personal trainer, mentor for home schoolers and other seeking their own education using leadership education or TJEd principles. I am also an energy worker. Plus more than I can list here. I believe in finding what works best for each person.
Angel Fidler
MS, Health, Lifestyle, & Success Coach & Image Management Specialist-Conselle Affiliate
Angel's Heavenly Bodies, LLC, 801-232-1869
Finding Joy in the Journey, Being Happy & Healthy from the Inside Out.
My Joy in life is to be passionately, inquisitive while learning, sharing, serving, and nurturing; helping those l serve to find peace in the eye of each of the storms of their life; fostering a genuine belief we are all connected to one another for a larger purpose. -Angel Fidle -
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I’ve never bought from Mountain Rose. I’ve always bought mine from Young Living Essential oils. They extract every oil with different pressures and different temperatures according to the herbs’ needs so that medicinal properties aren’t compromised. Even though their oils are still for aromatherapy, they are mainly for medicinal purposes.
They also have an essential oils desk reference (huge book) that explains how each oil is produced, where the plant was sourced and how it’s used medicinally. They’ve also got wholesale options. Their only drawback is that if you do choose the wholesale option, a certain amount of oils has to be bought each month. I didn’t like that part.
What have you thought of Mountain Rose herbs and oils so far? Are they reasonably priced?
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Since I am pretty new to this, I do not have much to compare Mountain Rose Herbs to. They are, however, better than buying in local stores! I liked that I was able to buy the herbs in bulk with different size options. I keep the herbs in a cool, dry, dark place and they stay very fresh. The people I spoke to when I called once were so very nice and helpful. According to their website they constantly monitor the growth of their herbs and ensure that the herbs they get from other sources are pure and organic. They say they visit these other growers on a regular basis.. The essential oils seem “a little” oily..I think!! I am new and don’t have much experience with other companies/products. Its the shipping that is expensive, though, just like other sites, I’m sure! 🙂
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Alane, I’ve been thinking lately of trying to distil my own oils from Tagetes minuta. We have it growing wild here. I’ve never distilled essential oils before so it will be a new thing for me. I bought a cheap stainless steel still from China to give it a go. I thought I’d just start with one herb and move on from there. I haven’t researched yet as to what would be the best time to pick, temperatures etc.
I’m wondering if you’re interested in trying to make your own some day and we could compare notes. We’re in different seasonal zones….your winter is my summer. It could be interesting.
We’d know exactly how the plants were grown and how the oils have been extracted. To me, they’d feel more precious.
Does anyone else here distil their own essential oils? I’d love to hear how you do it. I can just imagine how the house would smell when I get around to doing the lavender.
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We use Butterfly Express and have really liked them. I am also a Young Living Distributor and a DoTerra distributor. Each company has a few blends that we really love. I’m a horrible salesman, I don’t sell, we just help people get stuff at cost. One of the things that we love about Butterfly is their bulk sizes, you can get a 50 ml, a 4 oz, an 8 oz, and a 16. That has been nice. All it takes to get a wholesale account from Butterfly is a one-time initial order of $400.00. You can get several people together to make that volume and just put it all in one person’s name. A bunch of my sisters went together and we are able to open two accounts. There are no further minimum requirements, you’re just wholesale for life. I also really like that Butterfly is not multi-level, I personally don’t care for that business structure. I did take the week long class on essential oils from LaRee Westover at Butterfly a few months ago and loved it. So much great information and I love her approach, very spiritual, acknowledges God as the creator of plants designed to heal people. That is important to me.
Holly Draper is owner of Purify Skin Care company here’s a link: She claims that she has the most extensive training on essential oils in Utah. She graduated from a school on oils and has impressive credentials. She offers lots of free on-line classes, they are really helpful. Her oils are great, but expensive.
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Hello!
I am a trained aromatherapist, so thought I’d jump in and share a few things to look for.
There are a number of good essential oil companies out there. The ones I am most familiar with is doTERRA, Stillpoint Aromatics, and Mountain Rose Herbs. Floracopia and Aromatics International are also considered high quailty oils by professionals in the field, but I have personally not used these.
Putting on my aromatherapist hat, I’d suggest the following as you look for oils
1. Be sure that the oil label contains both the common and the latin binomal ….this way you are more certain of what you are getting. Are you wanting Cedarwood? Well…there are actually multiple oils with the common name of cedarwood, and while they have some similarities they also have some differences….so be sure you know which you want and which you are getting.
2. Avoid purchasing through large online stores (Amazon for example…no offense to Amazon)… oils can be and unfortunately are adulterated be it a completely different oil or cut with a filler. You should purchase from a company known for its quality. You can buy online, but go with an oil company directly vs a clearing house if you will.
3. Ideally you should be able to see the GCMS report….which is ideally confirming/demonstrating that the chemical constituents in the batch mirrors (with in normal limits) the chemical make up of a quality plant.
4. The seller should be able to tell you where the oils came from…was the lavender from France or Michigan…ok exaggeration there, but in truth, some plants simply grow better and produce a higher quality oil in certain places do to soil and weather conditions, etc. Ideally the seller should be familiar with the distiller and their practices.
5. Price can be an indicator within reason…..if you find a really cheap bottle of a normally expensive oil, red flags should go up. Recognize that it takes multiple pounds of plant material some times in the 1000s ( yes really) to produce one lb of EO. Frankincense, sandalwood, Melissa, Blue Tansy and others are quite expensive oils to produce. If you find them at a bargain basement price, get in touch with the company. Talk to them find out more. Likewise, just because an oil is significantly more expensive doesn’t necessarily make it better.
I hope that helps give you some guidelines on things to look for.
Blessings
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A friend of mine fulfilled a dream of hers and started her own company, to avoid the MLM set up and offer quality products so that people can learn to take care of themselves. She has her oils brought in from all over the world and has them tested in Idaho. Her website is . Let her know Heidi Dinehart sent you. Her oils are fantastic. I have used them for years and continue to do so, but wish to add another level of learning to my background 🙂
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