Essential Oils are everywhere! What used to be a specialty item can now be found in department stores, health food stores, and even pharmacies.
And it seems like everybody is hosting an oil class these days, from your neighbor to your church group to the library. You might even see ads for oils pop up on your Facebook page or search engine.
Since oils are so easy to purchase these days, WHY use our brand instead of one of the many others out there? WHY look for certain assurances of quality?
The truth is that not all Essential Oils are created equally. Many factors go into the quality of the oil. Here are some of the major things to look for when choosing an Essential Oil brand:
• PURITY
An oil on the health food store shelf says “Pure Essential Oil.” WHY can you not necessarily trust this claim? The truth is that no governing body sets standards for Essential Oils. That means that despite what the label says, you have no idea what is in that bottle of oil you take off the shelf at the store. It may be supplemented with less-expensive carrier oil OR it could even be full of toxins and fillers.
You want to make sure that the oils you purchase come from a company that promises they are organic and pure and do not contain fillers, pesticides, or contaminants.
• SOURCING
The climate, soil conditions, and altitude at which a plant is grown makes a HUGE difference in the quality and power of the Essential Oils sourced from it. Plants that are grown and harvested in their indigenous regions naturally yield higher quality oils than those that are not. Lavender Oil sourced from Lavender plants in the mountains of France or Bulgaria is going to be vastly different from that sourced from plants replanted off the highway in the US. It’s important to know where your oils come from!
• TESTING
Many companies test their oils in-house. This means that the person testing and reporting on quality is part of the company selling the oils. Third-party testing is an important part of quality assurance because when the scientists behind the testing are independent from the company, you know you are receiving accurate, non-biased information.
• TRANSPARENCY
WHY is transparency important? It’s the only way you can be sure the oils you use pass the quality checks we’ve discussed above. How do you know your oils are sourced responsibly and from plants native to their growing areas? How can you be sure your oils passed third-party testing for purity and do not contain fillers?
You want to look for a company that practices transparency. Information should be available online about the company’s sourcing practices and quality promises, and the test results should be made available publicly so you can check for yourself that the components that are expected to be found in the oil are present.
QUESTION – WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LOOK FOR IN AN ESSENTIAL OIL, QUALITY-WISE?
