10 Tips for Selecting Essential Oils

Whether you are buying from Monara or another supplier here are 10 tips for selecting quality essential oils

TERM and LABELS

1. When shopping for essential oils, watch out for words such as “fragrance oil,” “nature identical oil,” or “perfume oil.” These words indicate that what you see is not a pure, single essential oil. There are companies that label perfume oils and fragrance oils, which can be combinations of essential oils and chemicals or just plain chemicals, as being suitable for aromatherapy. This is a tipoff that the vendor knows little about aromatherapy. Beginners need to watch out for retailers/suppliers who inaccurately use the term aromatherapy for their own sales gain. 

2. The term “pure essential oil” is also a term overused in the aromatherapy industry. The term can clue you in that at least the retailer/supplier is aware of the importance of seeking out pure oils, but don't rely solely on a vendor's use of the term "pure" when deciding to purchase. “Pure” essential oils can be distilled from poor quality crops. They also can be sitting in someone’s inventory/sitting on a store’s shelf for years or stored in a way that damages the oils. Mishandeling by vendors can also occur where oils are accidentally mixed during bottling. So don't get overly impressed by a vendor that labels their oils as "pure.” 

3. Organic essential oils can provide some superiority, but note that many growers and distillers that are smaller cannot afford the “organic” certification. Their oils may never-the-less be naturally organic. 

INFORMATION PROVIDED

4. Seek out vendors that provide detailed information about their oils and that give you confidence in their knowledge and background. Pay attention to the educational background that they provide and their length of time in business. 
5. If you are comparing online vendors, send e-mail to them asking questions that you have. If you don't have any, think of something to ask so that you have a reason to write them. Find out how helpful and knowledgeable they seem. 

6. Buy oils from retailers/suppliers that provide the essential oil's botanical (Latin name), country of origin or method of extraction either on the bottle or online. The country of origin for oils is important because the climate and soil conditions can affect the resulting properties of the oil. Is that rose oil steam distilled or is it an absolute? Any good aromatherapy vendor should realize the necessity for providing this information. 

7. Several corporations sell essential oils via MLM and distributor arrangements. Essential oils offer many impressive benefits, however, if the claims you hear are ‘too good to be true’ or if they sound like they could be dangerous please be prudent and be aware. Essential oils can do incredible things, and they are quite potent. When in doubt do your own independent homework using multiple sources, and confirm usage and safety information. Educate yourself about the FDA guidelines for essential oils and aromatherapy products. For more information, read FDA Regulation of Aromatherapy Products. 

PRICING

8. Watch out for vendors that sell each of their "essential oils" for the same price. This doesn't guarantee that the oils are not pure or of good quality, but it really does scream of concern. Generally speaking, Neroli, Jasmine and Rose, for instance, should cost a lot more than Geranium and Ylang Ylang and anyone reputable in selling essential oils should realize that and should be aware that selling all oils for the same price is a red flag to knowledgeable consumers. A good quality Patchouli usually costs more than Eucalyptus. The basic, common citrus oils including Sweet Orange oils are some of the least expensive oils. 
9. Most of us need to watch how much we spend. It’s very tempting to buy essential oils from the companies that sell them for the lowest price. Price alone isn't an indication of quality, but it can be. Knowledgeable vendors that spend countless hours locating quality oils, pay the expensive fees to test their and provide the results to customers and provide free samples upon request should rightfully be charging more for their oils than retailers that stock oils that they've sourced from the cheapest sources. 

PHYSICAL

10. Be cautious about purchasing oils from traveling vendors that set up shop at street fairs, farmer's markets, craft shows, festivals or other limited-time events. Some traveling vendors at these events may know their customers have no recourse against them after the event is over. We want to be very careful here as there indeed are highly reputable, experienced sellers at such events, and some vendors do have a well respected, strong, local and permanent presence in the area of the show/festival. When considering a purchase, ask the vendor for details about their experience and where their business is physically located. Ethical and experienced vendors are generally happy to answer detailed questions about their products/oils and tend to fully respect the importance of qualifying questions. They ought to be more than happy to share their background with you. 

This is an excerpt from Healing Oil Collective. This virtual course has extensive, comprehensive and in depth information on essential oils. Available at https://www.tiffanycarole.com/healing-oil-collective.html