Where to Buy the Best Essential Oils

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I used to think that essential oils were a scam, but I ended up finding out that they are a great resource for your natural medicine cabinet for issues such as headaches, ear infections, tummy aches, viruses and bacterial infections, and more. But I eventually felt I needed to figure out where to buy essential oils that I could trust and that I could reasonably afford.

I spent a ton of time calling companies, asking questions, sampling oils.  Literally, it was a ton.  And it was very exhausting.

I’ve learned a lot with all the time I’ve spent researching oils companies and I’ve covered a lot of what I learned here in this essential oils series, some of which I wrote while I was still trying to figure out which company I was going to be using and recommending.

Where to Buy Essential Oils you can trust
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Previous Posts In the Series:

In this post, I’ll talk about the company that I decided to purchase our oils from.

It’s also the one that I recommend to you as having the best essential oils for the money, with natural healing qualities and no additives or adulterating.

Confused about essential oils? What this blogger found out will surprise you. She tried to find out which essential oils company is best and found out some VERY interesting things about oils and the companies that sell them, including Young Living and doTERRA.

How I Chose Where to Buy Essential Oils for My Family

This all started with my not being happy with the way questions were (or were not) answered by the “Big Guys” on the block.  So I started contacting a bunch of companies and interviewing them about their oils.

If you remember, when I started trying to figure out where to buy essential oils, I mentioned the following about Native American Nutritionals (now Rocky Mountain Oils) in Part One of the series.

“Looks like they carry good products, but they are a bit expensive.  Their prices, for a number of oils, in fact, are almost identical to the MLMs in this group, Young Living and DoTerra.  And I don’t see any difference on the surface in the quality department.”

In this post, you can see that I ended up recommending them, but this was really a surprise for me. After thinking that I was writing them off, I got a call back from the owner of Native American Nutritionals, and I talked with the owner for a few hours (at first….that turned into many hours in the upcoming month) and found that he really “knew his stuff.”

I also found out that there were a lot of differences between his company and many others in the industry. I asked him tons of questions during our first conversation, and then more and more over the course of the next 10 months, while I investigated other companies as well.  (Wow–it’s been that long since I started writing this series…..)

I was intrigued by what he had to say about his company and the oils industry in general.

We had countless conversations from March 2012 – January 2013, during which I literally grilled him about his company and others to figure out which company I wanted to recommend–and if his, was in fact, good enough for my family–and for all of you.

I now can say that I feel very comfortable recommending this company to you and am now using their oils almost exclusively (I have a few bottles of other brands left over :)).

I hope you check them out and I’d love to hear about your experience.

(Disclaimer.  I did not choose this company because I was able to become an affiliate for them, but I am one. I decided to work with them and then we made an partnership agreement. I was the first affiliate for the company.)

Where to Buy Essential Oils You Can Trust–
Rocky Mountain Oils Review

Please note – since this series was written, Rocky Mountain Oils has purchased Native American Nutritionals. Native American Nutritionals was the original company, but the two companies had a partnership. Then Rocky Mountain Oils (RMO) purchased NAN and now RMO is a new company.  I am even more confident in the quality of oils now that this all has taken place.

Before we get on with the details about the company, you can Rocky Mountain Oils and see all that they have to offer.

1.  Experience

The owner of Native American Nutritionals (which later merged with Rocky Mountain Oils), Paul Dean, was in the oils industry since 1997, being first introduced to essential oils about 30 years ago.  He started his first full-time essential oils business in 1998.

Rocky Mountain Oils was founded in 2004 by two essential oil enthusiasts, Michael and Leah Vincent. With years of experience in essential oils, the acquisition of Native American Nutritionals, and 14 years of company growth, RMO has become one of the leading direct-to-consumer essential oil companies in the world.

2.  Purity

Quality Oilsall oils have been third party GC/MS tested.

Certificates are available upon request by easily entering in the batch number from any bottle.

Almost all of the oils come from plants grown in remote locations where no pesticides, herbicides, or harmful chemicals are used and only natural fertilizers are used.

3.  Indigenous Plants

All oils come from plants grown in their indigenous locations (where they grow naturally).

4.  Oils from Small Farms

Almost all oils from NAN were sourced directly from small farms (many are from third-world countries).  Mr. Dean contracted with locals in the countries from where he sourced the oils, finds a quality farm, sets up a distiller, and extracts the oils.  The oils are then sent to Native American, then sent for testing, and bottled.  The only oils at NAN that are not from small farms are mainly the organic citrus oils.

Since Rocky Mountain Oils purchased Native American Nutritionals, some of the sourcing has changed as the company has put a high priority on the purity and quality of the oils sold. They source from small farms and also from leading experts in the industry.

5.  No Solvents

They use no solvents for distillation except when necessary, as in the case of absolutes like vanilla and jasmine (since the cost of those essential oils is otherwise prohibitive.)  Update 2015: they now sell a vanilla extracted with CO2.

6.  Affordable Pricing

They have affordable prices (not as expensive as the multi-level marketing companies, but not “too good to be true” either.)

7.  Quality Pure Oils

I have a lot of standards for quality and making sure that you are purchasing quality oils. See this post on pure essential oils for that information.

In addition, I prefer buying organic whenever I can, and that includes essential oils. Recently (Nov 2017), Rocky Mountain Oils has included an organic line of oils in their lineup and should be expanding it soon.

8.  Transparency

Details for oils are listed clearly on their site (including the Latin name and country of origin).

The company is working on how to indicate the growing method now that they sometimes have a variety of sources for some oils.

9.  Reasonable Shipping Costs

I found the shipping costs with YL and doTERRA to be a little on the steep side.  I was told several times by customer service reps of one of the companies that it was due to businesses being charged more than residential customers.

That didn’t make sense to me – business rates being more expensive than residential when they have that kind of bulk shipping going on? So I called UPS and FedEx and was assured that this is not the case.  So I don’t know why their shipping is so high.  Maybe they are pocketing the extra?  

Rocky Mountain Oils offers Free Shipping domestically in the U.S. and reasonable shipping internationally, with free shipping over $199.

10.  Common Sense Approach

The companies recommend using caution with the oils — but also make practical recommendations so that you can confidently use the oils in your every day life.

11.  No Adulterating

Oils are not heated, mixed with anything else, or adulterated in any way.

Unless declared on the label, the oils are pure.

No Minimum Purchase

One other reason that I don’t want to buy from an MLM essential oils company is that when you do, you often end up buying way more than you need to.

For example, with doTERRA and Young Living, in order to get the best discounts on their oils as a rep, you need to order monthly over $100 of products (to get free products that essentially reduce your costs).  Do that every month and you end up with way too many oils).

A lot of multi-level marketing oils reps end up ordering other things from the company like personal care products in order to get to that “minimum.”  And I am not thrilled with the ingredients in many of the other products offered.

Undesirable Ingredients in Other Products from Essential Oils Companies

When I was trying to decide where to buy essential oils, I looked at other things besides just oils.

With doTERRA and Young Living, for example:

– DoTERRA’s On Guard toothpaste contains titanium dioxide, a metal that I initially thought that I should avoid due to the possibility of heavy metal toxicity. Now I’m not worried about it for that reason, but it simply because it isn’t necessary.  It’s there just for color.  Overall it is supposed to be pretty benign, but why introduce it to your body unless needed?

The company also has carrageenan (which, depending on the form, is known to cause inflammation) in their capsules and PEG 100 in their Deep Blue Cream.

{Update 2018 – I have been doing some additional research into carrageenan and am not sure where to come down on this. There are two types and it’s possible that the negative effects being discussed are not of concern. I hope to have an update to this in the near future.}

Both companies’ skin care products had ingredients rated 3 and above on EWG’s Skin Deep rating system. I prefer to stick with ingredients rated 2, at the highest. Depending on what you are looking for, that may or may not be acceptable to you. Of course, it depends on their performance too. I don’t think all of EWG’s ratings are flawless, but I do pay attention when I see higher ratings there.

There was, in fact, one essential oils company whose oils I thought looked to be very high quality, but their personal care items were loaded with lots of toxic chemicals.

Also note, if you are used to Young Living or doTERRA oils, Rocky Mountain Oils carries oil blends that are comparable to Young Living and doTERRA blends.

There are other good companies out there.  However, I think that there are fewer “excellent” companies than I originally thought when I started all of this evaluation.

What About Other Companies?

I often receive inquiries asking me what I think about other essential oils companies.

Please read this post on Essential Oils Testing and Quality and this report on 10 Things You Need to Know About Essential Oils to see if a brand measures up.

There are more and more companies out there on a daily basis. It truly seems that every day there is a new company selling essential oils and many are making claims that they are the “only pure oils out there” – which is not true.  My standards are high. I don’t just want a company that says they are pure–when deciding where to buy essential oils, I want to make SURE I’m getting purity. And more.

This post on Pure Essential Oil Testing should be of help too for evaluating any company that you wish to consider.

Free Essential Oils Report

Also, if you go and grab my Free Report on 10 Things to Know About Essential Oils Before You Buy, you will not only get more myth-busting essential oils information, but you’ll get access to my VIP newsletter as well–complete with updates, great healthy living offers, of course new posts on essential oils, and more.

10 things you need to know about essential oils report in ipad

What are your thoughts?
Please let me know in the comments.

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6,975 Comments

  1. Hi there Adrienne, im very new to this eo world. Started to do some research and found your blog. What a nice series on which company has the best essential oils. I would like to ask you, my friend had suggested to ingest a drop of each eo (grapefruit, lemon and peppermint), put in a capsule in order to loose weight. In fact, she did loose some weight over the few months. Would like to know your opinion on this. By the way, she’s using eo from YL… Thanks so much, hope to hear from you soon.

    1. Hello there. Welcome to my site – glad to have you here! There is more to come – doing loads of research here. I don’t see how that would cause anyone to lose weight and I do have concerns about the internal use of oils. This is the official stance of the company that I recommend.

      We recommend you consult with a professional before ingesting any essential oils. Consult a Medical Doctor, Naturopath, or clinically trained Aromatherapist who knows you and is aware of your medical history, as well as any medications you are on. With this information, the professional can tailor a regimen that works for your body.

      I personally would rather see someone do a sensible eating plan and a good exercise program for losing weight rather than trying something like EOs. I personally tried one of the big brand “lose weight essential oils blends” and it did nothing for me except lighten my wallet. Hope that helps.

      1. Thanks for the reply!

        As i look through over the internet about essential oils, i have found a site called aromahead.com that offers an online class for those who want to become a registered aromatherapist. From the site itself (important links) they put a link to shop an essential oils called Aromatics International (https://www.aromatics.com)

        Do you know the site or this brand? Have you ever tried their eo? Since their site was suggested by the aromatheraphy school (which by the way, recognised by NAHA and AIA), do you think they have the best essentiol oils?

        Thanks Adrienne

        1. Hi Azlean. I am talking to other companies and they are on my list – I sent them an email and called but haven’t heard back yet. I have been in touch w/ a number of companies recently – one of them that has been asked about frequently in the comments area told me that they just did testing on some of their oils and that they found synthetics in some of their oils, including in some of their certified organic oils. So it is imperative to really do your homework to make sure you are getting pure oils. Additionally, in my opinion, you want a company that batch tests their oils to make sure that a supplier, no matter how trusted, is giving you what they say they are giving you. Additionally, even when there are GC/MS tests on a site, you have to make sure that they are in a form that is not easily alterable and has a chemist’s signature on it. So much to think about!

        2. I was also returning to these posts to suggest looking at this company. I emailed you a couple weeks ago asking why you favor RMO over Mountain Rose Herbs (since MRH oils are certified organic). (Just thought I should provide and context.) I, too, just stumbled upon this company through the Aromahead Inst. Aromatics seems to be very knowledgable and responsible suppliers. They even show pics of all the plants. They do testing and source only chemical-free (if not certified organic) oils. I’m definitely going to try these out.

          1. Hello Karen.

            I am talking to other companies now since RMO is prioritizing purity over organic. Of course purity is key but many of my readers want organic / sustainable so I am looking for alternatives. However, just over the past week or 2 I got an email from Mountain Rose Herbs. They either hadn’t been testing their oils at all or were only testing a few – but they started testing and found some oils had synthetics even though they had trusted their suppliers. And some of the oils were certified organic. So I am not a fan of a company that doesn’t batch test their oils. I know that MRH is a very good company and I love their ethics but this is my preference.

            I hope that helps. I will have more information on other companies I hope soon but in the meantime this company has many organic options and they are all sustainable: https://wholenewmom.com/neals-yard-remedies-nyr-organic/ and the company’s ethics are fabulous.

  2. Thank you for your series on how you choose the best EO. I did order RMO and I’m pretty happy with it. QUESTION: I’ve heard adding lemon EO in your water is good for you and a gentle daily detox. Would you agree? RMO does not advise internal digestion of EO, which I think might be a legal issue. Would love to hear your thoughts.

    1. Hi Laurie – thanks for commenting and you are welcome. More to come hopefully soon.

      It’s probably partially legal and partially care for the consumer. I have big concerns about how the EOs can affect the microbiome.

      So I personally don’t do that and just use fresh squeezed lemon juice instead. 1 drop of lemon EO is about 20 lemons or 1 pound, depending on what you read. I’m just not sure about the safety of it. There are people who say internal is really dangerous for your microbiome and others who don’t. So it’s a muddle for sure.

    2. Additionally, water and oil do not mix so you would likely get essential oils in your mucous membranes which could cause irritation and burns. So I would not recommend it. The only way to disperse it would be by emulsifying it first.

  3. Thanks so much for sticking to it and finishing this series. Looking forward to reading more. I had recently purchased from RMO and was still doing more research before I began to use them for my children. I would like to add that some of RMO oils are not organically sources — three according to their own information. The following is from an email directly from their customer service. I just wonder now whom I should source peppermint from, as its an oil I really really want organically sourced since I need to use it for myself quite a bit.)
    The following text is from an email I received from RMO customer service on 9/6/2016 – “Thank you for contacting us! All of our oils are 100% pure. However, we do not pay for the organic certification because in many instances, we could not find an organically sourced oil that met our standards. We have three oils that are conventionally grown, name Red Mandarin, Tangerine and Peppermint. For example, many Peppermint fields in the U.S. grew with a natural fungus, altering the scent of the plant and its properties. For that reason, a fungicide is used to treat the Peppermint and then removed during distillation. To show that all of our oils are pure, with no added chemicals, we provide the GC/MS test results on our website.”

    1. Hi there and thanks for the encouragement! Yes, I have added that information to the post as RMO has changed that. As such I am also recommending Neal’s Yard Remedies as they have some good organic options and I am looking elsewhere as I know many of my readers really want to have access to reputable organic essential oils. I should add, however, that a well respected company selling essential oils just emailed me this week. They hadn’t apparently been doing GC/MS testing on their oils but started. They said that they trusted their suppliers, but turns out that they found that some of their oils had synthetics in them. Not good. And some of them were certified organic oils.

      So I am doing more homework to find good options for you all. Thanks again! Stay tuned!

  4. Thank you. I’m just starting in the Essential Oil world and did not know where to begin. You have taught me so much. I feel both confident and excited.

  5. hi whole new mom! thank you for all your diligent research and exhaustive comparison. it TRULY is appreciated, as i was going to go with one of the companies that did not win your “best” pick. are both RMO and NYR brand oils able to be ingested internally? thanks so much in advance for your reply. katie

    1. Hello Katie!

      You are so welcome and thanks for writing!

      The issue w/ ingesting is about purity and both of the companies have pure oils and do testing to assure that. I should say that I just heard from a company that wasn’t doing consistent testing and they are now doing it and found synthetics in some of their certified organic oils. Not good.

      I do think caution is to be advised. This is the official statement of RMO on internal use:

      We recommend you consult with a professional before ingesting any essential oils. Consult a Medical Doctor, Naturopath, or clinically trained Aromatherapist who knows you and is aware of your medical history, as well as any medications you are on. With this information, the professional can tailor a regimen that works for your body.

      You can see NYR’s philosophy on this page. https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/wholenewmom/area/essential-oils/

      I hope that helps. Let me know if you have further questions.

      1. thanks adrienne!! i had NEVER ingested an organic essential oil before, but after watching several doterra vids, was considering doing so if i ordered from them. after reading ALL of your pages about your research comparing oil companies, i did decide to go with rmo and/or neal’s (haven’t looked at the neal site yet). that being said, however- will continue to just use topically. thanks so much for responding so quickly, but as i said before, mostly for all your exhaustive work. i am extremely appreciative. katie 🙂 p.s. sam is my horse’s name in case you wondered about my mail name. lol

        1. You are so welcome. I would not do it. I used to but stopped after thinking about the possible damage to the microbiome. It’s just not worth it unless you have some kind of acute condition and it’s a last resort and you are under someone’s care as mentioned in my earlier comment.

          I’m more than happy to help regardless of which direction you go. The NYR site doesn’t have as many oils, but they are all sourced sustainably. In fact they didn’t even have Sandalwood in the UK until recently b/c they couldn’t source it sustainably. They are planning to bring all of their oils to the US but it will take time.

          You can see a video of their Frankincense harvest here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXFpVYNRtJk

          Both companies have great oils. The pricing varies so you could look at that, of course. I have my favorites with both. I will point out that the Frankincense at NYR is very attractively priced.

          Love the horse email :). My husband is very very allergic but I love them!

  6. Is there a book to learn about essential oils and uses that you recommend? I was given YL EOPR book and throwing in the trash .Thank you!

    1. Hello Jen,

      Sorry for the delay in responding. I have a bunch of books that I like. It really depends on what you are looking for.

      The book at the end of this post is one of my all time favorites. There aren’t as many oils covered as in some books, but the information and style are very appealing and it’s just overall a very holistically focused book with very balanced information. https://wholenewmom.com/what-to-buy/best-essential-oils-company-young-living-review-doterra-review/ (of course, I might change what is offered at the bottom of a post, but for now, it’s this book: https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/wholenewmom/area/shop-online/category/books/product/7861/essential-oil-book/

      If you are looking for more technical info but also good for the common person, then this book: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/best-essential-oils-company-best-essential-oils/ (at the bottom).

      The one at the bottom of this post is good as well, but some of the info is outdated. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/are-essential-oils-a-scam-a-skeptical-look-at-thieves-oil/

      Let me know if that isn’t enough info and I can see what I can do – thanks!

      I do plan to write a post about this so thanks for the reminder!

  7. Wow! Thanks for the 7 part EO article. I loved that you needed something for your family and you looked into the places to get them and you made a decision for what was best for YOUR family. We can only do the best with what we can get, find, look for…. Then make a decision that best suits us. I have heard of the other companies, but NAN/RM I hadn’t. I will look into them, and make a decision for my family. Sometimes I think people place too much trust, for their own reasons, in one company. I think this leaves you a bit closed mined. I prefer to find a good company for most of the items, for the price, but willing to buy other things from other companies. Sometimes other companies just do some thing’s better that the one we like the best. Guess that is why I’m not a brand name follower! If it works, of the best quality, and safe for my family, I’m good!! Always looking for the BEST product, for the best price. You keep your great work up, YOUR FAMILY is what matters most!

  8. I have read and re-read your series. Powerful stuff. We use YLEO in our house -but to be honest, the MLM structure has always bothered me. And I love my friends who use it, and we’ve had some success with oils, but I am not 100% sure what is in the brown bottles. Additives, chemicals…some of the YL oils odor is really off putting. I am going to try RMO – and see if we like them better. I am so grateful for your series.

  9. I can’t tell you how very helpful your series was to me and thank you for doing it! I am brand new to essential oils and found it while doing a search for information. One person placed an order for me and I wasn’t sure if this is the only company (as I was told) or if there were other options. You have outlined them beautifully and explained so much. Your testing of different brands is appreciated and I cannot imagine the hours it took to do this! So sorry people have been blatantly rude and nasty on line too.

    1. Hi Nancy! Thanks for writing and for your kind words. If you meant if this was the only company that I recommend, I started out w/ Young Living and then went w/ doTERRA (as you can see in the posts) but went with Native American Nutritionals and they were bought by Rocky Mountain Oils. For a long time I have only recommended this company and I still do, however I am working with Neal’s Yard Remedies now (I joined them for their skincare but they have lovely, sustainable, and many organic oils and blends) as well. I am currently looking at other companies to see if I can offer other options as well. I hope to see you around again – more to come!

  10. Hi Adrienne,
    I’ve been using NAN/RMO ever since reading your series and I love them! I’m now interested in NYR after looking at their site and was wondering if you could recommend a good product to get started with.
    Cheers!

    1. Hello Melinda,

      Thanks for the kind words! Happy to help with NYR products. What exactly are you interested in? You can feel free to ask here or email me at wholenewmom {at} gmail {dot} com.

  11. So glad I found your posts. I am still learning about EO’ .so. I also am a YL distributer and like you started questioning how do I know these are the fight oils for me. Thank you, like you, I was starting to research oils and EO companies myself. Daunting project so say the least. Your posts are super helpful and for me very timely.

  12. A friend just told me about Wisdom of the Earth EO’s. I looked them up online and also noticed a high end yoga and massage shop selling them in my town locally. Do you know anything about them? I have way too many Do Terra oils and have not found them to truly work for me or my family. Thank you for your time.

    1. I have tried to look into them but haven’t been able to find out much information. Sorry. I’m looking at other companies but it’s taking a long time….hope to have more to share in the not so distant future.

  13. I loved following this / these article(s) so incredibly much. Do you have a review on the nutrition companies out there? Herbalife, Advocare, Isogenix, Isotonix, Nutrametrix and the like?! I did my own investigating but would LOVE to hear what you have. You’re so thorough (and sound like you have a bit more time on your hands to do so than myself). Again, I LOVED this series of articles!!! You Rock!
    Amy J

    1. Thank you! I haven’t but I have done some digging into some of them. Isagenix a bit. And a few others. Is there one you were really thinking about? So far I’m not thrilled w/ any of them. I did join Juice Plus, but I did it for their Tower Garden and the capsules – not for their shakes or bars. I’m on the fence about soy, even non GMO. I get concerned about a lot of those companies b/c often they have at least 1 ingredient that I am not comfortable with, so I can’t use it. And then it’s pretty hard to recommend it to others. Does that help?

  14. Hi, I am wondering if you have ever put a drop or two of Rocky Mountain oils in a glass of water and drank it when you felt like you were getting sick? Do you think it would be safe to do that? I have done it with young living theives oil. I would like to try Rocky Mountains immune strength and do the same. Thanks Beth

    1. Hello Beth. I don’t recommend the internal use of oils without being under the advising of a professional. This is the official statement from the company:

      We recommend you consult with a professional before ingesting any essential oils. Consult a Medical Doctor, Naturopath, or clinically trained Aromatherapist who knows you and is aware of your medical history, as well as any medications you are on. With this information, the professional can tailor a regimen that works for your body.

      Yes, I have done it, but I don’t recommend it to others. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy the oils should you try them.

  15. This article would have been so much more credible and legit if the author had not, even AFTER her extensive research, signed up to be an affiliate. It’s another turn-off from the whole MLM scheme and diminishes her credibility. When I started out reading this series being so willing to accept the results of her daunting research. Thank’s but no thanks…would’ve been great, but the dollar intervened.

    1. Hello Tracey.

      Can you tell me how that would be more legit? All bloggers sign up to be affiliates of whatever company they recommend. It’s the main way to make income as a blogger. When you shop at Amazon or almost anything through a blog’s links the blogger is making income. I’m not clear what you mean by it’s a turn off from the whole MLM scheme. The company that I chose is not a Direct Sales company. Could you explain please?

      I don’t know if you read it, but the company that I went with didn’t even have an affiliate program when I chose them. I asked if they could put one together and they did.

      I hope that clarifies.

  16. I want to thank you for all the research you’ve done! I was w/ YL back in the early years and then left the essential oil world until this week. Didn’t know where to start w/ all the new companies, so I’m grateful you’ve done a lot of the research for me. I’ll check out Rocky Mtn. and try to order through the link on your site.

    I’m sorry you’ve received so much flak after spending so much time and $$ to try to help the rest of us. All the best

    1. Thank you so much for the encouragement, Joolz. I will be writing more in the future….doing more work on this. Thanks again!

  17. Wow! I am blown away at all the research, time, and hard work you put into the look into essential oils. i’m glad somebody has. I am just like you (well, maybe not as extreme since I didn’t go as far as to looking into it as deep as you did ;)) as far as being a skeptic. I never believe anything unless I’ve seen the results myself to which I make myself and my husband the guinea pig lol and if deemed safe my 3 kids. I ended up using DoTerra’s essential oils bc my friend sells them and I was dying of the flu and used them bc I would try anything for relief at that moment and thought it would be the perfect time to get results if they really worked like my friend said. I was surprised that the oils worked since I thought it was silly that a little bit of oil could “make a person better” in my eyes it was like saying, “hey these fairies gave me some pixie dust to dab on you and take care of all your problems… it’s magical”. Anyway, after it worked and I tested it out on some other self experiments I decided to distribute DoTerra essential oils but I’ve never had any other oils to compare them to until now. I’d like to say that I completely understand that your blog isn’t saying that DoTerra or other oils don’t work but are merely pointing out the “best” most “reputable” company that YOU have personally found and I really respect that bc you did so in such a way as to not bash on any company. I say all this leading up to my point and later a question but I only like to recommend to people the best products and especially ones that are what the company claims them to be. I’m disappointed in the company to be honest but it seems typical of a large corporation. It seems like really info gets lost or like telephone changes after it’s been passed down from person to person. I am curious though, you had mentioned that DoTerra and Dr. Pappas work together? Do you have solid evidence of this? I ask bc I was told that he is an unbiased party =/ I was just starting to get my business going but am now reconsidering it for a couple reasons; they are a little expensive but I thought I was getting the best which was why I was willing to pay for it, and bc I probably will start testing the brand you have found to be the most reputable. I really hope to hear from you so I can get to the bottom of things, I hate when things are unresolved in my mind =)

    1. Hello Lisa and welcome!

      I’m totally with you on how I thought the oils were a joke. I am not saying that doTERRA or other oils don’t work. However I would like to make the distinction that something working doesn’t mean that it is pure. I’m not saying that doTERRA’s oils aren’t pure but I am saying that there are some impure oils out there.

      Pappas does (or at least did) testing for doTERRA. He tests for other companies as well. He has also spoken at their convention(s??) and you can find videos of that online. He also used to own The Perfumery, which my understanding is that it sold oil and synthetic fragrances.

      Are you hoping to sell oils? Happy to answer more questions.

  18. WOW WOW WOW! From one mom to another thank you! Im falling on this series years after you went down this exciting (& then painful) rabbit hole…I just listened to Pappas on the “EO Revolution” Summit. Fascinating stuff, but wow this blows him out of the water (all the immature nonsense he was saying to you.. & Im left wondering if he ever apologized. I mean WOW). None of these “experts” are willing to outright support or state which brands are truly superior… they say there is no “#1 Brand” & we’ll give you the steps you should take to research which brands are right for your family (honestly, how many people can do what you did with phone calls and internet searches, etc?!)….I’m not looking for the easy way out but a little direct guidance is nice with the amount of knowledge these people have, right!?! …but yet when I click into links of things people like Pappas were hyping like “Aquamarine Frankincense” he was far to eager to state his biggest client was the largest EO company in the world. Your series has really helped me form my direction for what essential oils I’m going to purchase moving forward….and from someone that isn’t an “expert” persay, but someone who has enough smarts to do her research and ballsy enough to actually say it allowed despite the pitfalls and attacks. Bravo & thank you.

    1. Hello there and welcome. Thanks for the kind words. No, I never got an apology from Pappas. He is a very smart man but I wish he had been more polite in his interaction with me. That Aquamarine Frankincense is interesting but looks like it’s not something any of us can buy. I am still working on my series and updating things so I’m not done yet. More to come on distillation (you most likely saw some updates there) and organic vs non organic, emulsifying, GC/MS testing, and more. I hope to see you around again.

  19. What did you not like about young living oils?
    I aknow because I just started as a distributor in yl and would like to know the cons about yl! Thank you!

    1. Hello there. I talked about most of the reasons that I left Young Living in my series. Did you happen to read it? thanks.

  20. Firstly, I would like to thank you for a really informative blog. This is partly for selfish reasons, you have done what I was going to do and investigate EO companies, so you have saved me a lot of time.
    Secondly, a bit about me, I have been using herbal medicine and EO for over 20 years, but I don’t lump all alternative medicine together. I have had no medical training and I’m not a scientist. But I am an extremely well educated person with an inquiring mind and I need to know the science behind everything I use. I also will continue to use what works for me, my family and my pets. I learnt about EOs the old fashioned way, I went to libraries and read books from cover to cover, I went to herbalists to find out about herbs, I attended local courses, I brought books, I asked lots of questions in shops. I still prefer this way to confirm what I read on the internet as often the information there is so full of inaccuracies.
    Until 2 years ago I lived in England, now living in USA. Recently I got to know a neighbour here in USA and she is a Young Living distributor. I listened to what she was telling me about the oils and went along to a meeting with fellow YL reps and listened to what they had to say and their recommendations for the oils and I was appalled. These people certainly aren’t EO experts.
    The first warning bell was when one of them said, as you can eat peppermint leaves, there is no difference with the oils, so you can put the oil in a drink. This showed me how they had no idea about how much stronger EOs are compared with the plant leaves. They also were liberal with putting drops of oils on their skin. The only oil I would put on my skin undiluted in an emergency is Lavender oil, but I know some people can tolerate some other oils undiluted. But I also know there are oils that should never be used undiluted. This has made me wonder about YL claims about their EO being 100% pure and undiluted.
    Another claim made that day was the one so many people uneducated in alternative medicine claim, that because the EO is natural, it can do no harm. This is so wrong, tell that to Socrates when he was executed with Hemlock, tell that to a child who has just eaten nightshade berries, tell that to people who have walked through poison ivy. Just because it is natural, doesn’t mean it’s safe. I only use oils for me and my family. I am not a doctor, I have no medical training. But, because I have taken the time to learn about EO, I know certain oils can’t be used on pregnant women, babies and the elderly. I know some oils interact with some medication. I know some oils will cause a rash if used undiluted. You can’t just throw these oils on your skin and in your drink and expect, because they are natural, that they won’t cause harm. No warnings were mentioned during this meeting.
    So, from that meeting and also what I read about Young Living’s founder, I will not touch their oils. And, from the abuse you are getting from an associate of doTERRA, I won’t buy from them either. But I will look into the companies you recommend and I am glad to see you use NYR, I love that shop, used to visit it in London whenever I could. Another recommendation, and I am not affiliated with them at all, is the Tisserand Institute. They are very knowledgeable and their web site is so interesting to browse through.

    1. Hello Pippa! So nice to have you here and thanks for commenting. NYR is amazing, aren’t they? I so hope to get to see their store and more someday!!!

      I will look at Tisserand. I know he is very knowledgeable. Oh so I did just go there. What do you think about the use of some of the synthetics in his products…like phenoxyethanol? And a few others. NYR uses some synthetics but I know they dumped phenoxyethanol a long time ago.

      1. Hi Adrienne

        Thank you so much for your reply.

        So my view on synthetics is that I would always prefer to get a product that is undiluted and as natural as possible. But if a company uses synthetics, they should tell us. That way, the consumer has the facts and can make an informed decision. I would also like the supplier to say why they decided to use synthetics in their oils. On a subject that is off topic, but proves the point, I have been most disappointed to find that USA doesn’t demand GMO products are labelled as such. Again, it denies the consumer the ability to make an informed decision and the same should be available for EO products.

        That said, I really mentioned Tisserand because I have found the Institute a wealth of knowledge, rather than suggesting buying oils from them. There is so much on the internet and in books that is based on just a little knowledge, and yet from that little knowledge they act like they are an expert. That is why I liked this series of yours, you are trying to investigate and use your educated mind to find out as much as you can, and you have been truthful about your knowledge and expertise. Very refreshing!!

        1. Hello Pippa. You are welcome.

          As for synthetics, I meant in the personal care products, not in the essential oils. Not sure if that was clear or not. Of course no company should be putting synthetics in oils (or in anything else, for that matter) without disclosing it. Yes, I totally agree with you about GMO labeling. More and more I get my food in bulk and don’t buy anything w/ a label on it. And we grow more of our own food. I hope to increase that as time goes on.

          I think Tisserand is a wealth of information. Thanks for the kind words and hope to see you around again!

          1. Yes, I did realise you meant products, rather than essential oils, I just probably wasn’t that clear with my reply!. My opinion on synthetics is I can understand if a company uses them because the natural version is too expensive, or unstable, but we should be told that and then we can decide what to do and if we are happy to buy those products. It’s a pity that finding out information is so often very hard to do.