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. I have an Oils question. If you could purchase one reference on using oils, what would it be? I was looking at a number of them and just can’t decide

    1. That is a very good question. So far I haven’t found “one book” that has everything. There are books at the bottom of almost all of the posts in this series and at the bottom of some of my other oils posts. Search “essential oils” in the search bar. I will try to do a post soon.

  2. Hi Adrienne, This is actually the first time I’ve ever heard of you (I’m not into blogs, generally, especially essential oil blogs by non-aromatherapists) BUT I really enjoyed reading yours (specifically Part 6 of this series, as it’s the only other one I read:), and I’m impressed with you knowledge base and understanding of essential oils (because most essential oil bloggers are lacking in those respects… lacking like a baker writing an architecture blog… I haven’t checked out Rocky Mountain Oils (yet) as I am very satisfied with my go-to company, Plant Therapy~ however, I just had to say, THANK YOU for doing all that writing on your research. I can imagine how extensive it must have been~ and how irritating to deal with all that flak from certain MLM folks. Kudos to you for being a professional even when they weren’t, and as well for speaking the truth on this forum, despite the backlash you certainly knew would come. I enjoyed it so much, that I’m going to make a point of following your blog (I enjoyed your humor), and for those occasions when Plant Therapy doesn’t happen to have a rare/exotic oil (or any oil for whatever reason) I will definitely look for it at Rocky Mountain Oils.

  3. Thank you for doing so much research on this! It’s complicated for sure. Do you know which EO companies have oils safe for internal use? Thanks!

    1. Hi there. You are very welcome. It is confusing! As for internal use, I can’t recommend that unless you are under the care of a medical professional. Here is the statement from the companies 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.

      As for whether or not they are pure enough to ingest, the companies that I recommend are. I will be sharing more about their purity in the near future.

      1. I am an informed proud user and promoter of Young Living Essential Oils and products . I am a registered nurse, mother and grandmother and I trust only one company and that is Young Living. They are the only company with a Seed to Seal Quality Commitment. If you plan on using essential oils to support your health, you should not choose them based on price. Young Living welcomes you to visit the farms where the oils are distilled and encourages participation in the process. The general public needs to know that terms like “pure”, all natural”, “organic”, and the like are not regulated. Companies use the wording for marketing purposes!!

          1. I love that you are educating people about the dangers of synthetic fragrances. A couple of apps that you can download free are SkinDeep and ThinkDirty/ShopClean. They are from an environmental working group in Washington. They allow you to scan the barcodes on your household products and if it is in their files it will rate the products 0-10 based on the chemicals in the products and “fragrance” is one of the really bad things because under that one word it can have 100’s of chemicals hidden under that word.

            1. I use skin deep all the time – they aren’t always “right on” b/c of the way some products are labeled. For example, some companies have ingredients or parts of essential oils that have to be labeled in other countries and they are ranked poorly on EWG / Skin Deep as a result. I heard that is being changed possibly, but it’s a problem. But it is a good place to start! I found another company that has “fragrance / parfum” on its label and they are so far saying that that is the way that France labels it. I have to figure this out. Anyhow, we’re moving in the right direction…..

  4. I’m new to the EO world and would love to purchase a book for beginners that recommends oils for specific ailments. Would you have any recommendations? I did check your blog but couldn’t seem to find a recommendation so I apologize if it’s there.

    1. There are books at the bottom of most of the posts in this series as well as at the bottom of the other posts on my site about oils. LMK if you can’t find them.

  5. Any idea where I can find animal essential oil? It’s oil extracted from animal meat such as monkey, dog, and cat.

  6. And oh! Thank you for this series. It’s a BIG help. Kudos to your hard and great work on being a mom and as a researcher!

  7. Thank you so so much for taking the time to research and blog about this!! Placed my first order through RMO today and so pleased with the pricing, free shipping, and tons of helpful information on their site! I’m a firm believer in EO’s but finding a reputable company is difficult especially in light of all the information and misinformation out there! I especially don’t trust the MLM companies and refuse on principle to do business with them.

  8. Wow! You sure did a ton of work! I would like to say thank you so much for all of the time and effort you put into this! I look forward to ordering from Rocky Mountain Oils!
    Thank you! Margaret

  9. Hello, I am new to the world of Essential Oils as well. I knew there would be more to understand the various companies, the quality etc, and I thank you for all you’ve done. I, like you, want the purest in anything I eat or use and know that’s not the intent of many companies.We, as well, have the right to know this truth.
    you’ve done an excellent job on behalf of those of us who really do want to know! If others don’t care, there are choices for them too. 🙂
    sheila

    1. Thank you so much and welcome!! More to come on the oils. If you search “essential oils” in the search bar you will find more to keep you busy :).

  10. First, let me say I’m very sorry for the hurtful and intentionally demeaning things that have been said on your comments. I read all of the 7 oils posts today and you never represented yourself as anything other than a mom looking to make the best decision for your family. I appreciate your thoroughness in asking and explaining differences in the oils you looked at.
    Second, I am new to the idea of oils and am still pretty skeptical. I attended my first YL class this weekend simply because I am looking for something, anything to keep me well. (I’ve been sick more in the last 6 months than I have been in my life. I am adopting 3 kids and I’m guessing I’ve been so sick because the kids keep bringing home germs). I was impressed with the idea of YL Thieves and based on your posts you seemed to like it as well. Does Native American Nutrionals have something similar?

    1. Hi there. Thanks for the encouragement. The NAN / RMO blend of Immune Strength is similar. I hope you like it should you try it! They have a good money back guarantee. Hope to see you around again!

  11. Thank you for sharing that hard work. Easy for us to just read and learn.
    Q: there is a certain type of tea tree oil than can be ingested. YL and veriditas (sp) sells it. Manufacturing costs are high for a company to make and list that a certain oil can be ingested; where other oil companies say that same essential oil is contraindicated for ingesting.

    1. That is straight marketing and nothing else. Both companies sell the same Tea Tree as anyone else — Melaleuca alternafolia. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the company.

      It does not matter who is selling the oil — it does not change the properties. The constituents that make up the oil are what indicate the properties. Not the company. So no matter who you get it from, if you have a certain botanical name of an oil, it will have the same properties as the same botanical name from every other company selling that botanical name, provided that the oil is pure.

      If they really want to know and understand the properties of any given oil, the best thing to do is go to a non-affiliated source who looks at the science and is up on current research and use that to determine what an oil’s properties are. Not the marketing hype of a company who only wants your money.

      I hope that helps.

    2. I should also add that I don’t recommend ingesting oils unless under the care of a health professional.

      Here is the official statement from the companies 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.

  12. Hi,
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your research. It is so much appreciated. I read your research last December 2015 and decided to go with Rocky Mountain Oils. I ordered a ton of oils with their 10% sale and I’ve been very happy with all of them. I have two questions for you. 1. I talked with a gal, at the RMO office, last week. I found out that Paul Dean has left the two companies that merged and wants to write a book. I trust Paul Dean very much. Since he is no longer associated with the company do you still recommend RMO? Do you feel that they will continue the same high quality that Paul Dean was known for? 2. RMO says they get their Sacra Frankincense from Oman. I read the other day on Gary Young’s blog that he is the “ONLY” one that has been given an export permit to take Sacra Frankincense out of Oman. A rep for YL told my brother-in-law the other day that if a company, other than YL, says it’s Sacra Frankincense is from Oman they are not telling the truth. I called RMO and asked them and they said, “yes, we get our Sacra Frankincense” from Oman. What’s the real truth here? Could you please give me some insight on this and how to best answer my brother-in-law. I told him I would look into it and find out what I could. I would sure like some factual information on the subject besides just someone’s word on it. Thanks so much for all of your help and please know how very much you are appreciated!!!! Look forward to hearing back from you. Sincerely, Di 🙂

    1. Hi there!

      Yes, I am still confident if not moreso. They have put in more quality controls so I think the customer has more assurance of getting a pure product. I will be writing more about that. As for Oman, that is not true. I have read several posts online about people saying that the YL claim is not accurate and even doTERRA claims that they have gotten Frankincense from Oman. I think it’s a complicated topic but seems that the YL claim isn’t true. I hope that helps.

      1. Hi,
        Thank for you quick reply. Very much appreciated. I am glad you are still confident in RMO since Paul Dean left. You said you will be writing more about the quality control. Where do I access that, when you do write it, on your website? Every time I want to read this blog on the EO’S I have to go to “Bing” and type in, “Announcing the Best EO CO.” What link on your website do I go to access this blog on EO’S without going through Bing? Do you still have any contact with Dean Young? I would love to email him and ask him the question on the Sacred Frankincense. So, are you just taking the word of RMO that they are actually sourcing their Sacred Frankincense from Oman? I’m just curious, you said it was complicated. Why is it complicated to find proof that Gary Young is not telling the fact? Do you have links to any of the articles you read concerning this? I’ve searched high and low on the web and have not found any info on the subject. Seems kinda strange that no other company is calling Gary Young out on what he is saying if, in fact, it is not true. What are your thoughts on this and why Am I having such a hard time getting to the facts concerning this???? Thanks, DI 🙂

          1. Hi,
            I didn’t get a chance to get back to you yesterday. Thanks for the links. The link about the company that is getting Sacred Frankincense from Oman and selling it in New York was especially interesting. I did some more searching and I did find exactly what I was looking for on the subject of who and who is not getting their Frankincense from Oman. Also, a video by a Somalia official who had a problem with GY when he came to Somalia not too long ago. That was an eye opener. Also, I found some articles by a newspaper from Utah on GY and YL. It’s too bad that YL reps don’t look into this guys background more carefully. Totally unacceptable and alarming once I read the truth. So glad to have found RMO through your helpful articles. Looking forward to your next articles on RMO quality control. Thanks again for your help and have a great day!!! DI 🙂

            1. I’m glad you are here too! I’m working as fast as I can on things so that I don’t ditch my family! More to come.

  13. Ameo is the next generation when it comes to essential oils. They are the first clinical grade oil on the market, with transparency when it comes to the tests used to measure quality and purity. (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.) (not an affiliate website) shows the differences. The fact that science is being coupled with anecdotal evidence is exciting to me. Seeing studies on how oils impact gene expression is even more exciting. The essential oil space is becoming a health arena that is being rwcognized by the medical community. I am elated to see that, because natural is always better. I am a mom of 14, and we have not been to the doctor sick in over 18 years.

    1. Hi Dee Dee. I personally chose not to go w/ Ameo for several reasons. Thanks and I am glad you are experiencing such good health!

  14. After looking at RMO – I love their quality but their prices still seemed kind of steep (it’s not that I won’t pay for quality) and I appreciate all your research. Last year I found AnandaApothecary.com where they have the same vision and quality as the ones you mentioned (mostly wildcrafted), but I found their prices to be a bit better (I use a lot of Frankincense Boswellia Sacra and their cost was almost 45% less). I love that they really give a thorough description about each oil and where it is from right on each oils page. .

  15. Hi – I have been making soy candles and was wondering if it is possible to use essential oils instead of the traditional fragrance oils. I know it would be much more expensive but I think it would be a better product. What are your thoughts? And thank you for all the research you have done.

  16. Hi Adrienne, I am sorry but your assessment is very simplistic and it seems to be driving a major agenda – don’t use MLM brands and its alarmingly obvious. If you are trying to do a review you should at least try to look impartial to any one brand 🙂 Are you an affiliate of this company you are recommending by any chance?

    First on testing and standards – just because a company has its own standards in place that should not be misinterpreted as a bad thing. At least is has a standard and procedures it follows.that are more rigorous than other companies. Doing the basic GC/MS testing that you are suggesting is not nearly enough to be sure of the purity and potency. CPTG from Doterra means that an independent industry expert (Essential Oil University) tests every batch before they even buy the oil. Funny you didn’t mention that? Or that they do a series of 17 tests in total before an oil is sold. This is why they are confident that you can use it internally or neatly on the skin. So confident they put it on their label!

    Secondly on price – they don’t seem to be cheaper at all. I just had a look at some are even more expensive! with Doterra you can get thousands of $ worth of free products every year and a ton of support. You also get free product credits for whatever you spend in shipping if you are on the loyalty program.

    All the other points you raised are fairly standard amongst the better brands but you make it look like it is particular to the brand you are selecting.

    Sorry to be so harsh but your review is misleading to say the least!

    1. Hi Linda. I’m sorry you feel that way. It is not the case. In fact, I am a consultant with another MLM and I really have enjoyed it for the most part. However, when they make unfounded claims, and such, I don’t like it.

      I was very clear about my being an affiliate of this company. In the post and the comments. I was told that I could make $8K per month w/ doTERRA but I felt I needed to move. It was a hard decision, but I had to do it. The new company didn’t have an affiliate program but started one for me.

      Does EOU still test for doTERRA? So you are saying that Pappas does all the doTERRA testing?

      I agree that testing on your own isn’t necessarily a bad thing but in my humble opinion I think that both internal and external is best.

      Which oils did you see were more expensive? If it’s Frankincense, the NAN / RMO one is sacra and doTERRA’s is a blend.

      Please let me know what you think. I really don’t mean to be misleading at all and am trying to be transparent about all of it. Thanks!

  17. Adrienne, I just wanted to say a big ole “Thank You” for your extensive research on EOs! What an awesome wealth of information you have provided for your readers! I DO realize you cannot make a diagnosis of any illness or disease. However, could you make suggestions for best oils to use for gut issues, i.e., IBS, Crohn’s, etc.? If not, I totally understand, but figured it sure couldn’t hurt to ask! ? I’ve been a DO user for the last two years, but only for me. I’ve never been into the selling part. TIA

    1. IBS and Crohn’s are autoimmune disorders so I would look at whatever you can do to reduce autoimmunity and boost digestion. Their Tummy Rub is a nice blend. Are you looking to help w/ symptoms or work on the root cause?