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.
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.
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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 Young Living and doTERRA. So I started contacting a bunch of other essential oils companies and asked a lot of questions.
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 him for a few hours, which turned into many hours after that, and I felt that he really knew his stuff.
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, and 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 (only because 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.)
Why I Chose Rocky Mountain Oils
Please note: since this series was written, Rocky Mountain Oils purchased Native American Nutritionals. Native American Nutritionals was the original company, then the two companies had a partnership. Then Rocky Mountain Oils (RMO) purchased NAN. I am even more confident in the quality of oils now that this all has taken place.
Here are some of the qualities that make Rocky Mountain Oils a solid place to buy your essential oils from.
1. Experience
The owner of Native American Nutritionals 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 Oils – all 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 felt they had to make some changes to put a higher 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
Rocky Mountain Oils offers Free Shipping domestically in the U.S. and reasonable shipping internationally, with free shipping over $199.
10. No Adulterating
Oils are not heated, mixed with anything else, or adulterated in any way.
Unless declared on the label, the oils are pure. The only things added would be a carrier oil to make the oil or blend easier to use right out of the bottle.
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 pure and not just a song and dance.
More Essential Oils Posts
Here are other posts that you might want to check out in this series on essential oils.
Thank you so much for all your articles about oils. They are very informative and much needed in this space.
I have been looking for a oil to use to make my own deodorant and want something that is sourced more naturally. I don’t want to use it if they have chemicals in them, that is the reason I don’t want to use regular deodorant, so Your info has helped me tremendously.
Thank you again for helping us to navigate this crazy space of the new essential oil craze.!
You are so welcome!! In case you missed them, I wrote more recently – this one being the most recent. More to come! https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-know-if-your-essential-oils-are-pure/
Thanks for the series! I found it very informative. Sorry you had some unpleasantness along the way–I appreciate your candor and your approach to coming up with your favored EO provider!
Thank you! Much appreciated. 🙂
Oh, and sorry for all the posts, but one more company which comes to mind is Snow Lotus:
A smaller company I think, just see it so far locally on West Coast. The reason I ask about this one is because the local herb shop (lucky enough to have one!) in my neighborhood stocks it. Seems to check out based on their website info, but wondering if anyone knowledgeable in EO’s has any experience with them.
As a general question, I also want to know how important the MS/GC certificates are. Is that more of a novelty, and only necessary for big commercial companies who use industrial rather than artisanal methods, or only necessary for certain oils which tend to be adulterated, is it something really important that every EO company should have for every oil? Is there an argument to be made that it may be cost prohibitive for small, boutique EO companies to provide?
Thanks again! And please try to keep track of and answer all of my questions (in all of the posts) so I don’t have to repost. I know it’s tempting to ignore some of them when there are several, and spread out over a few posts.
It’s hard to know about the testing b/c there is so much monkey business going on in the industry. Is a small company that is using artisanal methods sure that what they are getting is pure? If so, howe?
One company told me that they trusted their suppliers, only to find out that they had adulterated oils–including organic ones!
I’m also wondering if this Neal’s Yard company is an actual EO producer (i.e. distills their own oils) or a re-brander that buys their EO’s and other products elsewhere (and if so, from where?0 and repackages them for retail. Thanks.
Hello Abe. Sorry for the delay in responding. I got an official statement from the company:
Hi, I also appreciate all the research. I was wondering if you had a chance to look into Simplers Botanicals. Seems like a good company staffed by herbalists (people who tend to actually care about quality, safety, and sustainability), though I don’t know anything about if there oils have ever been lab tested or how they compare to Rocky Mountain. They were one of the brands I used to buy at my local Whole Foods. They seemed to be of a better quality (and more expensive than) Aura Cacia. Also seems they were acquired by a larger nutraceuticals company in 2013. Thanks.
You are so welcome. I would look at this and go from there. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-know-if-your-essential-oils-are-pure/ Hope that helps. I have not looked at that company.
I read your entire series and really appreciated all your research and effort! I too am a “researcher” and spent MONTHS upon MONTHS doing research on essential oils before taking the plunge. I started out with DoTerra AND Young Living before settling upon Rocky Mountain Oils. They have a rewards program, like the MLMs without the monthly purchase requirement. They ARE very transparent and seem to genuinely care about the oils industry, but not in a competitive way. Their oils are beyond belief, hands down better than the other two companies I mentioned. I could NOT believe the difference in some of them, e.g., lavender and peppermint. I got really tired of all the bickering back and forth between the two major MLM companies along with incorrect information the consultants share on their blogs and that is why I began searching for other reputable companies. Someone made a comment about their blends being 50% FCO and my comment regarding that is “you bought a BLEND!” They have full strength oil selection, but sometimes they are cost prohibitive (jasmine for example) so the blends are cost effective. I use the jasmine blend in conjunction with the Blossoms BLEND for a perfume. What’s nice about the blend is I do not have to dilute, it’s already done for me and I can put them directly on my skin when I want a nice smell. The do offer many blends that are NOT blended with FCO also. I also use Mountain Rose Herbs for their butters and carrier oils and just found another company, Eden Botanicals, that I placed a small order with today. Once again, THANK YOU, for all your effort and research and taking the time to write it all out on your blog!
You are so welcome. I would read this post regarding other companies. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-know-if-your-essential-oils-are-pure/
I’ve gotten one of their blends and liked it… but now a lot of their blends are more than 50% FCO!!!!! If I’m buying EO’s…. I’m expecting an entire bottle of EO’s! Wish they were 100% EO’s.
Hi Hannah. First of all, thanks for reading and for writing. So the first thing that I heard from the company when I went w/ them was that many customers wanted blends w/ the FCO b/c of the cost of buying the more pricey blends plus they felt more comfortable using them. Apparently the company is now working on bringing more neat blends back so stay tuned. Thanks for the feedback and I hope that helps.
I read this series when you first wrote it. I have a couple friends that are now selling YL and DT. I’m not a fan of the MLMs, but I’m looking for better quality oils. I am so grateful for your hard work in researching oils! In comparing prices etc from several different companies tonight, I looked up this post from you because I couldn’t remember the name of the company you chose. Thank you for all the updates! In #7 in the above post you state that their oils are mostly organically grown though not necessarily certified- I sure wish they would state that on their site! They listed all the testing they do which is great, but the folks who don’t know of your blog yet, might like to know that they’re grown organically. We’ve become so ingrained to want to see those certification labels thinking we’re getting the best quality- I’m guilty of it myself even knowing that a lot of times it doesn’t mean much. But I do know that something can be grown organically but not be certified organic. I read that it costs a couple arms and a leg to get that FDA certification for labels. Thankyou again for all the info you provide us!
Hi Carol. Yes, the company has updated information on the growing practices and I hope to update as time goes on. I have a post planned on certification soon as well — Thanks!
I concer with you regarding Rocky Mountain Oils which is now NAN. I purchased several oils from them and had great results. I didn’t care for their Lavender oil, but I love their oregano Oil and another Oil I purchased but can’t remember the name. When I need an essential Oil ASAP I will buy the Now oils from GNC.
The company names are the other way around but nice to have you here!
I was on the fence about YL and do Terrace and had been driving myself batty about which one to try. After reading your research I went with RMO, thank you for all of your work, I knew there had to be a better option that MLM for oils!
Thanks so much! I’ve written quite a bit more since then and there is more to come!
Thanks for all you diligence. Does RMO have a blend like YL’s Peace and Calming as it helps with my blood pressure.? Also I like YL’s lavender aroma more so than my Lavender Bulgaria from RMO. Is that difference because of the region from where they come? Thanks
There is a section for comparable blends on the site – the menu on the top of the site has a part labeled “compare” that should help. Aroma differences can be for many things but Hungarian and Bulgarian will be different.
Dr. Weil states that carrageenan is not a desirable product to put into one’s body. Yet, doTERRA puts carrageenan in several of their products . Any other Essential Oil company using carrageenan in their products?
I don’t know, but yes carrageenan isn’t good for you from what I have read.
I am new to Essential Oils and my two favorite companies are Rocky Mountain Oils and Young Living. I believe they are very comparable and competitive. I love the products I have received from both companies. Thank you for the time you took digging into these companies. I have wondered if I’m making the right choices for myself and my family and now I feel more confident in the choice I have made. It depends on what oil I am purchasing to what company I prefer. I also believe oils are like alot of medication, what works best for one may not for another but as far as quality Rocky Mountain Oils and Yl have amazed me and went above and beyond my highest expectations. I am glad and feel lucky I didn’t water time and money on so many other companies before finding and using these two. If RMO had a way for me to market for them and make money I would Love them even more… Unfortunately they don’t but I share their products with friends and family and others anyway because they truly are wonderful products.
Waste* not water. Sorry about the typo!
Hello, I don’t usually comment on site/articles but I am a grandma of two beautiful babies (one 11 months and one 9 months old) I am an independent consultant for Jordan Essentials Bath and Body. We do offer essential oils (would love to know if you heard of them or where they fell on your list if you did) but we also offer (and we suggest you never ingest the oils because of their purity) Magnesium Lotion and Magnesium Infused Dead Sea Salts to help with relieving pain. I use it, I know it works but was wondering if you ever tried it?
Thank you for your reports they are very interesting and your time investigating them is very much appreciated.
Hi Kim. I am not sure but I think I heard of the company years ago when it was getting started? Maybe the owner reached out? It all sounds familiar to me. Not sure. I would say to read this post and see how the essential oils fit in: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-know-if-your-essential-oils-are-pure/
I have used some Mg products but not yours. Did you mean that you are concerned about ingesting essential oils b/c none are pure? Thanks!
Please do your research http://www.seedtoseal.com and share your findings.
Please don’t take this the wrong way but you are doing people a disservice and it saddens me 🙁
Hello Michelle.
I’m a bit confused about your comment. What way would you like me to take your comment and what is the wrong way? You just said that I am doing people a disservice. Why is that? Thank you.
Hello there! Just discovered your blog as I have recently begun using essential oils recommended by a friend. Discovering they did indeed work so well, I have started researching myself (known skeptic myself also 🙂 and have been looking at Dr. Axe/Jordan Rubin’s oils? Epigenetic Labs Essential Oils are through Jordan Rubin and NUMA essential oil is sold via Dr. Josh Axe. Have you heard of these oils?
Thanks so much for all you share ~
Hi Paula and thanks for reading. Yes, I have heard of both of them. I would read this: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oil-purity-myths/
and this: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/how-to-know-if-your-essential-oils-are-pure/
I am very picky not only about the purity of an oil but also marketing tactics and the integrity of the company selling the product. Trying to do as much due diligence as I can. Of course looking deep into every company would be a full time job, but I have been pursued by a number of companies that I would not work with due to ethical issues that have shown up. I hope that is helpful. Thanks again for reading!
Hey love your posts!! I’m a YL girl and one thing I’d like to say is that what you said about what’s required to get the discounts. You just need to be a member. That’s all. Once someone becomes a YL member they automatically are entitled to all wholesale pricing. There are no fees either. The Essential Rewards program is the monthly program and it’s optional for all members. Again, no requirements to be on it. The minimum is 50pv and many spend that much just getting one or two items. Just wanted to clarify.
Thanks – did this change? It’s possible that I was writing about getting the really good deals every month which I felt I needed to drive the prices down since even at wholesale the prices are still above most other companies. Thanks!
Thanks for the research! I recently lost my YL distributor but a coworker has encouraged me to try dT. Your final selection was a definite surprise but you’ve convinced me! I’ll be making a purchase tonight.
I hope you enjoy the oils! Thanks for reading! Yes, I was surprised by the whole thing as well. Didn’t expect to write it – didn’t expect the result.
TJ sorry you lost your YL rep :/ if you need help I can help you but I also see you’re with another company and that’s awesome. Just wanted to offer help 🙂
(site url removed by blog owner)
Sorry Wendi, but I don’t allow links to Direct Sales’ rep’s websites. I have too many people trying to build a business on my platform. Thanks for understanding.
THANK YOU! I have been wanting to get into using the oils for about a year, my daughter had some of YL and she loved them. I think natural is great. I take organic herbs that are dried either in tea or I make capsules, I order some and I grow some, I go to a chiropractor and the only MD I have been to in 27 years is a dermatologist. OH and I am a registered nurse. I have been wondering about the quality of the oils even though I was told YL was the best I usually dig into things on my own, that is how I found your site, and I’m not into MLM I am already to busy, I just want the health benefits, so thank you so much, cant wait to get started.
Thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated!
where do you order your dry herbs from?
thanks
Becky
walkthisway@maine.rr.com
Thanks for all your hard work! It’s challenging to know where to go for quality, cost effectiveness and honesty when it comes to purchasing oils.
Thanks to this article I am now buying oils through RMO.
Peace, HD 😉
You are so welcome! More posts have been written and more to come!