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. Great information! Just a question…you mention you are a rep for NYR Organics, so I’m wondering why you didn’t mention their essential oils and what your thoughts are on their oils compared to Rocky Mountain Oils?

    1. Hi Andrea. Good question. I should do a video on this or something. So….I looked at NYR when I was trying to figure out what to do and they had very few essential oils. So I ignored them partially for that reason. Then I found NYR later when I was looking for a new skincare / cosmetics option after Ava Anderson proved themselves to have loads of issues–it was terrible. So I looked for another company and didn’t know what to do. I was a Beautycounter rep at the time, but was wanting something maybe more natural. I landed at NYR and was using 100% Pure as well and recommended them on the blog. However, I have concerns about some things w/ 100% Pure (fragrances and other things) and NYR got rid of most of their cosmetics, and they didn’t perform as well as Beautycounter. Since then, NYR has gotten more essential oils. I think they are a valid option and they say that they batch test, but they don’t offer test results to customers so you would have to decide if you trust them or not. I think that they are trustworthy but it’s up to you. RMO is very very detailed w/ testing and quality control.

      Does that help?

  2. Adrienne, THANK YOU! Your site is amazing. You may have actually answered this and I haven’t come to your thoughts on it yet but, can you tell me how(or if) you measured the ‘NOW’ brand into your equations? They state on their site:
    “NOW’s recently renovated and expanded laboratory facilities feature state-of-the-art testing instruments. This includes inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICP-MS), high performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC), a new Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) and an ultraviolet/visible spectrometer (UV/VIS). Primary analyses are also performed in-house using gas chromatography (GC). In addition we have added a new super high tech time of flight liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (TOF-LCMS) that will help us test difficult to test products.”
    I find all of this confusing as I was really only looking for their GC/MS reports and am wondering if it is smoke and mirrors?
    Thank you again for your diligent research and for SHARING it with us!
    God bless!! ~~ Amy

    1. Hi there. You are so welcome and that means so much to me! I haven’t talked much about NOW oils. It sounds to me that they are doing in house testing of their oils so you would have to compare that to the list of things I recommend and then decide if you are comfortable purchasing from a company that tests their own products without using a 3rd party lab. It’s hard to know. Was this information about their essential oils only? It seems to be a statement about all of their products.

      Here is my list: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/pure-essential-oils-testing/

      I really appreciate your kinds words. It’s been a really crazy few weeks with some research leading to things I am not happy about (in addition to other stuff going on personally and with the blog) so the encouragement is very welcome!

      1. Hectic I understand! (hence the 10 DAYS since you kindly answered me before I saw it! LOL)
        Thank you Adrienne. I only came across their statement through the oils part of their site so I assumed it only referred to oils. Thank you for the additional link, I am going to take a look at that!
        Praying that whatever has been ‘boggin’ down your bloggin’ picks up and resolves in a way that gives you peace. I have family on the spectrum and I know your life can reach DEFCON 1 with a QUICKNESS! 😉
        Thanks again from fellow Michigander Amy 🙂

        1. Hi Amy and THANK YOU!

          Yes, and we have more than spectrum going on but things are better than they used to be. Did you happen to see this post? https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/cbd-experience/ We are trying more things and having some very interesting results, but wanted to share. I’m actually digging around into other companies too in all arenas b/c I want to have multiple options for my readers but I’m just swamped!

  3. WOW!! Thank you SO much for this work and report. I’m an EO newbie and this information is invaluable. Being an analyst by nature (often get into analysis paralysis) I really appreciate and respect your research.

  4. I am ready to embark. Having prayed for help, I am trusting HE led me here. Did buy the YL starter kit. Ugh the price. Wanting to be wise with money. I am a 60 yo woman with unwanted arthritis in my hands, post menopausal brain fog and hot flashes.What would you suggest I buy? Is there a basic EO 101 book you would recommend. TY and of course GOD BLESS YOU.

    1. Hello Joyce!

      I’m glad to have you here. There are a lot of good books but this one might be of interest: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oils/

      (it’s at the bottom of the post).

      I can’t make medical recommendations but I addressed how I supported my own hormonal issues in this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/clary-sage/

      I will be writing more about inflammation, etc. You might be interested in signing up for updates here: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/

      Hope to see you around again!! God bless you too!!

  5. Thank you for all your time and energy put into this topic! I have been very slow to get on what I thought was an essential oil “bandwagon”. As I started to consider it (as a possible treatment for my daughter’s insomnia) I was confused by the fact I had friends who were distributors yet the local drug store had essential oils on their shelves. Thanks for clearing up the differences and what to look for in a quality product. Thanks also for the book recommendations in the series…now to decide which book to start with…

  6. I can see why you with RMO, but cannot find where Eden’s Garden went wrong? I have oils from both companies, I’m just trying to figure out if EG’s prices are lower because they might not have quality oils? Is there testing not trustworthy? Please help me understand why not EG? I really want to make sure my money isn’t being wasted!

    1. Hi Erin. Sorry but it’s confusing. I didn’t go w/ EG for various reasons. Some or all of those have changed but I am still not confident. You might wish to see some FB groups that have people sending in oils for 3rd party testing. They cover a bunch of different companies. Hope that helps!

  7. Thank you for your hours of work. I’m older and it seems it takes long hours of combing through all the literature to find truths. So I appreciate that you took that time and shared your thoughts with us. I am on a very limited income but never believed in Western medicine and have always tried alternatives. I will give this company a shot and sign up to learn more.
    Thank you,
    Melanie

    1. You are so welcome, Melanie. I really appreciate it. I’m working on investigating a bunch of other products and companies now. They are having a big sale right now so good timing!

    2. Melanie, I so agree with you. I’m 75 and am a recent inductee into the world of Essential Oils. Being on the mature side, I feel the need to get on with things and not spend a lot of time on research. But also being an analyst, I feel I need to get adequate detailed info. I really appreciate this report on EOs and will immediately get in touch with the company that was rated #1.

  8. thanks for this post. Until yesterday I was a Young Living distributor. Without getting into the negative details it became too expensive. And as you mentioned, shipping was just way too expensive and for the cost, took a minimum of a week and a half for delivery.
    heading to Rocky Mountain now! thanks andrea p

    1. You are so welcome, Andrea. They have a HUGE sale going on right now. Good timing! Everything is on sale!

      1. It is just 2 days after your post above and I do not see a sale… is it over? Do they have a sale often?

    1. Hello again, Donna.

      I just was thinking…perhaps you are referring to a test from years ago on a Native American Nutritionals oil that a blogger sent to a lab? If that’s the case, she purchased the wrong oil and so the oil didn’t pass. I know that situation well.

      Please let me know and I’m happy to talk more about whatever you are referring to.

  9. Thank you I have been searching for answers to the OIL dilemma I have tried quite a few of those in ur reports and have finally settled on RMO I do not appreciate all the hype with the 2 current POPULAR companies!

  10. thanks for doing all that leg work for me! you sound a LOT like me when it comes to consumerism and researching. I appreciate the time you saved me.

  11. Hi.
    I really liked your post. I was surprised to see that you didnt mention Plant Therapy since they are not MLM, they have affordable prices, great consumer support and they show how they test their products. BUT you mentioned something in your posts that left me in doubt. What about potency. What do you believe makes an oil more potent than others? Have you ever compared, for example, DoTerra’s Lavender vrs Rmo’s Lavender. I am asking because one of DTs money making rep told me this about PT and have been in doubt since then and feel that when I follow a recipe, I have to use more drops of some oils in my difusser in order to “feel” the smell.
    Thank you.

    1. Hi there. Thanks for the kind words. I looked into them when I started this and hope to revisit the whole issue later–busy researching other things and fixing broken things on my site. Please stay tuned! You can sign up for updates of posts here:

      https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/

      It’s hard to know about potency but it would be where the plant is grown and if it has been adulterated mainly I would think. Are you saying that you think that Plant Therapy’s oils aren’t as strong?

  12. Thank you SO MUCH for this series of posts finding the best quality EO! I am sorry there were people who attacked you along the way and questioned your motives and ethics. Personally, I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt until that person gives me reason to question them. In reading through your blog and these posts, I believe that you truly care about people (especially your own family, for goodness sake). I don’t normally post comments on blogs, but I wanted you to know there are people who appreciate you and what you’re doing!

  13. I use a lot of the Now Oils especially the lavender. Is there a difference between Young living and Now in the properties?

  14. Hi! Thank you so much for this very helpful information! Wondering if you didn’t mind sharing your thoughts or concerns on the company plant therapy oils? I’ve been using those for years and native Americans in the past right after first trying YL and feeling so frustrated about the expenses and just wanting to have quality oils for my family that wasn’t so extremely expensive. Thank you!

    1. Hi Rachael – sorry for the delay. So I had a lot of thoughts when I first did this series and didn’t know what to think. I didn’t care for the scent and now I’m forgetting what my other concerns were. I am honestly so tied up with a lot of other things I’m researching and some personal issues but will be revisiting all of this. If you like, please sign up for updates here: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/

  15. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into informing us. Truly appreciated. Since RMO oils are diluted, how then can we make the dilutions desired e.g., varying children’s ages, the elderly, acute situations. Thank you in advance for your response.

    1. Sorry for the delay in responding. I had to wait for the answer and then I fell ill. Here is the information.

      The company dilutes about 1/2 of their blends w/ FCO to keep the price affordable. Most of their 15 ml blends that have FCO aren’t diluted enough for adult application.

      So they recommend diluting further to a 2-5% dilution rate for an adult. Treat them as if they are single essential oils. I am going to be making a dilution chart for you all but they have one on their site right now.

      They do offer a 5 ml neat version for 12 of their most popular 15 blend that are in an FCO base.
      These are: our Aligning, At Peace, Attention Assist, Balance, Dreamtime, Feminine Aid, Flu Time, Love, Peace and Quiet, Nerve Support and Tummy Rub.

      Hope that helps!!

  16. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I would love to find out how to sell and buy these oils for my family. Can you guide me how to start this process? THANK YOU!!

  17. I just now found your website. I was a member of YL and it became too expensive. I found edens Garden and have used them a little over a year but after reading your post I am curious about RMO and I’ll be looking into them.