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.
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 for your extensive research and info. I’d love to hear what you learned about Mountain Rose and Aura Cacia. It seems you skipped info on those companies. I read this article recently that rated Aura Cacia very highly in a blind, independent lab test (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore). I have bought from YL and NAN so far. I love that Aura Cacia is comparable in price to NAN and is available in my local Sprouts grocery store, so I don’t have to pay shipping and can get an oil at a moment’s notice. What are your thoughts on Aura Cacia?
Sorry but I just can’t comment on / evaluate the companies anymore. I’m just swamped plus there might be legal ramifications. You can check out this post to see what you think and I hope to write more – thanks and sorry for the delay.https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/ I have concerns about the testing done on that site but that doesn’t mean her results weren’t accurate. Thanks!
Wow! Very impressive amount of research went into your essential oil series – a warm Mahalo (thank you) for all your work! I’ve been personally skeptical of the mlm essential oils for quite some time – I will definitely check out NAN – don’t mind checking them out through your website either.
The thing that bothers/ed me with the mlm schema with essential oils is the overuse. I have had the same bottle of lavender eo for several years – use it on a regular basis and am only now down to the last of it. Same with the Kamani oil, tea tree, etc. A little goes a long way, even with regular use. I found myself agreeing (or at least shaking my head in agreement) as I read through your series: regarding the potential to overbuy/overuse – to justify the overbuying to maintain either membership discounts or commissions. Also the internal vs external use and recommendations by mlms to use internally.
I also think people don’t realize how costly it is to produce naturally sourced essential oils. Synthetic or derivatives had been around for about 100 to 150 years – the first being a lavender synthetic if memory serves me. They revolutionized the health & beauty industries. The modern perfume industry wouldn’t exist as it does without the synthetics. But real-deal rose absolute or attar, not cheap – just as an example.
I also wanted to just say that I am sorry to see that for all the positive comments and support you received for this blog series, that you have had people attack your recommendation – because of affliate to NAN. I think you should have pointed out to these individuals that if it hadn’t have been for the research and communication that you had with NAN’s owner over a long period of time (I think you mention somewhere 9 to 12 months worth of pestering) – there would have been no affliate opportunity. It also sounds like it was a new experience for them to work with a blogger and I personally think that speaks volumes about you. In a positive way! They were obviously impressed enough to begin (and I hope continue) to have a mutually beneficial relationship with you.
Anyways, from one Adrienne to another – thanks again for putting real and informative content out into the blog-ether!
Good morning, Adrienne! What a great comment to wake up to – thanks! I am not anti MLM but those did not appeal to me. In fact, I am a part of 2 MLMs and just signed up w/ a 3rd that I am checking out. So far, so GREAT with those. No hype – no pushiness and no misinformation. That’s good business.
The overuse is a big issue – you are right about that.
It was a new experience for Native American Nutritionals to work w/ a blogger. They had never done it before. And I think it has worked out well for them. Take care and hope to see you around – hope you subscribed to my blog and newsletter (check the box in the sidebar) there are freebies coming :)!
I’ve just finished reading all of your articles concerning your essential oil study. Very interesting and detailed! Thank you so much! My question is what were your specific findings on Aura Cacia? I totally agree with your conclusion and I’m getting ready to make my “shopping list”, but I have a cabinet full of aura cacia, and I need to know whether I can use it up, or whether there is something horrifying that you found in your research? I really hate to throw it away after spending all of the money, but I can’t really find much out about them on the web, so if you know anything I’d sure be appreciative of your input.
Thanks for your time -Rachel
Oh nevermind! I just found your comments from last year on Aura Cacia, I just hadn’t looked far enough! lol Thanks again.
Sorry but I just can’t comment on / evaluate the companies anymore. I’m just swamped plus there are legal issues. You can check out this post to see what you think and I hope to write more – thanks and sorry for the delay. I’ve been swamped and am trying to go back through all of the comments I missed. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/
It’s really great that you took so much time to look into essential oils. I’m just getting an interest in them myself. Would it be possible for you to put your info into a table, comparing the companies you researched and the important oil qualities, showing who has what? That would be amazing and oh so helpful!
I’m sorry but I probably can’t do that. I’m getting more and more requests every day to compare more and more companies. Trying to figure out how to work this out. thanks!
Wow, thanks so much for all the time and energy you put into your research. I have learned a lot from your posts. I was wondering if you came across Neal’s Yard Remedies (NYR Organic in the US) at all in your research. From what I have learned about the company they meet the criteria that you listed above and their oils seem to be less expensive than Native American Nutritionals. The biggest downside I see is that there are not a lot of oils to choose from in the US right now, but they have many more available in the UK and are planning to introduce more here. I am a consultant for the company, but I’m posting to get your opinion because I want to be well informed about what I am selling! Thank you!
Sorry but I didn’t look at them. You can check my post on GC/MS and see how they stack up. I hope to share more.
God bless you! I am a super nerd researcher like yourself and I have been looking into all different essential oil companies and was having a terrible time coming up with who I wanted to use. Your series of articles made my choice so much easier I can’t thank you enough. I found out I have Chronic Lyme Disease and am seeking treatment in a completely holistically, natural, non-antibiotic way. I believe essential oils can assist me in dealing with the difficult symptoms I go through on a daily basis and to help push my Lyme into dormancy.
This article was written over a year ago. Are you still satisfied with Native American Nutritionals? Have you continued using their products for a year and seen success in your family?
I would love to hear your thoughts as of today. Please shoot me an email at ashleystrommenkw@gmail.com
Thank you so much!
Yes, they are the only brand I use now. I am very happy with them. Did you see the post on Lyme in my archives? I wish there would be more but not yet. Blessings. If you need me to delete your email let me know.
I have really enjoyed this information on eo. I am so disgusted by do terra’s bullying I would NEVER consider doing business with them and I would warn the general public about this out of the ordinary behavior. I am very glad you specified that young living did not exhibit such out of control behavior because they are generally grouped together. I appreciate your transparency and honesty. Do Terra reps please note bad behavior only makes people dislike you. You can state opinions w/o criticizing we are all entitled to present our research and or opinions on products. Great job and if I do decide to use your recommendation, I will order thru you! Thanks for all the hard work.
Thank you so much! If you try them I so hope you enjoy them!
Hi Adrienne,
Thank you so much for your tireless work — doing something that many of us want to do but don’t have/make the patience, energy, or time to pursuit. My sister just joined YL and bought me for my birthday and early xmas gift, a starter kit with the whole 9.. I was so excited to receive it — it was just mailed and i should receive it Monday or Tuesday. Now I’m wishing I had read this article.. or your 7 part post before …. I had a question, I may purchase a few of your recommended Native American Nutritionals oils.. esp the Thieves equivalent, lavender, peppermint. and that sports one. I wonder do you get anything if I order through your link? I didn’t see any MLM links? can people sign up with them or through you for a discount? how much do we get and what are the minimum requirements annually/monthly? Thanks again, I really appreciate you! Also, what food allergy does your kid have? one of my kids is deathly allergic to all tree nuts.. not fun at all.. very scary ..
You can buy whatever you like thru the link. There is no MLM link – it’s just a commission. There is no sign up process. Just straight purchasing. I so hope you like it if you try it. My son is allergic to dairy, egg white, peanuts, most nuts, and sesame. It is hard. Blessings to you!
I have been reading your articles about essential oils that you wrote over a year ago. I was wondering if you still recommend Native American Nutritionals, and if that is what you are still using for your family. I am just learning about essential oils, and I am putting together a presentation on what I am learning to share in a class situation. Any information you want to share would be helpful. Also, I want to thank you for the 7 part series that you wrote. This took a lot of research and I just wanted to say thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome! Thanks!
oops – sorry. I do still use them. I need to write more about them when I can. Thanks!
I just read through this series over two days. Thanks for all the work you put into this! I’m sorry you had to deal with disagreeable people questioning your motives. I appreciate your transparency and ethical stance and look forward to learning more about essential oils and how to use them.
Thank you so much. 🙂
Thank you so much for this. I recently signed up a as a YL wholesale member and have been skeptical myself and feeling unsettled about using the oils internally as much as YL recommends. After reading your series of posts I am seriously considering switching to Native American Naturals. As a holistic health coach I only want to recommend the BEST to my clients and of course I only want to use the best for myself and my family. I understand you are only one person but your research & logic makes a lot of sense. I appreciate that you did the leg work in researching which company is the best so others dont have to.
Thanks so much!!!