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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

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.Pin

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.

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6,991 Comments

  1. Thank you so very much for doing and sharing this research. I think along the same lines as you about the small farmers. It’s so wonderful to find someone who’s spared me the extra work. I will come through your link when buying in the future. : )

    Reply

  2. Thank you! I was curious about using essential oils to boost my health, but I had no idea where to start. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the research. It has helped me so much!

    Reply

  3. Came across this as I am now researching EOs for my pets. I emailed the company to see what their opinion is which will help me decide on what I think of them. The shipping to Canada is quite better then doterra and like the more inexpensive diffusers as well. i only started looking at this as a Facebook friend has started pushing YL and I thought, isn’t this something out of the 1980s?? The prices are a turnoff for one thing as is the diffuser price but got me thinking of EOs again. Hard to believe anything on the internet anymore unfortunately and as she is trying desperately to make money (she sells everything that is MLM nowadays) I cannot really trust her either and maybe she doesn’t even know herself. The fact she is ingesting these oils as well as her kids alarmed me but maybe I have been missing out on the answer to all my problems, who knows, eh??

    Reply

  4. Hi Adrienne,
    I’ve been reading all your posts and boy are EO’s super confusing. I’m currently purchasing my EO’s from YL. But, I’m still researching & learning as much as I can about EO’s. Have you looked at Mountain Rose Herbs. This is listed on their webpage:

    Certified Organic- Grown, harvested and processed without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, GMO’s, synthetic chemicals, growth agents, and free from irradiation and chemical sterilization. All certified organic materials are certified though OTCO, a USDA accredited third party certification agency. (Certificates available upon request)

    Wildharvested- Items gathered from their natural environment, such as woodlands, prairies, deserts etc. All wildharvested items are taken to separate facilities for further processing. All wildharvested items gathered and contracted for Mountain Rose Herbs must sign a preliminary “Wild Take Audit” to insure that materials are sustainably gathered with a no more than 10% take, and that the plants are re-seeded or roots are left to re-stock native populations.

    Cultivated- Conventionally grown materials which may have been cultivated with the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and synthetic chemicals. Please Note! All conventional oils offered by Mountain Rose Herbs have been tested free of pesticide and organophosphate residues.

    I would love to be able to purchase a quality EO. What do you know about them? What I’m looking for is a EO company that offers non GMO, organic & fair pricing.

    The other company I’m curious about is Neals Yard Organics? Have you looked into them? I’m also hoping to find cosmetics & facial care system too.

    Would love your guidance or input.

    Thank you,
    Penny

    Reply

  5. Thank you for all that research you did. It’s wonderful. I never would have figured out how to do it but I had the same questions for years.

    I also appreciate your integrity, which comes across perfectly intact. I might also add that the grace you exhibit in your replies is stunning, something to aspire to, simply lovely.

    I followed the comments with great interest too, until the freaky bigots who claim to be Christians overtook them. Then I had to bail. Can’t stand that hate. The grace with which you address their concerns is admirable, and while I believe healthy discourse is the path to peace among enemies, I just can’t stomach that bile here, when I was toodling along on a beautiful thread. Dang it!

    I’ll be happy to use your link when I order from NAN. I noticed they have a sample kit of five oils for only $15. I love that! I’m getting one.

    Many blessings to you and yours. Thanks again for your grace, reason, and research!

    Reply

  6. Hi,
    I’m so thankful that I found your website. I am new to trying essential oils and mainly looked them up because my son has some severe skin problems that modern medicine isn’t curing and are full of all sorts of chemicals. I looked at both Young Living and doTerra and was literally sick to my stomach because I was convinced this was the best thing for my family but I couldn’t afford it. Nothing worse than being a mother that knows that she could serve her family better but isn’t able to. It has left me with a week full of sleepless nights and a husband who doesn’t understand why I’m so upset about all of this. I had looked into NAN but because there wasn’t as much hype I wasn’t sure that it was as good. Until now..thank you thank you thank you! I read those results here as well as from some other bloggers that have done some extensive research into essential oils. Super helpful and hopefully will be able to settle my mind..I’m sure there is an EO for that : ) Thank you for all your hard work in putting this series together!

    Reply

    1. You are sooooo welcome! Thanks! There IS an oil for that. Maybe Serenity or Grounding :)? They might have new names now. Hope you are signed up for blog updates :). More to come!

      Reply

  7. My husband and I are debt free as of this week, so I just placed my first EO order!!! I even compared the price to YL and DT just to double-check that it was still less. I ordered Aligning/Confidence to use in between chiropractic adjustments and am very excited! Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Have you done any research with Piping Rock? Thank you for sharing your intensive research. I am just getting into oils and do not have the resources to do the research. You are a tremendous help!! Blessings.

    Reply

  9. Hi, I was looking at your blog and the information. The only thing that perhaps it is disappointing about the company you have chosen is that they use cobalt bottles. In the past I purchased oils from a local company to use on my daughter. My daughter was then tested and it was found to have cobalt toxic metal which comes from blue bottles unfortunately. I would have loved to use the products of Native American but given this experience I am reluctant to do so now. Pity. I have actually sent an email to the company to ask if perhaps by any remote chance they will switch to amber bottles. Maybe you could persuade them.
    I did try DoTerra and I have to say they really helped my daughter recover from her adrenal fatigue after struggling for two years and basically after having tried everything. I do have an issue with their high costs and as you say these ‘experts’ employed by the company. Following a careful reading of your blog, I have emailed DoTerra with a bunch of questions and it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

    Reply

    1. Here is the response from the owner of Native American Nutritionals:

      There are quite a few difference when it comes to the bottles. The three main bottle types are the sprayed bottles, the Asian Manufactured bottles, and the German manufactured bottles. Native American Nutritionals only uses the high quality German manufactured bottles. We have tested and there are no toxins put into the oils when those bottles are used, this is not always the case with lower quality bottles.

      The German blue bottles cost twice as much as the German brown glass bottles and quite a bit more than the Asian or sprayed glass bottles. I if you also tests the low quality brown glass bottles you will find the toxic material also. Sadly the low quality cheap glass bottles, brown included, are not manufactured, according to high standards.

      Now there are other reasons why we use blue glass rather than the brown. This has to do with the therapeutic healing energies. The blue glass is far superior when it comes to this. If Native American Nutritionals were to switch to the brown glass, we could save about twenty five cents per bottle and those savings would really add up in the long run. However we prefer to use the highest therapeutic bottle for our oils.

      Reply

      1. Thank you for your response. I appreciate it. I have emailed the company I had bought the blue bottles with essential oils from just to ask country of origin of their bottles. Their statement following my inquiry a couple of months ago (which would suggest that their bottles are an expensive option) was ‘Cobalt in glass is totally safe. Blue bottles have been used for medicines for years and there is no leeching from the glass products. Cobalt blue glass is the safest and most expensive form of storing essential oils and we have chosen it for this reason. This is also the glass of choice for Neals Yard Remedies who sell products worldwide.’ So, I am puzzled as to how cobalt showed up on my daughter’s tests despite these statements (yours and theirs) considering that she had take the same test a few times BEFORE using the oils and even a couple of months earlier before using the oils. Cobalt was not there then. To me, it seems logical that if the glass is MADE of cobalt, then it is bound to release the toxic metal in a way or another just like when you use foil for food which gives you aluminum or plastic for processed foods and so on. Do you have a lab report with regards to your testing? When you say toxins, presumably you mean toxic metal. It is disappointing to know that even amber bottles can be toxic…good heavens, is there anything totally safe these days? I DO wonder.

        Reply

        1. Well, cobalt is found in many places. I am guessing it might not be the bottles. The analogy w/ the foil isn’t necessarily accurate. It depends on how the metal reacts to the contents. Al tends to react w/ acids if I remember correctly – and apparently goes in through the nasal passages easily, per an Alzheimer’s association that I talked to years ago. Here is more info on cobalt: (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          Reply

  10. Hey Adrienne,

    Thanks for posting your research and findings. I really appreciate it and will look into some of the companies you’ve recommended.

    I am curious if you are familiar with Original Swiss Aromatics. The are based in CA and from what I have found, are the best company around. You might have talked about them in your posts here, yet with over a thousand posts I thought I would just ask. 🙂

    Thanks,

    Aaron

    Reply