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.
Do you ever buy blended oils or do you blend all of your own? If so which ones do you buy already blended and which ones do you blend yourself. Do you have all of those recepies on your blog? I’m also wondering what your “go to” oils are and what you use them for and what do you feel is the most effective method of use?
I do both. I have tried some of Native American’s blends and like most of what I have tried – the I See U (has a new name now) and the Freedom Plus and Immune Strength. I haven’t put other recipes on my site yet and am in need of working on them. If you noticed, I have linked to some very nice books at the bottom of the oils posts that have nice DIY blend recipes.
I don’t know what to say about effective. I can’t make medical claims but I have used them a little bit internally and a lot topically. It really depends on what you are needing.
I mainly use lavender, the makings for the Immune Strength, peppermint, fennel, ginger, lemon, their Serenity Blend (I think that has a new name as well) and the Freedom Plus blend. And Frankincense and sometimes Helichrysum. Those last 2 are great oils. Roman Chamomile is very nice as well.
I hope to write more in the next week or 2 so stay tuned :).
Bravo!!! Finally, someone who loves the TRUTH!! and who’s comfortable to reveal the manipulation behind the scenes .. Darn near EVERY article, advertisement, product, speech, entity, press release (govmnt, TV, mainstream media), etc., I’ve seen in the last several years is this way (I know better to first peel back the layers, look behind the website/names/brands for connections, relationships, loyalties, affiliations, motivations, etc. and INVESTIGATE EVERYTHING, before believing what I’m told, knowing I’m almost certainly being led astray or being given 50-80-90% truths, but not whole truths).. It’s simply stunning the massive deception in just about everything out there!! Its everywhere! and it’s promoted by those who inevitably are discovered to be loyalists to a cause, a person, money or some kind of personal gain , no matter the harm it causes their fellow man-kind, and eventually, their own future generations :(. I encourage you to read this fascinating but deeply disturbing look into how even a large number of participants will knowingly and willingly come to engage in harmful, criminal, or unethical actions, for the benefit of their organization or others.. In this case, The Manhattan-Rochester Coalition, from 1945-1970 (a covert study which ‘targeted’ a vulnerable high-density urban area, with aerosolized radioactive isotopes/FLUORIDE). .it’s very long but a critical read given the times in which we live, and will answer the how and why people participate in deception..
https://media.proquest.com/media/pq/classic/doc/2708892501/fmt/ai/rep/NPDF?_s=b0p6qui33Ces%2BhW33Xyq4svk7tE%3D
Hi Adrienne,
Thank you so so much for researching about EO companies and putting up with unkind comments. Your blog has been very informative for lay people like me …not too much technical stuff. I cant wait for future blogs on Essential Oils 101!!
You are so welcome. I hope to write more – but not too technical :). Did you see the short guide I just came out with? https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/ Hope you like it!
I encourage you to look into Nature’s Sunshine Products. They offer more than essential oils, but I did a lot of research before choosing them for herbs, vitamins, oils, etc . I have toured their manufacturing plant and they use pharmaceutical grade manufacturing equipment. They also test EVERY batch of there products, which is rare. I love this company!
I can’t comment otherwise but you can read this post to see what I think about quality in essential oils : https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/
and I just came out w/ this guide to essential oils that should help as well. More to come! https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
Sorry but I don’t allow links to direct sales companies on my site as a rule :).
Hi, great posts! Thank you for the effort you put in all this. I am really impressed with the Native American Nutritionals and their offer. I think their prices are fair for the quality they ofer. However I found something that is bothering me, and I would like very much to hear your opinion. I am looking for the good quality Frankicense oil.. During my research I found out that Oman was big producer of tihs oil in past, but no more.
” In fact, according to Dr Ahmed Warfa, a world authority on Frankincense, Oman hasn’t exported Frankincense for over 50 years. [2] Watch out for any company that makes this claim for their frankincense.” (https://essentialoilsforliving.com/blog/?p=122)
It is very interesting that Native american website advertise their Frankicense oil comes from Oman.
Could you please share your opinion on this! Thank you!
Hi there. Good question.
Here is information from Rocky Mountain Oils. Their pricing is fabulous.
If you are so inclined to try theirs, here are my affiliate links. They help me keep blogging due to all of the time and expense involved:
Rocky Mountain: https://wholenewmom.com/RockyMountainOils
I just came out w/ a new free report on essential oils buying that you might be interested in. More to come….: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I am looking into expanding my EO collection and started looking for a YL alternative to Thieves and Frankincense because of the price point.
I wonder if you looked into Plant Therapy at all?
Rose Mountain and Native America is still in my budget, but less so than Plant Therapy, but I am one that sees that cheaper can waste money if you are not getting much out of it.
I did look at Plant Therapy and didn’t choose them for a number of reasons. I am sorry but I can’t comment on specific companies but they did used to sell artificial fragrances. You can read this post to see what you think and also I just came out with a short essential oils guide that might be of help.
Post on testing and quality: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/
Book: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I will be sharing more soon.
Hi Adrienne!
I stumbled across your website doing a little research myself. I did just buy a YL kit however, I am open to seeing what other companies have to offer. Since you have conducted your research do you know if YL has changed in any way? I like the Native American Nutritionals and am maybe considering ordering from them as well. Also one more thing. I’m a huge fan of lemon water or flavored water why is it bad to ingest either lemon or tangerine?
Thanks so much and great blog!
Hi there. Could you clarify what you mean by “if YL has changed in any way”? I don’t know if they have done anything different with their oils or products but I have seen some companies changing their offerings. I don’t necessarily consider it “bad” to consume those oils but the owner of Native American (and other people in the industry say this) says that the “hot” oils that are antibacterial can kill some of the good gut flora so one would be well advised to take a probiotic at least at the same time and not overdo it. That isn’t medical advice, however as I can’t medically advise :). Hope that helps.
I want to thank you for the great amount of work you did on investigating the mysterious world of essential oils.
I stumbled into the controversy over the various companies and the claims of Young Living to be “the best” when I went on line to check out oil of cloves. I wanted to find out something about it because I instinctively knew cloves were super strong, antimicrobial. I found the article quoting Young Living that oil of cloves has almost a 2 million ORAC score, and the next highest ORAC for any other substance is around 30,000. That seemed an astounding fact, which I shared with my private list, and some people agreed with me. That pulled me into the Young Living YouTubes and promotions. I finally realized Young Living is a Mormon company pretending to be Christian, quoting the Bible to promote its oils, and selling a the highest of high prices. That irked me. I found out that “Dr.” Gary Young is not a doctor/naturopath at all, and got his diploma from a diploma mill.
The only thing I still have not found out is if it’s really true that the ORAC score for oil of cloves, any brand at all you want to name, approaches 2 million.
Hi there and thanks for your kind words.
With ORAC values, it really varies what Clove will be listed as and it depends on who is doing the reporting. Any therapeutic Clove Bud oil is going to have very high ORAC values, no matter what company it comes from.
This link will list some of those.
https://www.selfhealthrevolution.com/pdf/orac.pdf
I hope that helps :).
I just found some more information about clove oil and ORAC scores. It appears to me that many people are stating that the ORAC of clove oil is 10 million (unless they all have the wrong information):
https://www.naturalnews.com/033579_clove_oil_healing.html
https://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/anti1.php
I hope that helps. If not please comment again and I will see what I can do. Thanks.
You’ve convinced me to switch from doTerra! The only thing I do not understand is: what is an affiliate and why would you become one? That sounds like another multi level marketing program.
Hi Cindy! An affiliate is an arrangement b/t the affiliate and the marketer / producer. So when you click through a blog to Amazon, the blogger is almost always an Amazon affiliate. Your price doesn’t change but the blogger gets a percentage for referring you to Amazon. Multi-level is when someone makes a commission for selling you something but they also make money off of those whom they recruit to sell – and it has to go down a certain number of levels.
Does that help? Happy to explain more if not.
Thank you for your quick response to my question and explaining the difference. I really appreciate the amount of time and work you put into your research. Amazing and exhaustive. I’m very impressed with the Rocky Mountain/Native American Nutritionals philosophy and commitment to sustainability. Kudos to you for putting the info out there!!!
You are so welcome! Enjoy their oils – more coming soon!
This must’ve taken you a great deal of time to do as much research as you did! I have used essential oils for some time now. I’ve been confused on the different companies and the huge price differences between companies! I know several people who have their preferred company and I haven’t known which to use.
Your article is the best I’ve found that breaks down the different companies, showing their positives and negatives and presenting it in an unbiased manner. Most other articles I read seemed to have an angle, so thank you again for taking the flack and the research time to provide your readers with in depth information!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Did you happen to see that I have a new guide on essential oils that just came out? I hope to write more in the next week or so: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/