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 SO MUCH!! I have been using some EOs for several years and at various times have felt quite drawn to perhaps join their MLM so I can get discounts, etc. as I’ve had some great results with their oils I’ve used. Again, I was feeling that draw but started doing some research online. Honestly, THANK GOD I found your post. Your research has been invaluable and has saved me MUCH time as well as money and perhaps eventual heartache. I am looking forward to checking out your recommended company. I feel so badly that you have had so many personal attacks which just seems crazy! You have been a wonderful example of how to respond to the underhanded and childish retorts. (The rude comments only succeed at making that person look poorly, really.) Again, thank you and thank you!!
Hi there and thanks for your kind words! I spent so much money on those oils but thankfully was able to sell almost all of them on my site. I really appreciate what you said. I have been having a very stressful time here so your words are a special blessing to me. You’re welcome you’re welcome :)!
Hi! Just read your blog. I don’t know if you know this, but while doTERRA’s shipping may be sort of high, you can get 100% of it back in rewards for free future products. No one that I know of besides doTERRA does that. Also, they give you back between 10-30% of your purchases back in rewards. I just got $60 of rewards for free the other day.
I don’t think that there is a No. 1 oils company out there. There is no way to really tell whose are best. Everyone will say that their company is the best. But, I do think there is a best for EVERYONE. Some might prefer one company over another, but as long as they work for you, they are the bset for YOU 🙂
Blessings,
Karen
Hi there. Thanks for commenting :). That was for sure not the case when I was w/ doTERRA. If it was, I had not idea.
I think that there is possibly a No. 1 oils company, but that would mean in quality and not necessarily affordability b/c we for sure couldn’t afford to buy those oils for every day use.
I hear what you are saying, but I do think that the “if it works for you” statement can be a little problematic. For example, pharmaceuticals work for many people, but they are causing a lot of irreparable damage to health and the planet. So I think that we really do need to look behind the pragmatic statement and see what is actually being done by the companies to the oils / what the quality is, etc.
I would love to hear what you think.
Thanks! 🙂
This is all very interesting and I, for one, am happy you did all this research. I have been involved with doTerra for over a year. I am absolutely amazed at how much money I’ve been spending (gotta get that “free” product of the month, you know). So, I’m really thinking now. I have a question, though. Are you saying using essential oils internally is not a good thing to do? Or are you more about “why are they pushing it so hard”? Thank you!
Hi there. Thanks for writing! I am saying that I think it’s overdone – perhaps this post will help clarify things a bit.
https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oils/
And did you happen to see this guide I just came out with? https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
More to come so stay tuned :). I was thinking about a post on internal use.
I apologize if this question has already been asked or answered…..but have you by chance checked out the essential oil exchange? I am currently in yoga therapy school and that was the company my yoga therapist teacher recommended. I have recently invested tons into their oils,,,,so now I’m stressing a tad! Thanks!
Hi there. I did look at them, but I’m sorry but I just can’t comment on oil companies now – but you can read this post to see if they measure up https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/
and I just came out w/ this guide to purchasing EOs that you might find interesting: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
Hope that helps :).
Hi, I know you have received many questions about Plant Therapy and I tried to read through all of them. A friend recently mentioned them to me and I see that they are less expensive than NAN. You said that Plant Therapy gets there oils from other companies. But from something I read that you wrote or from NAN seemed to be a similar situation. I was wondering if you could address that. Are they similar or does NAN make their own oils? Thank you!
I have one more thing, if that is OK. I am trying to get my mom started on oils for some health issues and she just came across this (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.) about making your own oils. I was wondering your thoughts on it. Thanks again!
HI there. I believe that what I said is that Plant Therapy gets their oils from experts. That might not be true anymore – I can’t comment on that. NAN buys direct from farmers. as for making your own I think that would take way too much time and that is coming from a HUGE DIYer. I have to give up some things, you know :)? 🙂
Plant Therapy changed a lot after there was a test on their oils where they didn’t measure up. They used to sell the 40/42 lavender as well as artificial fragrances. NAN has never done that. Thanks!
Hi Adrienne,
Thank you for your reply. I guess I am confused on the wording. What do you mean by experts? And what is the difference between getting them from experts and getting them from farmers?
Am I correct in saying that the link I posted would be a wrong way to go about making essential oils anyway?
Thank you for sharing all this info it has been very helpful. Not only to me, but I was on NAN’s facebook page one day and they had asked where people had heard about NAN and I think the majority of people cited your blog.
Hi there. I mentioned in the post that “experts” are basically middlemen between large farms and oils companies. So by going to farmers you are cutting out the middlemen. I don’t know about how to make essential oils. I do think it would be incredibly difficult. Upon looking at it it doesn’t seem quite like how companies do it but it might work. Thanks!
So, the farms that NAN uses grow the plants and then make the oils? OK, I think that was part of my confusion thinking that the farmers just grew the plants. And then for a company like Plant Therapy, the farmers grow the plants and then someone else makes the oils and you don’t know what the oils are actually like because you don’t know anything about the “expert” making them? Do I have it now? 🙂 Thank you!
Correct. All of NAN’s oils are distilled on site.
And likely Plant Therapy’s are off site.
This is one thing that effects price significantly. The most concentrated and therapeutic qualities come when you distill right after harvest. You want to distill the plant as quickly as possible after picking it because the properties come from the LIVING plant, not the dead plant. So the longer the plant sits then it loses many of the most powerful properties.
This is why your only option for high quality oils is to distill onsite.
There are reasons why some companies’ oils are lower cost.
Also, you can know about the expert, but I have heard that they will do things to the oils to make them more “palatable” or less expensive. I can’t say who or that all do it but that is what I have heard. And some admit to it – that they heat, vacuum, etc. Mr. Pappas talked about vacuuming oils in the comments on my blog.
Thank you Adrienne,
This was very helpful.
I actually sent Plant Therapy an email about (I had used the word suppliers, because I thought that was the right word to use at the time) the experts they use. I was wondering if they could tell me who they were. This was their reply –
“Thanks so much for asking, but I’m afraid I cannot disclose this information unfortunately. I can assure you however, that we work closely with top suppliers and farmers throughout the world, to offer the best product possible. In fact, all of our essential oils are of the highest quality, are 100% pure and natural, undiluted, and free of any chemicals, pesticides, or additives. Each and every batch of oils that we get into our facility, is 3rd party tested by a world renowned top expert Robert Tisserand.”
That name, Robert Tisserand sounds familiar, but I don’t know anything about him. And I didn’t understand why they couldn’t tell me the supplier. So, I wasn’t sure how I felt about their answer.
Thank you!
I don’t know why they don’t disclose either. I was talking w/ another company and the owner told me the experts she used. Who knows. I am all for transparency. Tisserand is well respected and did / does have his own oils and personal care line. He is one of the more “high safety” oils people. His work is good but personally I think he is the camp of “only an aromatherapist should tell you how to use oils” and I disagree w/ that thinking. I think that is like telling me I can’t figure out what supplements I might want to take.
I hope that helps.
Hi, I’m hoping you can help me. I too have been doing extensive research into oils. I have come across some that I think might be legitimate options… But I’m not done yet. While researching, I came across your blogs. Which has been very helpful.
If you wouldn’t mind, can you please tell us what’s your thoughts on the following companies? Have you had any experiences with any of them? Anything you could share would be greatly appreciate!
https://www.florihana.com/
https://www.fragrantearth.com
https://www.originalswissaromatics.com/
https://www.lunaroma.com/
https://www.stillpointaromatics.com/essential-oils
(Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
https://www.floracopeia.com/
https://www.aromaticsinternational.com/
Hi there. Thanks for your kind words. I looked into a good number of those, but not all.
I’m sorry but I just can’t comment much on oil companies now – but you can read this post to see if they measure up https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/toxic-overload-health-concerns/essential-oils-testing-is-it-reliable/
and I just came out w/ this guide to purchasing EOs that you might find interesting: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
Hope that helps :).
I think you did a good job of describing how you made your decision and tried to be fair about the companies you didn’t choose, you did make one false statement. You wrote “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” That is false I believe for both companies. doTERRA offers 2 memberships for discount with no minimum purchase one has a $10 one time fee and gives you a 20% discount and the other has an annual fee of $25 which after you receive your free peppermint becomes less than $5 for renewal and offers a 25% discount. The only minimums are to take advantage of free products and or to be paid commissions of up to 40%.
Hi there. I don’t believe that doTERRA had 2 options when I was with them. But thanks :). And of course, you need to assume that the peppermint is worth the money they are saying it’s worth to offset the annual fee, but I completely understand your point. Thanks for your kind words!
Hi do you have any essential oil diffuses that you recommend? or types you recommend? There is such a huge range in price! I am not sure what is worth it and what isnt! I’m in need of a little help!
Yes, I am trying the ones from Native American Nutritionals right now. I have the doTERRA one but don’t care for it. I really like the Aroma Cloud Spa and Home but I believe they are out of stock. They do expect to have them in soon.
Here they are (aff link). The Home one is for a smaller room. I have them both going right now and they have a 1 year warranty which is really nice.
Wow! How informative! I read most of this series, the numbered parts more than the prologue sections, and I have to say – I think I’m done with DoTerra. Especially after reading somewhere (can’t remember right now if it was here in this blog or elsewhere, I’ve read about half a dozen this morning) about the lavender having synthetic Vanilla in it in such a small quantity it can only be detected with certain tested, etc. (My son was still bouncing off the walls with his lavender blend a friend of mine made for me and I couldn’t understand why. I think the synthetic vanilla is the key and why he keeps coming out of his room for 2 hours after I’ve already put him to bed.)
I will certainly be looking into your recommended oils company. I’ve been looking at Homeopathic remedies for a few months now. My main reason? My son has PFAPA (very annoying as far as quality of life goes), and my friend was able to assure me her blend would work. I found out a few other things about the blend she used, which I would alter in future, and she is aware of my small findings, but I wonder if your oil recommendation could do better with better quality. Besides, I don’t care for doctors if I don’t have to, and long-term steroids from conventional medical treatment is not something I am interested in.
I read that too but it was the peppermint – then I read that it might not be true – I am not sure what to think. I have been starting to look at homeopathy too. I hope to lean more and write about it. I hope you like them and if you need help let me know. Blessings.
Your information was a great read, I have been looking into this and trying figure out which company I like best and trust. How can you become a rep or affialte for this company? Thank you
Hi there. They are accepting affiliates now, I believe, but they do not have reps. Thanks!