Choosing An Essential Oil Company

I love essential oils, there are just so many awesome things they can used for. But as with any medicinal, they need to be used cautiously. Choosing a company that sells pure unadulterated oils is important. There are a lot of essential oil companies out there claiming to have the highest quality oils, so choosing the right company for your needs can be a bit confusing. In this post I share a few of the most important things to look for when choosing an essential oil company.

3rd Party Testing

Choosing an oil company that is selling 100% pure unadulterated oils is the most important thing to look for. You don't want any nasty chemical additives in your essential oils. This can be confusing sometimes though because there are a lot of misleading marketing terms being used by some popular essential oil companies, like "certified therapeutic grade" or "medicinal grade". These terms mean very little in the aromatherapy world, as there is no governing board or agency to issue such certifications. They're nothing more than marketing terms.

The only way to truly determine the purity of an essential oil is by GC-MS testing. GC stands for gas chromatography. This portion of the test separates a chemical mixture into pure chemicals. MS stands for mass spectrometry. This portion of the test identifies the pure chemicals and determines quantity. So basically it's a scientific test that determines the chemical makeup of a mixture and would reveal any unwanted additives.

Always look for a company that provides batch specific 3rd party GC MS test results. Preferably right on their website, easy to access.

Accurate Safety Information

Since essential oils are powerful medicinals, it's important to have access to accurate safety information. Avoid companies that promote unsafe practices like casual ingestion (essential oils should only be ingested under the supervision of a licensed aromatherapist, and only short term to address very specific issues), drinking essential oils (oil and water don't mix guys, so it's no different than ingesting undiluted oils), using oils undiluted, etc...

Also, not all essential oils are safe for everyone. Many should not be used around babies or very young children. Some oils should be avoided during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Some should not be used around those with certain medical conditions. Try to look for a company that provides at least basic safety information on their website or bottles, like whether or not an oil is kid friendly or should be avoided by those with a particular medical condition.

Fair Trade Practices And Sustainable Farming

Look for Earth and human friendly companies that are dedicated to fair trade practices and sustainable farming.

It takes a lot of plant matter to make just a small amount of essential oil. Over 200,000 rose petals are needed to make just 5 ml of rose oil! When it comes to essential oils it's very important to pick a company that is dedicated to sustainable farming.

Affordability

Price is also something to take into consideration. A higher price doesn't always mean a better product, so why spend more than you have to? There are actually quite a few essential oil companies out there selling pure oils at very good prices.

My Top Picks

Mountain Rose Herbs: I love Mountain Rose Herbs! They're based out of Eugene, Oregon and sell bulk herbs, teas, and essential oils. Everything they sell is organic and sustainability farmed or wild harvested. Their oils are high quality, proven with batch specific GC MS test results, and they're prices are great! You can check them out here.

Plant Therapy: Plant Therapy is an especially great choice for those with kids that are newer to essential oils and may not be familiar with safety recommendations. They very clearly label their oils as kid friendly or not.

Batch specific GC MS test results are available right on their website. They're prices are fantastic and shipping is always free! You can check out their site here.

Aromatics International: Aromatics International also has batch specific GC MS test results right on their website. And I like that they print safety recommendations straight on their bottle labels. You can visit their site here.

If you enjoyed this post, check out:

-My 5 Favorite Kid Friendly Essential Oils

-DIY All Purpose Herbal Salve

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