We all have favorite places to shop. There’s the grocery store with the best seafood and meat selections, the farmer’s market with the most extensive variety of veggies and fruits, the specialty boutique where you splurge on that perfect accessory to go with your little black dress. Then, there are the items we purchase where the least expensive option available works. The thought process here is, the products in question are the same no matter where you purchase them. So, find the bargain and move on! Examples of this may be kitchen staples such as flour, sugar and salt or household cleaning supplies.
My hope is you don’t look at putting essential oils in the least expensive category when purchasing. Why? You will either be applying the oils, mixed with a carrier oil or cream, on the skin, inhaling them or diffusing them into your environment. And, chances are you will be looking for a specific result from using essential oils. Maybe you want relief from headaches, asthma or allergies. Perhaps you seek stress reduction or help falling asleep. Pure, fresh essential oils are a fabulous holistic alternative to pharmaceuticals. But, when you don’t know where the plants were grown, when and how they were distilled nor how they have been handled since being shipped, you run the risk of not getting the desired results. Or, you may even receive harmful effects from their use.
CONSIDERATIONS
The journey from soil to seed, maturation to harvest, distillation, exportation and importation, repackaging and fulfillment and shipping is valuable information, vital to assuring you product potency. Please keep the following things in mind when shopping for and storing your essential oils:
BEFORE YOU BUY
- Shelf Life – All oils have a shelf life. In general, citrus oils last 1-2 years. Conifers can remain vibrant for 3-5 years. The heavier perfume types such as Ylang Ylang and Vetiver can last for 8+ years. That’s why it is so important to know when the essential oils are distilled and bottled.
- How Much – If an essential oil’s price seems too good to be true it probably isn’t pure. This means there is most likely a tiny amount of essential oil in the bottle. The rest is a bunch of additives. An impure blend will likely not give you the results you seek.
- Less Is More – Think about why you want essential oils in your life. Chances are you don’t need every oil out there. A strategic variety of 15-20 oils should cover a myriad of uses. Many essential oils can be used for multiple purposes. Lavender is a good example of this and a mainstay in many people’s oil collections. It has sleep-inducing and stress-relieving properties as well as anti-inflammatory benefits, chilling hot flashes and alleviating motion sickness.
AFTER YOU BUY
- Storage – How the oils are stored can play a big part in how long they last. Oxygen, sunlight, and heat speed up the degradation process. It’s best the oils are kept in dark glass bottles, a cool, dark space, and lids tightly closed. You can even keep your oils in the refrigerator if you wish. And remember, it’s not only how you store the oils once in your home. Whether you buy from an online or brick-and-mortar shop, it matters how they take care of the essential oils before being bought by you.
- Stay Organized – You will need some kind of system to keep track of how old your oils are after purchase. When you know the date of distillation and bottling of all your oils, keep that info in a notebook, an excel spreadsheet, or label each bottle. Please do the same thing for blends you concoct and carrier oils. And, use waterproof labels and Sharpies if organizing the bottles. Otherwise, you end up with a smudged mess you are unable to read.
- Trust Your Senses – If an essential oil appears cloudy, thicker (hard or impossible to get drops from the bottle), or smells acidic it has probably seen better days. These oils then become great candidates for making natural cleaning supplies. So, not a total loss but maybe not what you bought the oils for in the first place.
WHO TO TRUST
Where do you shop to be assured of getting pure, fresh essential oils? When I joined the Aromahead Essential Oil certification program a collection of 48 oils was included in the fee. These oils came from a company called Aromatics International. This company has become my go to source for all of my essential oil purchases. No, I do not get any money for recommending them. I feel they are simply the best. You are assured of organic, 100% pure products from seed to sell. You know when the oils are distilled and bottled. And, if you forget to record the date of distillation there is a code on top of each bottle. You simply look up this code on their site and get all the information about that essential oil.
Other online sources I have read about and can suggest are Rocky Mountain Oils, Plant Therapy and Eden’s Garden. I have never purchased oils from them though. My only firsthand knowledge comes from Aromatics International.
If you are concerned about allergic reactions to essential oils my only suggestion is to go to a store and sniff some tester bottles. Having said that, tester bottles in stores are few and far between. The purity and shelf life issues come into play as well. However, Fruitful Yield, The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC may be options in your area to go and take some whiffs. At the very least you can get an idea if the scent is pleasing or offensive to you.
Ultimately, you now know how to make an informed decision when purchasing essential oils. If nothing else remember this – no matter how you use essential oils in your life they are getting into your bloodstream. Don’t you deserve the purest, freshest form available? Yes you do Wise Goddess!
