Essential Oils: Part Two (Purity)

Hello & welcome to day two of my five day blog series on essential oils! If you missed day 1, you can find it here.

In my attempt to research essential oils (EO's) over the past year or so, I have found one consistency. There is a LOT of misinformation out there. I believe that this is largely due to the lack of extensive research and the fact that EO's are not regulated by the FDA (on top of that, "taking control of your health" and seeking alternatives to support healthy body function isn't in the best interest for big pharmaceutical companies..they gotta make those benjamin's). With the many different brands to choose from, how do you make the best decision for you and your family?!? For me, this was an initial source of great frustration and has
inspired me to teach others how to safely and effectively use EO's based on what I have learned!

(Again, I am providing my own findings and what I believe to be the most accurate information, but I am not a doctor, so please use common sense with following any tips & advice I share with you.)

I am going to list some things to consider when choosing an EO brand and then explain why I exclusively use doTERRA.

1. There are three classifications of essential oils that are generally recognized.

• Synthetic (mainly fragrance oils and perfumes, poor quality, and man-made in laboratories)
• Food grade (things like Lemon or peppermint oils that are regarded safe for consumption, but still aren't pure)
• Therapeutic Grade (can be purchased at most health food stores or from online sources. Since this isn't a regulated term, having a quality brand that you trust really matters.)

2. Price

• While I am not one to waste money,  I do believe in the saying,  "You get what you pay for". In case you didn't know,  it takes massive amounts on plant material to make just one bottle of EO. Let me put this into perspective: it takes roughly  45 lemons for a 15mL bottle, 30 lbs. of Lavender flowers for a 15mL bottle of Lavender, and a staggering 1000 lbs of Melissa Plant just to produce a 5mL bottle of Melissa. With that being said, would you feel confident in buying product from a company that charges between $5 and $10 per bottle of EO they sell? It would raise red flags for me! I have been told (sorry, can't find the exact reference, but will update when I do) that to be able to slap the "100% Pure" label on a bottle of EO, there only has to be 10% pure oil and the remainder can be whatever filler the company chooses, usually a carrier vegetable oil. This is how some companies are able to charge so little per bottle! Of course this is a generalization and there may be some exceptions, I just want you to be aware that not all oils are created equally. 

Packaging

• Even the best quality EO's lose potency and effectiveness if not packaged and stored properly. When choosing a brand, the oil should be stored in a dark (amber or cobalt), glass container. Sunlight breaks down the oils, resulting in loss of effectiveness and therapeutic quality,  and a dark colored container will better protect your investment. Glass containers are important because, over time, pure EO's (especially citrus) will break down and pull chemicals from plastic, resulting in contaminated product. 
• I would also like to note that extreme temperatures could also inhibit effectiveness, especially exposure to heat. 

Quality/ Questions to ask yourself

• How does the company source plant material? Is is sustainable? Free of pesticides?  Foreign chemicals? What are the distillation methods used to extract oil? Is the end result truly 100% pure? 

Customer Service

• Does the company you are considering provide support and education materials? Do they have a foundation of integrity? 

The above list is by no means comprehensive, but these are considerations that are most important to me. :)

Just a few of the many reasons why I  trust doTERRA:

• First and foremost, my family and I consistently get fantastic results!
• The plants harvested are indigenously grown (Lavender from France, Lemon from Italy, Frankincense from Oman...). This means the plants, and eventually EO, are going to be of the highest quality due to being grown where it is able to thrive.
• doTERRA only bottles and sells EO's that are sustainable.
• Rigorous testing ensures that each batch of oil is free of toxins, contaminates, and microorganisms, meaning they are beyond organic. In addition, doTERRA has created such strict standards for themselves with purity, that they have trademarked the term CPTG (Certified Pure, Therapeutic Grade) and have committed to providing oils that are 100% pure and free of fillers, contaminates, or synthetic materials.(Can I get a WHOOT?!?)
• Select EO'S and Blends are labeled GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) and can be used internally.
• Resources, tips, information, and customer service are readily available.

That is quite a bit to take in, so I will  wrap it up for today. Tomorrow, you can look forward to reading about the three different ways to use EO's.

Thank you for spending a little time with me today!!

Heather

Disclaimer: This series has been written to provide information and to help educate others. This information was not provided to diagnose, proscribe, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. The information present should not be used as a substitute for medical counseling and anyone suffering from a disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified healthcare professional.