This is not so much a post for my blog but more of a little research I did and want to come back to it so I figured I would make it a post and reference it when I need to.
I've been into essential oils for a little while now. I'm not sure where I heard of them, but I started out with a bottle of Now Lavender and some random brand off Amazon. I had lime and grapefruit and I think one more. I first become interested in the oils after doing reviews on different Lush soaps and realizing a lot of them had different essential oils in them. I'm pretty sure it was Lush Angel's Delight. Could you really get such a juicy citrus scent from just Essential oils? After ordering them, I decided you probably could.
I'm not sure what I did with those early bottles. I think I tried them in an oil burner, I would leave little cotton balls with oils in drawers in stuff. I went through those bottles but didn't repurchase for a little while. Not until we moved back to the states and I started seeing oils in TJ Maxx. I stayed and tried out some fragrance oils (still have them!), but I realized essential oils are far superior. They have actual health benefits. And you actually know what's in them which you don't with fragrance oils.
So I made a couple different things with them. Lotion bars, oils, and then a couple months ago finally got a diffuser, mostly to make my place smell good. But I love using essential oils for other stuff like eucalyptus for sore muscles, lavender to sleep, peppermint for heartaches, and tea tree for cuts. They have really worked for me for purposes like that and I like that they are natural.
But just because they are natural does not mean they are safe for everyone. If you have any medical conditions or are on any medications you should use extreme caution. Do your research, check with an aromatherapist or a doctor. Same with pregnant women. And children. So many people are throwing all these oils on their children with no regards to safety. Not all oils are kid safe. Or pet friendly. If you have animals, please use caution when diffusing or using essential oils. Some can be extremely harmful to you pets.
So now that that's out the way, one of the hardest things to decide is which oil companies to buy from. The most talked about oils seem to be Young Living and Do Terra. Which I would never purchase. I don't like MLM companies. Check out this video from John Oliver, it's very informative on MLM's in general.
So since oils can be adulterated with things that aren't essential oils, there are certain things to look for in companies you are looking to purchase from. A GC/MS report, the origin of the oil, and the scientific name. A little bit of safety info is also quite nice too.
So I found a couple of companies that I think are worth checking out. I haven't ordered from most of these companies but probably will in the future just to give them a try.
1. Plant Therapy- I actually already ordered from them, I bought the 1 oz bottle of Lavender and a 1 oz of blood orange. They have 1 oz bottles for very reasonable prices for the more common oils. They ship fast, have free shipping, and have a very large selection of oils. The best thing about them is their kid safe line. So if you have children and want to be sure you are using oils that are safe around them, the Kid Safe line would be worth checking out. I like how they put safety first.
2. Edens Garden- I placed a decent sized order for my parents. They have great customer service and reasonable prices, especially if you get the gift sets where you can choose your own. I haven't placed an order for myself but I definitely plan to sometimes in the future.
3. Florihana- A french brand of oils. I heard a lot of raves about this brand and I do plan to try them out, it's just the shipping is on the pricier side if you are in the US. There is a site you can order from where the shipping is more reasonable, so I do plan to order from them some day!
4. Aura Cacia- You can find these the easiest of all the brands. Aura Cacia is in most heath food stores. I've heard from many that the quality is not as good as what you can find from other brands, but I haven't had a problem with them. They are widely available and prices aren't too bad. Although you can find better prices from the first two brands, Aura Cacia will do in a pinch!
4. Veriditas Botanicals- I went through a bottle of Lavender from them, and still have some Tea Tree from the brand. They have great quality oils, they are organic (if that's what you like!), and also great info on their site about the oils. The only thing is they can be hard to get a hold of.
5. Rocky Mountain Oils- I had heard a lot of people love their oils. Some of them seem priced a bit high and a lot of their blends seem to be diluted and still priced quite high. I'm not too sure about this one but since it is one that I've seen recommended I thought I would include it in the list.
6. Mountain Rose Herbs- I'm on the fence with them. This is a brand that seems to be popular with bloggers. And from what I see a lot of them have affiliate links (I saw the same for Rocky Mountain Oils too!). Other people that I've seen review them that paid for them didn't seem too thrilled with the oils. I might place an order somewhere down the line to see for myself.
7. Now- The quality of Now stuff sucks. At least that's what I've been thinking since I've tried their Shea Butter. A lot of their stuff is extracted in the cheapest way possible. I think you get what you pay for with NOW brand. But I would still buy from the brand because while I wouldn't want to use my pricier oils in cleaners, etc I would definitely buy these to use for cleaning etc.
8. Plantlife- I have an allspice oil from them. I'm mostly interested in trying their blends. I think some of their single oils can be quite pricey, but I do like the company and think they make great soaps (although the scent could be stronger)! They have free shipping at $25 which is great too!
I think that's all for now and the best of most of the information I cam across....
Do you have brand you prefer or recommend, let me know in the comments!
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