Where to buy

First I am a doTERRA Wellness Advocate (that means I do sell the oils). Now that is out of the way.
I have been using herbs for over 20 years and essential oils off and on. Some experience great and others not so great.
I have spent more money than I care to admit on health food store brands.
Here is how I determine quality. Smell-If can smell diesel or herbicides- I run. Having met many 'sharers' (like myself)
from various brands. The energy of the person determines many things-When I was first introduced to doTERRA I was not interested
because of the people I met and the same with Young long before. There is a difference between quality between all of them.
BUT before someone jumps me-for this. Understand I get foot zones and that friends uses another brand and my kids can smell the difference.
I went with doTERRA because I was able to sit with Dr. Hill and discuss my health which was not very good at the time. He gave me a very simple protocol to follow. In fact he said just get what you need and take care of yourself. I went home discussed it with my husband who had just come home from deployment. i waited a month and then signed up as an orphan-no sponsor, no upline, nothing. I have no regrets I learned what I needed and began to heal. I do muscle test and bless all of my essential oils and supplements, etc from whatever source they come from.

I tell those who are researching essential oils you are making an investment in your health. Buy the best quality that RESONATE with you. You find that by samples and any 'sharer' who really is your friend will let you sample an oil or two, beyond that because it may be their business they may ask for a small monetary amount to replace those supplies. There are many 'serial' samplers who take advantage and ask for samples from every one and never buy-forgetting that that is someones livelihood. You must sit and determine what Brand (Young, Butterfly, doTERRA, ETC) RESONATES with you and with each family member-they can be different. I love my friends who use other brands. We share knowledge about each oil and herbs which I value. I own a varied library of herbs and essential oils usage books. I make many of my own body care products. I am grateful that I have doTERRA in my life. It has changed my life for the better. I am grateful for the herbs that have helped me and worked synergistically with those essential oils to help my body heal itself. Find the best investment in your health and then go forward with that in peace.

That is my opinion. It is frustrating to see the division in complimentary healthcare companies.

Updated: with doTERRA there is not a minimum order required, and you do not have to share the oils unless you want. Remember, I did not do that for over a year- I took care of me. There is a one time $25 dollar fee for a preferred member that gives 20% off retail. Wholesale is $35 initial sign up and $25 every year after that gives 25% off retail. I know the contracts 100 year exclusive, meaning the grower can only sell to do TERRA and the rejects cannot be resold period. Yes it is my business, but not my only business. I am a personal trainer, mentor for home schoolers and other seeking their own education using leadership education or TJEd principles. I am also an energy worker. Plus more than I can list here. I believe in finding what works best for each person.

I am just starting to learn about herbs and growing and cultivating them. I have been purchasing herbs and essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. What do you all think of this company?

[IdahoHerbalist]

Mt Rose Herbs is a great company. For EO's I have been using Butterfly Express. Great oils at a great price. They have a fairly easy to get into wholesale buyer's plan as well, NOT MLM, no minimum monthly purchase that I am aware of.

I've never bought from Mountain Rose. I've always bought mine from Young Living Essential oils. They extract every oil with different pressures and different temperatures according to the herbs' needs so that medicinal properties aren't compromised. Even though their oils are still for aromatherapy, they are mainly for medicinal purposes.

They also have an essential oils desk reference (huge book) that explains how each oil is produced, where the plant was sourced and how it's used medicinally. They've also got wholesale options. Their only drawback is that if you do choose the wholesale option, a certain amount of oils has to be bought each month. I didn't like that part.

What have you thought of Mountain Rose herbs and oils so far? Are they reasonably priced?

Since I am pretty new to this, I do not have much to compare Mountain Rose Herbs to. They are, however, better than buying in local stores! I liked that I was able to buy the herbs in bulk with different size options. I keep the herbs in a cool, dry, dark place and they stay very fresh. The people I spoke to when I called once were so very nice and helpful. According to their website they constantly monitor the growth of their herbs and ensure that the herbs they get from other sources are pure and organic. They say they visit these other growers on a regular basis.. The essential oils seem "a little" oily..I think!! I am new and don't have much experience with other companies/products. Its the shipping that is expensive, though, just like other sites, I'm sure!

Alane, I've been thinking lately of trying to distil my own oils from Tagetes minuta. We have it growing wild here. I've never distilled essential oils before so it will be a new thing for me. I bought a cheap stainless steel still from China to give it a go. I thought I'd just start with one herb and move on from there. I haven't researched yet as to what would be the best time to pick, temperatures etc.
I'm wondering if you're interested in trying to make your own some day and we could compare notes. We're in different seasonal zones....your winter is my summer. It could be interesting.
We'd know exactly how the plants were grown and how the oils have been extracted. To me, they'd feel more precious.

Does anyone else here distil their own essential oils? I'd love to hear how you do it. I can just imagine how the house would smell when I get around to doing the lavender.

[IdahoHerbalist]

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1368

Been meaning to bug Patrick about firing it up.

We use Butterfly Express and have really liked them. I am also a Young Living Distributor and a DoTerra distributor. Each company has a few blends that we really love. I'm a horrible salesman, I don't sell, we just help people get stuff at cost. One of the things that we love about Butterfly is their bulk sizes, you can get a 50 ml, a 4 oz, an 8 oz, and a 16. That has been nice. All it takes to get a wholesale account from Butterfly is a one-time initial order of $400.00. You can get several people together to make that volume and just put it all in one person's name. A bunch of my sisters went together and we are able to open two accounts. There are no further minimum requirements, you're just wholesale for life. I also really like that Butterfly is not multi-level, I personally don't care for that business structure. I did take the week long class on essential oils from LaRee Westover at Butterfly a few months ago and loved it. So much great information and I love her approach, very spiritual, acknowledges God as the creator of plants designed to heal people. That is important to me.

Holly Draper is owner of Purify Skin Care company here's a link: https://www.purifyskintherapy.com/ She claims that she has the most extensive training on essential oils in Utah. She graduated from a school on oils and has impressive credentials. She offers lots of free on-line classes, they are really helpful. Her oils are great, but expensive.

Hello!

I am a trained aromatherapist, so thought I'd jump in and share a few things to look for.

There are a number of good essential oil companies out there. The ones I am most familiar with is doTERRA, Stillpoint Aromatics, and Mountain Rose Herbs. Floracopia and Aromatics International are also considered high quailty oils by professionals in the field, but I have personally not used these.

Putting on my aromatherapist hat, I'd suggest the following as you look for oils
1. Be sure that the oil label contains both the common and the latin binomal ....this way you are more certain of what you are getting. Are you wanting Cedarwood? Well...there are actually multiple oils with the common name of cedarwood, and while they have some similarities they also have some differences....so be sure you know which you want and which you are getting.
2. Avoid purchasing through large online stores (Amazon for example...no offense to Amazon)... oils can be and unfortunately are adulterated be it a completely different oil or cut with a filler. You should purchase from a company known for its quality. You can buy online, but go with an oil company directly vs a clearing house if you will.
3. Ideally you should be able to see the GCMS report....which is ideally confirming/demonstrating that the chemical constituents in the batch mirrors (with in normal limits) the chemical make up of a quality plant.
4. The seller should be able to tell you where the oils came from...was the lavender from France or Michigan...ok exaggeration there, but in truth, some plants simply grow better and produce a higher quality oil in certain places do to soil and weather conditions, etc. Ideally the seller should be familiar with the distiller and their practices.
5. Price can be an indicator within reason.....if you find a really cheap bottle of a normally expensive oil, red flags should go up. Recognize that it takes multiple pounds of plant material some times in the 1000s ( yes really) to produce one lb of EO. Frankincense, sandalwood, Melissa, Blue Tansy and others are quite expensive oils to produce. If you find them at a bargain basement price, get in touch with the company. Talk to them find out more. Likewise, just because an oil is significantly more expensive doesn't necessarily make it better.


I hope that helps give you some guidelines on things to look for.
Blessings