Have you ever used essential oils expecting certain results and then were disappointed because it didn’t happen? It is a sure bet that the aromatherapy oil you used was inferior.

In order to be confident that you are buying the best essential oils online it is important to understand a few things about how organic essential oils are made.  

“The most important thing to understand when selecting essential oil is the difference between pure essential oils and synthetic products. The practice of aromatherapy requires essences extracted from plants, not synthetic scents made from petroleum by-products in laboratories. As with any other type of treatment, results are the goal. Synthetic oils can never produce the same desirable results that pure essential oils can. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing method that works by treating individuals as whole beings, not as machines made up of so many isolated parts to be fixed when broken. The body and the mind are integrated. The body affects the mind, and the mind affects the body.”  Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty   by Roberta Wilson

 produce the highest quality of essential oils, which are ones that have been produced in such a way to preserve as many of the delicate aromatic compounds as possible. Fragile aromatic chemicals are easily destroyed by high temperature and pressure as well as contact with chemical reactive metals, such as copper or aluminum. Therapeutic grade essential oils are steam distilled using pure water at low temperatures and low pressures. The plants have been grown using “organic” farming methods: no pesticides, no herbicides and no chemical fertilizers. They were planted at the right time of the year in well-balanced soil, and given the right amount of water. They were harvested at just the right time of year at just the right time of day and distilled immediately. All these aspects affect the quality of the essential oil and the labor-intensive methods push up the price. Some manufacturers use chemicals in the distilling process to speed things along or to create more volume, and bring the price down, but then those chemicals are passed on to the essential oil and can cause skin reactions. Also many manufactures use high heat and pressure while distilling the oils because it is quicker and therefore bring down the cost of production, even though they destroy some of the chemical compounds in the essential oil.

 Adulteration is the addition of other substances either synthetic or natural to extend or to alter the appearance or smell. It is a common practice for many manufacturers to add chemicals to create more volume and label it as pure essential oil!