DON'T! get your essential oils from a grocery or health food store & here are 7 REASONS WHY!
Have you recently discovered the wonderful world of essential oils and their extraordinary benefits? Somewhere along my journey I started to get fed up with the chronic ailments, and a negative mindset, and began exploring a more natural approach to living. Along that journey I was very blessed to be introduced to Essential oils. At first I used for aromatherapy, so I could try and find some rest and peace during my sleep ( what little I was getting at the time.) Fast forward 4 years later I use them absolutely everyday, and for a multitude of reasons, and like many of you found the amount of information surrounding essential oils to be overwhelming, and a bit confusing. My first set of oils were given to me as a gift and were from a company called synergy, and they were decently nice and smelled ok, and definitely had a positive effect on my sleeping over the course of about 4 weeks.
Then I was introduced to DoTerra branded essential oils by a friend, and wow! was I pleasantly shocked that I could instantly tell there was a potency difference in the two brands. I then sampled some Young Living oils (DoTerra was formed by former Young Living employees) and the same results! There was a distinct potency difference, between the two brands. So I hit the research trail, and wanted to answer the question of what oils should I really be using? Does Price matter? Can't I just get them from my local health store? Well after many hours of sifting my way through the densely populated field of essential oil and plant information, here is what I came up with.
WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GROCERY STORE ESSENTIAL OILS
1.These oils will smell good. Especially if you have never experienced 100% essential oils.
2.These oils like all others will enter your nose and go to your limbic system (which is part of your brain.)
3.These oils may help with the occasional headache, make it a little easier to breathe or lift your mood.
4.These oils WILL have additives and synthetics in them, and we already know the harmful effects synthetics and additives have on your health!
THE 7 REASONS NOT TO BUY ESSENTIAL OILS FROM THE LOCAL GROCER
1. The fact of the matter is, you simply do not know what it is you’re getting. I urge you not to be deceived by a “pure” or “natural” label. In fact an oil that you may buy from a grocery store of health food store may be labeled “pure”, but may only contain 10% of the true essential oil. So you want to put lavender on that burn you just got on the stove?! Well, you might just make it worse with the synthetics that were added.
2. This highlights another issue with grocery stores, and that being; there is no additional support or like minded community that comes from your local grocer. You’re on your OWN to try to use them safely and efficiently. Like many people, it is easy absolutely feel LOST without community and support , or proper education surrounding a particular area of life. Education, resources, and being available for questions are a few of the things I’m passionate about passing down, and it would be great if the major chains were in on it also.
3. The labels and expiration dates are also RED flags! You’ll notice the bottles on the shelf have the labels “Keep Out of the Reach of Children” “Do Not Ingest”, and expiration dates. I'm sure they make you feel extra safe using these with your family right!? Again, the support and resources help tremendously when you’re learning how to use essential oils. Knowing when to dilute, how to use with children, which ones can be ingested (PLEASE PROMISE ME YOU WON’T INGEST NON-PURE OILS – PROMISE?!!!), etc. are vital pieces of information that can make or break your essential oil experience.
4. You have NO idea where they originated from or how they were grown. You have NO idea if the plants were treated with pesticides, or if they where they harvested at the right time, or even how many times were they distilled, etc. {Young Living guarantees their oils from Seed to Seal. They own their own farms, distill once, do weed control by steam and by hand, use essential oils for pest control, harvest at the proper time, etc.}( DoTerra has the certified therapeutic grade labeling which is in effect the same thing)
5. They are less effective and less potent! You GET what you pay for, and that’s a tiny bit of oil and a whole lot of junk. You might as well rub some dirt on it and save yourself some time and disappointment! If essential oils haven’t worked for you, I would venture to say you haven’t tried the real thing!
6. You’re buying from a company that is NOT... I repeat NOT concerned about your wellness. There’s no research to back up their oils, 20 year track record of integrity, or open-door into their business. You never have an opportunity of visiting the farms, helping plant, seeing the distillation process, and all that goes into that little bottle.
7.There’s not much variety!! If you are wanting to explore natural options for supporting a good night’s sleep, digestive system support, immunity support, etc. you’re not going to find very many options.
Now, you’re smart and I get that they’re cheap ( $95 is the cost of 100% frankincense Essential Oil?)…. But truly I urge you to use Common awareness. Just because you CAN buy essential oils anywhere doesn’t mean you should! I get it, I really do. Oils can be "expensive" but so is the trip to the doctor, followed by the pharmacy. But consider this: it takes more than 200 pounds of peppermint leaf to make 1 pound of pure essential oil. That’s a LOT of peppermint leaves! Think about how many rose petals it takes…no, on second thought, don’t. It makes my head hurt! Basically in my opinion and expertise, you are not going to find good quality, therapeutic, ingestible, safe essential oils at the grocery store (or Trader Joe’s, Home Goods, Marshall’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.).
BE SMART WHEN BUYING ESSENTIAL OILS Now, if you get started using oils from the natural section of your local grocery, that’s okay. Really it is. But please don’t leave a comment telling me that these synthetic oils will do what actual, 100% pure essential oils can.
Do me a favor, and DO NOT apply these oils topically. It’s not safe. If you have and have not gotten a headache, allergic reaction, rash, or burns, then you’re very, very lucky. These reactions are due to the fact that these oils are not actual essential oils-many of them contain less than 5% actual essential oil. Really.
NOT ALL ESSENTIAL OILS ARE CREATED EQUAL Please, remember that there’s a reason these oils are so cheap!! Peppermint oil costs more than $10 my friends. Please do not put these oils in the same category as DoTerra's or Young Living's oils.
Now I understand you’re trying to save money and all, but what happens if you have a reaction to those cheap oils? For starters, you’ve wasted $10, and no one wants to waste money. If you want to get started with essential oils, do your own research. DoTerra specifically labels their oils with Supplement facts for those ingestible oils and application instructions as well. I want you all to be well informed, so that you can make the best possible choices for yourself, family, and friends.
You can always visit my wellness advocate page for more details at www.doterra,com/flowell
and beginning February 21st our online wellness store will be full operational for you to get all your essential oil needs fulfilled, at a trusted and caring location.
Namaste my friends and Be Well!
CHeers
