There really is so much to say about essential oils and so much information out there, along with a large number of suppliers. It can be easy to become overwhelmed, which is why I started doing my own research and joined several groups that helped navigate the waters. One of the most confusing things for me was getting around the information that the MLMs were handing out. Have they actually even trained in aromatherapy? If so, they wouldn’t encourage their customers and sellers to use their expensive oils neat (undiluted) and to ingest them on a daily basis. If used properly, oils can last the average person quite a while. I won’t go into safety now, but oils are not meant to be casually ingested and they are just as effective when diffused or diluted in carrier oil when used on the skin. Plus, there is a risk of sensitization if oils are regularly used undiluted. Anyway, I digress…
It was all of this information floating around that really made me decide to become a certified aromatherapist. I feel like the information will be useful not only for our family, but hopefully for friends as well. Obviously it would be great if I could make a living creating products for other people, but I’m going to just wait and see what happens with that. In the meantime, the knowledge is good to have and I hope I can help educate other people in the use of essential oils.
While I’m not a fan of MLMs and probably will never purchase oils from them just because I don’t like their business practices, there are many places to shop for oils that are reasonably priced and offer high quality products. One thing to keep in mind is that there are MANY sellers of oils, but really only so many distillers, so it’s highly likely that many stores are selling oils from the same places. There is not just one company selling 100% therapeutic grade oil because all essential oils are technically therapeutic. Granted, there are some companies that sell oils with additives and synthetic ingredients, and that is something you want to watch out for. The more open a company is about sharing where the oil is from, different testing reports, safety information, the more comfortable I feel with that company.
One of my favorite essential oil companies right now is Plant Therapy. They not only have amazing customer service, but they have an informative blog, a helpful Facebook group, and a great Kid Safe line that we love. I don’t remember how I stumbled across them, but I’m so happy I did. Some other favorites include Aromatics International, Stillpoint Aromatics, and Mountain Rose Herbs to name a few. I’m still testing out other brands and companies as I go along since I also plan on making lotions, bath salts, massage oils, lip balms, and whatever else comes to mind as I get more into it and will need lots of supplies.
I’m so looking forward to sharing my knowledge with my friends and family, though, and more importantly the oils themselves. Part of my certification includes case studies and a paper, so I’ll be needing guinea pigs in the near future who will be willing to let me mix up some special blends for them and officially be my first clients on this very fun journey. I’m going to hopefully have a separate blog page soon strictly for oils as I hope for this to become a way of life, and think it will be useful to have the information in one place.
I will gladly be one of your guinea pigs 🙂 I love the oils you gave me!
I figured I’d be contacting you. 😉
So exciting! I admittedly don’t know much about essential oils, but I’d love to learn more!!
They’re a lot of fun! Admittedly, they aren’t a cure all or anything, but I like having them as another option that happen to smell really good. 🙂