The Home Pharmacy. Essential Oil company comparisons.

I am sorry I am out of my usual order today.  It was this or nothing!  But I have been waiting to post this as I am so excited by some of the things I am learning.

The most helpful thing I have found so far with getting started with essential oils is beginning with what I need to know the most and with the oils that suit our own needs.   I do not have to know about every essential oil, I can start out with the ones that are going to help with our current concerns.   So I first looked for an oil to help me get to sleep, something to kill germs, something to build up immunity and something for Andy.   It quickly turned out his "thing" is doTERRA Easy Air.  He loves that stuff.
It is way less daunting when you start out with one or two things, research those, and build up some confidence.

My goal is to have an Essential Oil and Homeopathic medicine cabinet that addresses the most likely things that are issues for us.  This includes flu prevention and treatment.   I feel like I have come a long way in a few weeks and had chances to test things well.   A few things have amazed me... the Oregano Oil for my sore throat,  the Easy Air for when Andy couldn't stop coughing and the germ fighter blends in the diffuser.  I have loved all of these.

To build up your collection as you identify what would be good for your own family is gradual as it is a considerable investment.  Although I have found the oils go an incredibly long way, they are used diluted and they last a long time (see my post about that here) it is still going to take a while to buy the oils you are wanting.

I have found the price variations between brands of essential oils staggering.  I naturally assumed cheaper oils just equal less quality.  Lana was the first to point out that simply isn't true.   First of all you need 100% pure Essential Oils.   Anything the uses the word fragrance i.e. fragrant oil or anything other that 100% PURE essential oil is no good.  There are a lot of variations to consider.
After that there are probably hundreds of essential oil companies.  Some that come up time after time when you look for reliable, reputable, pure etc are Plant Life, Young Living, doTERRA,  Eden's Garden, Rocky Mountain Oils,  Stillpoint, Floracopeia,  Aura Cacia, Rhada Beauty,  Hopewell,  Nature's Sunshine .... the list just goes on and on.   I can't hope to cover or mention them all.

So far I have tried doTERRA,  Young Living,  Lively Living  and Hopewell.
I will always love doTERRA since it was the first I used, it is great quality,  reliable, locally available.
So I think I will end up with two or three favourites.  Also this way you can take advantages of specials like last week doTERRA had buy one get one free promotions on certain oils.  I am certainly open to trying more.  I want to have the best selection I can and feel confident with using them.  As Lana pointed out when trying to prevent illness fast action/early intervention is required. Things need to be on hand.

Lana is really experienced with essential oils and she put me on to Hopewell Oils.
Glenda is a fully qualified herbalist, nutritionist  and Naturopath and she recommends Nature's Sunshine and she has toured their facility.  So I know both these brands are used by professionals.

I am working in Australian dollars and with international orders you have to factor in exchange rates and postage.  
Here is a quick example of the price differences in four companies with 100% pure oils.
For each one  I include their version of the flu and germ fighter.

Young Living.
Lavender 15ml  $51.65
Frankincense  15ml $162.25
Thieves 15ml $76

doTERRA.
Lavender 15ml $37.33
Frankincense 15ml $114.33
On Guard 15ml $53.33

Plant Therapy.
Lavender 10ml $6.95
Frankincense 10ml $14.95
Germ Fighter 10ml $9.95

Natures Sunshine.
Lavender 15ml $20.25
Frankincense 15ml $104.95
Shield 15ml. $31.45

Hopewell Oils.
Lavender 15ml $8.40
Frankincense 15ml $19.00
Plague Defence 15ml $14.00

So you are seeing what I mean!   It is not a few dollars we are talking about it might be over $100 a bottle!   This made no sense to me at all...
Going into the WHY of this is a can of worms involving claims made on bottles, insurances,  multi level marketing vs buying from a home company, advertising and more including giant court battles!
One thing that seems to have big factor is the companies that say you can ingest the oils are paying big insurance premiums.  Other pure essential oil companies do not say you can ingest them although they may be the same thing and thus avoid some of the liability and necessary insurance cover for that.   Anyone I have spoken to who is qualified advised not ingesting oils without professional guidance.  (And more... you must be sure you have no adverse reaction, no interactions with drugs you might be taking or even other natural remedies).

I read up on about fifty companies.  I found I was put off some i.e. they were too new age for me and I was drawn to others... I was impressed by disclosure of how the oils were made, where the plants are sourced,  safety guidelines,  being able to ask for help,  extensive information and education that you can access for free.  I also liked a larger range with explanations of what they are used to treat.  So after you have a list of reliable companies your own personal presferecnes will come into it.

As I have only tried out a few I can only comment on those.  As I said I love my doTERRA oils, everyone so far.
I love the Plant Therapy ones I have and the Germ Fighter is beautiful... it does not smell conventionally nice... it just is somehow addictive to me!
I bought two oils from Lively Living, an Australian company. I am happy with those although they had a smaller range and no "thieves" equivalent which I am am looking for.

I am so impressed with Hopewell Oils.  Even though they are in the USA and I need to pay postage they are so fast to arrive.  The postage included I still come out much cheaper.
Their parcel arrives with a hand written note, detailed usage and safety information,  what carrier oils to use, a dilution chart to help with mixing, how to test for sensitivities before you get started,  and info about their business which is a Christian Family business.   I made a second order with them. Within hours they have emailed me to say it is in the mail.

I would say do your own research. I am just starting out!  But just my little bit of research has helped my medical cupboard along a lot.   Now I can allocate funds to expanding my supply and trying new oils and get a lot for my $$$.   Really I had no idea of the variations.  With so much confusing information I think asking someone who is a Homeopath, Naturopath or Herbalist is a big help.  They are unlikely to be using substandard oils.

I also would say if in doubt then stick to what you know to be reliable.  There are many shops that sell little bottles that say "Essential oil"  but they are not and the words "100% pure" are missing, they are just a fragrance oil and not therapeutic at all.  Probably the opposite as full of artificial things.

If you have a brand you trust and like please share.  If you see a professional natural therapist then what brand are they using? This is interesting!
We want the best quality and reliability that we can trust and we want to be able to afford it.  This is going to make a big difference to the kind of complimentary medical cabinet we can have and to what we are willing to try.

I am finding it so interesting!  Now I am on to making my own cleaners with essential oils. Some brands have large cleaning item selections from dish and laundry detergent to room sprays.   There are some that are over $100 a bottle!  I am pretty sure I will have some recipes coming up that will be comparable for very little!

Have a good week!  It is cooler and lovely here.  Some true Autumn has arrived! xxx