Why the brand of essential oils you use really matters.
Your skin is your largest organ. Whatever you put on your skin takes only 22 seconds to hit your bloodstream, where it eventually ends up in every organ in your body within just a few minutes.
Quality DOES matter.
I am OBSESSED with essential oils. We use them for everything in our home. They help us sleep better, help ease common ailments, or even help prevent fine lines and wrinkles (welcome to the 30+ club ladies!).
Before I really knew a whole lot about essential oils, I would buy the cheapest priced oils I could off of Amazon. The bottles would state "100% pure therapeutic grade" so I figured they were great quality.
WRONG! I was so, so wrong and didn't even realize it.
My friend Britney would post on Facebook all the time about Young Living essential oils and how they changed her families' lives. One day I messaged her and asked about the starter kit. She gave me all the oily info, and I spent the $160 for the premium starter kit.
Let me tell you what. That starter kit was worth every single penny.
The lavender oil actually smelled like lavender. The ones I would buy off of Amazon had a lavender scent with a chemical twist that ended up giving me headaches after diffusing them. Not only did Young Living oils smell different, but they actually WORKED better. We noticed we slept better when diffusing the lavender from Young Living v.s. the Amazon oils. From that point on, we were hooked.
When purchasing essential oils, there are a few key things you should look into before using them on yourself and your family.
1. Where do companies get their harvest to make essential oils?
Young Living is the ONLY essential oil company that owns their own farms and they are 100% transparent. You can literally go to any Young Living farm anywhere at any time for a tour. This is HUGE. For a company to open it's doors and allow any outside visitors to visit their facilities says a lot about a company.
I looked into a popular oil company called Rocky Mountain Oils. They say their oils are 100% pure therapeutic grade. Their website states that they get their products from trusted suppliers in the industry, but do not mention where these farms are located. Everything is pretty vague and general
2. Do companies use pesticides to keep their crops bug and weed free?
This is something that is very important. If chemicals are being used to help control pests and weeds, and then these plants are being used to make essential oils, it is a huge no-no. In turn, you will then be inhaling these chemicals when diffusing or when applying them to your skin, you would end up absorbing these chemicals through your blood stream.
Young Living only uses other essential oils to control pests from ruining their crops. They NEVER use harsh and dangerous chemicals on their plants. What about weeds? They are taken care of the old fashion way: by hand.
3. What type of quality testing do companies conduct to make sure you are receiving the highest quality product every time?
Young Living has a "Seed to Seal Guarantee". I have seen a lot of people scoff at this and say, "That's just a made up slogan they use to con you into buying their oils."
Ummm...what?
First of all, every saying that any company has used in the history of EVER is "made up". So that argument is invalid. "Seed to Seal" really DOES mean something.
SEED: The seeds Young Living uses are scientifically selected for the ability to become plants with the highest level of bio-active compounds. Ever heard of the saying "bad egg"? Well, there are such things as "bad seeds".
CULTIVATE: Young Living farms, located around the globe, are dedicated to perfecting responsible and sustainable growing and harvesting methods. Experts travel the world visiting their co-op farms to verify that their growing and cultivating processes match Young Living's high standards. These operations provide an ongoing source for essential oils that meet Young Living’s demanding quality standards.
DISTILL: Combining ancient and modern techniques, Young Living is recognized as an innovator in essential oil distillation. They use a gentle, proprietary technique for steam extracting essential oils and preserving their precious constituents. Young Living uses a cold pressing and resin tapping methods for select oils.
TEST: Young Living never accepts diluted, cut, or adulterated oils. Fun Fact: the FDA only requires essential oils to be 5% of actual oil from a plan to be labeled "100% pure therapeutic grade". YUP. So those bargain oils you are buying are in no way, shape, or form 100% essential oils. Plain and simple. They are mixed with other chemicals and ingredients.
To guarantee consistent, verifiable quality, Young Living oils are tested in their own internal labs, as well as in third-party facilities. These testing methods ensure that the oils meet stringent specifications, exceed international standards, and contain the desired levels of natural bio-active compounds.
SEAL: Young Living completes the Seed to Seal process in its 107,000-square-foot facility in Spanish Fork, Utah. Using state-of-the-art equipment, each essential oil is carefully bottled and labeled.
4. Product Variety
Young Living is so much more than just high quality essential oils. They have a whole vitality line that is FDA approved for internal consumption. (Do you know how much easier it is to use a drop of lime vitality oil in your Corona instead of actually slicing a lime?! Mom hack for the win!)
Young living also has a whole chemical free household product line called Thieves. They make everything from laundry detergent, to dish soap, to tooth paste!
Baby products (their Seedlings line), makeup (Savvy Minerals), vitamins, kids products (Kids Scents) and a whole line of diffusers are other products they offer. (Just real quick: I used to also buy our diffusers off Amazon for cheap. THEY DO NOT WORK AS WELL AS YOUNG LIVING! Also, Young Living will replace your diffuser for free if anything goes wrong.)
If you want to start your oily journey with Young Living, message me through my contact page! All questions welcome.