Choosing Essential Oils

There are a variety of companies that sell essential oils. Knowing the reputable ones from the bandwagon ones takes knowledge and further research.

As an professional Aromatherapist, there are several factors I must inquire before purchasing essential oils.

1. knowing the date of distillation is extremely important as some essential oils begin to lose their therapeutic value and have approximately `1-2 years of shelf life.
2. I always ask for the GC/MS fore each oil of purchase as this gives me the exact constituents that are comprised in a specific batch of essential oil.
3. Knowing the conditions in which the oil was grown also lends to the constituent value of a specific oil.

Now with these unique factors in place, your average consumer would not be privy to this information nor would they know how to analyze it.  It is my belief that if you want an oil that smells good to freshen your environment, go ahead and purchase it from your local health food store.

There is no way of knowing how long that product has been on the shelf nor can you know if it was adulterated in the extraction process. Unfortunately there are companies that add chemicals or other ingredients to a specific batch of essential oil to "stretch" the yield.  Again, to the average consumer, your nose might not pick up on this.

As the holidays approach, we at Aromatic Institute would like to wish you a most merry holiday sewason and Happy New Year!