About Essential Oils
More on Pure Essential Oils:
We purchase our Essential Oils in bulk volume and then bottle and label them ourselves so that you get a pure, high quality Essential Oil at a great price. We do not sell artificial “Fragrant/Fragrance Oils” or “Diluted Oils”. We sell only pure & undiluted Aromatherapy grade Essential Oils.
Why do Aromatherapy Essential Oil prices vary so much from store to store?
There are several possible reasons;
a) Quality & Purity of Essential Oils. There are thousands of growers/producers around the world, and the quality of their raw materials and the extraction process are key factors in the quality of the Essential Oil. By purchasing from large reputable growers and brokers you can be assured of a quality product. We've been in business for over 8 years now, and so we have established relationships with brokers (and a few growers/distillers) that we can rely on to conistently provide us with only high quality Essential Oils. In addition, we always sample our Essential Oils before making a bulk purchase. If it's not a good batch we will simply reject and go to another of our suppliers and test their batch. Once you have established and reliable sources who respect you, it's not difficult to source high quality oils at good prices.
It is also important to point out that the majority of Essential Oils on the market are very similiar in quality since they are grown, harvested, and distilled in massive quantities by huge farms. We mention this because there are a few stores out there (one prominent one in particular we shall not name) that will claim they have "the" highest quality and "their" oils are specially grown with special soil, special techniques, special distillation, special testing, etc..... as if they have a secret & magic island where they secretly grow, harvest, and distill all of the Essential Oils in the world. In reality, there are tens of thousands of farms around the world, but they grow and distill hundreds of Essential Oils and do so in massive quantities.
- Here is a good example: if you have a Lavender Oil from France, one company is selling a 15 ml bottle for $15 and another company selling the same size of French Lavender for $45. Logically, and in reality there is a pretty good chance it is the exact same quality French Lavender. It is certainly grown in the same country and region. It would be grown during the same season, so it's the same harvest. It could very well even be the exact same batch from a massive farm operation. So, if it's the same plant from the same botanical species, grown in the same region/country, grown in the same season/harvest (important as there are good years and bad years in regions of the world), why would you pay $45 for that bottle when you could buy the same oil for $15?
b) 'Middle Men' - most Essential Oils are grown/produced outside of the United States. If a company buys from the closest, easiest to find source they will surely incur the added fees paid to several middle men. By taking the time to research worldwide sources we cut away many layers of brokers/middle men and pass the savings on to our customers.
c) Profit Margins. Our goal is to offer quality Pure Essential Oils at low prices. In doing so we attract new customers and keep our existing customers coming back for our high quality oils and great service. Other stores may set their prices based on what they think they can charge, but our formula is to create a large loyal customer base and achieve our success through time and volume.
d) Dilution - some expensive oils like rose, jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, and others are commonly diluted - which is fine IF the seller is telling you this fact. By diluting 1 part rose oil into 3 parts jojoba or almond carrier oil, they can triple their profits. Our company ONLY sells pure and undiluted oils. If you want to dilute your oils, we encourage you to do it yourself which is why we also offer carrier oils and empty bottles for mixing and diluting.
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Info from the "About Aromatherapy" category.
What are Aromatherapy Essential Oils?
Essential oils are extracted from certain species of flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots, and trees. Each individual oil has its own qualities and is used for many diverse purposes. It takes a great deal of work to produce a tiny amount of essential oil. Sixty thousand rose blossoms are required to produce one ounce of rose oil, whereas in the lavender plant the essential oil is more abundant and 220 pounds will provide 7 pounds of oil. In the case of jasmine, the flowers must be picked by hand before the sun becomes hot on the very first day they open, whereas the sandalwood tree must be at least 30 years old and thirty feet high before it can be cut down for distillation. Between these extremes, a whole range of growing and picking conditions apply to the plants that will ultimately provide the precious essential oils. The price of each oil reflects these conditions, and because it takes eight million hand picked jasmine blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil, you can understand why it is one of the most expensive oils on the market.
How do Aromatherapy Essential Oils work?
Essential Oils penetrate the body in two ways, through the nose and through the skin. Our sense of smell is often underestimated, but it is approximately 10,000 times more sensitive than any other sensory organ we possess, and skin is the body’s largest organ. The effects of essential oils can be felt simply by breathing in the aromatic vapor. The aroma molecule that we breathe in is translated into a signal in our receptor cell in the nose. This signal is sent to the olfactory bulb and then on to the limbic and hypothalamus parts of the brain. These are the parts of the brain that regulate hormonal activity in our body. The second way for essential oils to penetrate the body is through the skin. Because essential oils are organic in nature, and have a very inherently low molecular weight they are absorbed through the pores and hair follicles of the skin. Some individuals will consume/digest Essential Oils, however, unless done under direct supervision of a certified Aromatherapist, we do not recommend doing so.
How do I know if it’s the real thing?
You should always look and make sure that you are buying “pure essential oils”. All of our oils are genuine, Aromatherapy grade essential oils. We stock our oils in bulk directly from an international company that sources and purchases the oils directly from the reputable manufacturers at the source in various countries. If you are shopping around in other stores or websites be careful. “Perfume Oils”, “Fragrant Oils” or any "Aromatherapy Oils" that do not call themselves “Essential Oils” often are not pure at best and most are either cut/stretched and adulterated with added ingredients, or they are synthetic. "Perfume Oils" and "Fragrant Oils" are almost always artificial. They may smell nice, but they do not have the natural and therapeutic properties of a natural, pure Essential Oil.
How long will Essential Oils last?
Unfortunately essential oils do not have date stamps when sold, so it is impossible to tell how old they are when you buy them. With careful attention through our inventory and sales management we can assure you that you will not receive any ‘old’ oils. The therapeutic life of essential oils is about two years, though some experts say it is much longer than this.
How-Where do I can keep Essential Oils?
Essential oils should be purchased and stored in dark-colored glass bottles such as cobalt blue or amber. Our bottles are either cobalt blue or dark amber glass and have tight seal caps. The dark glass protects the essential oils from the light but you need to store them away from direct sunlight and away from any heat source, preferably in a cool and dark cabinet. Your oils can evaporate so always keep the cap screwed on tight. Also, be cautioned that essential oils can harm some varnished wood surfaces and some plastics such as Plexiglas. Note: always store your oils out of the reach of children and pets.
General Safety Information: Do not take any oils internally without consultation from a certified aromatherapy practitioner. Most essential oils should be diluted before applying them to the skin. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a certified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children only the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. It is safest to consult a certified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children. The best way to test an essential oil for allergy interactions with your body is with a skin patch spot test. If you have a known allergy to a plant or fruit, most likely you will be allergic to its essential oil. Essential oils are very concentrated oils and ‘more is not better’ in their application. In higher proportions they can have a counter-effect to the intended use. Read about an essential oil before applying it and take extra care to read about the safety precautions of each oil. Do not apply citrus essential oils, especially bergamot, before direct exposure to the sun. These essential oils increase photosensitivity to the sun and tend to be highly irritating to the skin. Essential oils are not soluble in water. Make sure you dilute or fully disperse them before getting into the bath. If you should ever experience an irritation to the skin from an essential oil, do not rub the area with water. Doing so will cause the irritation to spread. Apply any vegetable/carrier oil to the area; this will cause the essential oil to be absorbed and should ease the irritation within minutes. Always avoid contact with the eyes. Keep essential oils out of the reach of children and animals.
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