Whether you’re just starting out on your essential oils journey and don’t know where to begin or are just looking for additional information about how to choose the best oils for yourself and others, you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at all the factors you should consider when deciding which essential oils to use.
Spoiler alert: Essential oils are not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to health and wellness. In other words, a certain oil that is best for someone else may not be the best choice for you. And an oil that was the best choice for you a few weeks ago may not be the optimal oil for you today. Keep reading until the end to find out why as well as how to customize your oil selections to get the best bang for your buck.
Choosing an essential oil brand
From multinational corporations to small producers, there’s no shortage of essential oil brands on the market. While the variety of options available to you can be a good thing, it’s crucial to filter out the quality brands from those who are trying to produce oils as quickly and cheaply as possible to make a quick buck. Below are a few important things to consider when looking for an essential oil brand.
Source
Does the company grow their plants in the proper conditions? Are they using sustainable farming methods? Do they use manmade herbicides and pesticides or employ organic farming methods? These are a few important questions to look into. A company that isn’t transparent about where their oils come from and how they’re farmed can be a red flag.
Purity
The purity of an essential oil is the most important factor in its effectiveness. Low-quality essential oils can affect your health negatively, so you should accept nothing less than 100% pure oils. This means that the oil is free of synthetic materials and fillers. The oils should be tested by a third party to ensure that they are in fact pure.1
Some companies take additional steps to certify their oils as pure, using such terms as “pure therapeutic-grade”. While generally not overseen or awarded by a third party, this label typically shows that the company has a thorough process in place that includes third-party testing of chemical composition to ensure the highest standard of purity and potency possible.
Manufacturing process
Another important factor to consider is how the company processes their essential oils. The manufacturing process includes everything from gathering the plants, to distillation, to packaging and storing. Here are a few things to look for:
- Are the herbs distilled immediately after they’re picked? (This is important to ensure freshness.)
- Are there procedures in place to guard against contamination?
- What tests are used to ensure purity? (Common tests include microbial, gas chromatography, organoleptic, and heavy metal testing.)
- How are the oils stored? (They should be stored in a cool place away from heat and light. Darkly colored bottles such as amber bottles are recommended.)
Essential oil tests
- Organoleptic – Testing that involves using the senses (smell, taste, touch, and sight*)
- Microbial – Tests for the presence of harmful organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mold.
- Gas chromatography – A test that determines the chemical compounds present in an essential oil
- Mass spectrometry – Used along with gas chromatography to further determine essential oil composition
- Pesticide residue – Tests for pesticide residues typically using liquid chromatography and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry
- Specific gravity – A test that measures the specific gravity of essential oil in relation to water to determine quality and purity
- Isotopic – A type of mass spectrometry test that can determine if an essential oil is sourced from the same location
- Heavy metal – A test that determines the amount of heavy metal content in an essential oil
- FTIR – A test that determines the consistent quality and potency of an essential oil
- Chirality – Tests to ensure that an essential oil does not contain any synthetic elements
*An at-home test can be conducted for oil purity by putting a drop of oil on a paper and letting it dry for 30-40 minutes. If you can see a leftover ring of oil or grease, the oil has likely been diluted with another substance. While this method can give you a good idea of purity, an oil should be tested in a lab to determine the actual degree of purity.
Price range
Essential oils have a wide range of prices based on the rarity of the plant and the difficulty of gathering and processing it. Some essential oils require more plant material than others, for example, and some can only be harvested a few days or even one day out of the whole year. If an essential oil company isn’t charging much more for oils like rose and neroli than they are for oils like lavender and lemon, you’ll know something is up.
Business opportunity
One thing people may not necessarily consider with essential oils is the potential business opportunity that may come along with it. Many essential oil companies offer distributor programs where you can earn money by recruiting others and adding them to your team. Plus, you can typically buy oils for yourself and clients at discounted rates.
If you’re looking for an essential oils company that has a business opportunity attached to it, a few questions you’ll want to answer about the company are:
- How long have they been around? (A minimum of 3 to 5 years is recommended.)
- Do you have a strong testimonial from using the product yourself?
- What are the average incomes at different compensation levels?
- Is the company/your upline committed to your success?
What to look for on a label
Although it’s important to research an essential oil company thoroughly to make the best decision, the label is a good starting point to determine if the company is worth researching further. Below are a few things you’ll want to look for on an essential oil label:
- Latin name – The Latin binomial of the plant used to extract the essential oil should always be on the bottle (e.g., Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia). 2
- Ingredients – All the primary and secondary ingredients should be listed on the bottle, so you can see if it contains 100% pure essential oil or if any “filler” substances have been added.
- Country of origin – It’s important to know the location where the oil was sourced. Specific oils sourced from certain regions may be of better quality than others.
- Extraction method – Steam distillation is the most common method of extraction. Depending on the type of oil, however, other methods such as cold pressing may be used. If the product is labeled as pure, no chemical solvents should be used in extraction.
- Recommended use/benefits – Many essential oil labels include the recommended use and benefits of the oil.
- Expiration/manufacturing date – Essential oils don’t last forever, so knowing when an oil was manufactured and/or its expiration date is important.
- Name and place of business – A physical address indicates that it’s a real place of business, which increases the brand’s legitimacy.
Organic, therapeutic-grade, and all-natural labeling
Another thing to consider when choosing an essential oil brand is whether the oil is labeled as organic, therapeutic-grade, or all-natural. These labels all have different meanings, so it’s important to be aware of what they mean in order to make the best decision.
Organic essential oils
When it comes to essential oils, and other products for that matter, looking for an organic label is a good place to start. However, an organic label doesn’t tell the full story of the essential oil and the degree of its quality. For example, to obtain a USDA Organic label, the product must contain at least 95% organic ingredients.3 This leaves room for non-organic ingredients to potentially be added to a product, albeit in smaller amounts.
Something else to consider is that many essential oils are sourced outside of the US, which means they may or may not qualify for a USDA Organic equivalency.4 The USDA approval process is time-intensive and costly as well, so it may not be an option for smaller companies even though they may be producing an organic product.
For these reasons, it’s a good idea to vet out a company beyond just looking at whether they have the USDA Organic seal on their bottles. They may be sourcing products organically, but are they taking the right steps to ensure that the oils maintain their potency? Are they sourcing plants from where they naturally grow in the right soil conditions, climate, and altitude? These are a few of the questions you should have answers for before purchasing.
Therapeutic-grade essential oils
Another type of label you may have seen is the “therapeutic grade” label. Some companies use this term to describe the quality of their essential oils. As mentioned previously, while there is no organization that oversees or grants therapeutic-grade essential oil certification, some of the most well-known companies choose to use this label to show that the the oil has been through several steps of rigorous testing.
As with essential oils that have an organic label, a therapeutic grade label doesn’t necessarily mean that the product has the highest level of quality and potency. If a company is claiming that their oils are therapeutic grade, you should do more research into the company to learn exactly what that means and find out what processes they follow to claim their therapeutic-grade status.
All-natural essential oils
In addition to companies that label their essential oils as organic and therapeutic grade, there are some companies that choose to label their products as “All-natural.”
Like the therapeutic-grade label, there is no outside agency that certifies that a product is all-natural. A product labeled as all-natural may contain things like artificial preservatives, pesticides, and GMO ingredients. Therefore, you should be skeptical of products with this label and look more closely into how they produce the oil, whether it is tested by a third party, and what ingredients are used.
What about 100% pure?
Regardless of whether it’s indicated on the label, an essential oil should be 100% pure to provide the best results. This means that only the essential oil from that plant is contained in the bottle and nothing else. Any oil combined with a carrier oil in a roller bottle, capsule, or other product should be 100% pure as well.
An oil that is 100% pure, however, may not derive from plants grown in their natural habitat or may be grown in contaminated soil, for example. In other words, an oil can be 100% pure but also be of low therapeutic quality. That’s why it’s important to do additional research to learn more about the overall quality of the essential oils a company produces.
The best essential oils for common health issues
After you have decided on an essential oil brand, the next step is selecting the specific oils to use. Certain oils may be more effective for specific issues. For example, peppermint is often used to help relieve an upset stomach, and lavender is routinely used for relief from insomnia and headaches.
Below are some of the most common health challenges and the essential oils that are commonly used for each issue:
- Allergies – Lavender, tea tree, sage, chamomile
- Anxiety – Bergamot, clary sage, vetiver, lavender
- Bruises – Helichrysum, geranium, fennel
- Colds – Lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus
- Indigestion – Peppermint, ginger, fennel
- Fatigue – Thyme, rosemary, lemon, basil
- Gout – Peppermint, juniper, chamomile, lavender
- Hair Loss – Rosemary, lavender, cedarwood, clary sage
- Headaches – Lavender, peppermint, basil, eucalyptus
- Inflammation – Eucalyptus, ginger, frankincense, turmeric
- Insomnia – Lavender, chamomile, vetiver, cedarwood
- Libido – Lavender, ylang ylang, rose, sandalwood
- Parasites – Oregano, fennel, thyme
- Weight loss – Lemon, grapefruit, peppermint, ginger
- Wrinkles – Geranium, helichrysum, lavender, neroli
*We do not specifically endorse or recommend any particular essential oil for any specific use. We encourage all people to consult with competent and qualified medical advisors before deciding on a plan for any medical problem.
Essential oils are not only used for specific issues, but for general wellness purposes as well. Certain essential oils are known for enhancing meditation or fitness routines, for example.
Deciding which oils are right for you
Although guides can give you a good idea of the oils that can best assist with a given health problem or help you achieve a specific wellness goal, an oil that is optimal for one person may not be the best choice for someone else. One person may get better results from using lavender for insomnia, for example, while another benefits more from using chamomile.
Additionally, a person may benefit more from using lavender today; but in a month from now, chamomile might give them the best results.
Another factor to consider is the actual root cause of a particular health issue. If insomnia is caused by inflammation, for example, perhaps an oil that is known for helping to reduce inflammation such as eucalyptus would be a better option than lavender or chamomile.
So how do you know what the best essential oil is for you and your situation? With a ZYTO biocommunication scan, you can go beyond simply matching a specific health challenge to an essential oil that is generally supposed to be good for that issue or area of wellness.
What is a ZYTO scan?
A ZYTO scan provides an easy way to see how your body reacts energetically to essential oils and other wellness products, so you can choose the most appropriate ones for you at the time of the scan. This is an effective method of choosing oils because when energy leads, the rest of the body often follows.
A good example of this is that before you get sick physically, you often start to feel sick—like something isn’t normal. And when you start feeling better from an illness, it often takes the physical body a while to catch up and be restored.
ZYTO scanning is the ideal way to choose oils and supplements because it supports a holistic approach to wellness. Instead of just targeting one symptom with an essential oil, a scan can help you understand which oils may be best for supporting your body as a whole.
What else can a ZYTO scan show you?
In addition to showing your responses to digital signatures assigned to essential oils, ZYTO reports also display your responses to digital signatures representing various biomarkers such as organs, systems, emotions, and environmental factors. This information can help you and your health advisors ask better questions to get a clearer, more holistic picture of wellness.
If you are interested in learning more about ZYTO scanning, visit zyto.com/personal-wellness.
Download our other eBooks
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About Seth Morris
Seth Morris is an experienced article writer with a background in marketing, Web content creation, and health research. In addition to writing and editing content for the ZYTO website and blog, he has written hundreds of articles for various websites on topics such as holistic wellness, health technology, and Internet marketing. Seth has earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Management as well as Literary Studies.
Sources:
1. “Why is the Quality/Purity of an Essential Oil Important.” AromaWeb. Aromaweb.com.
2. Fulcher, Liz. “Essential Oil Taxonomy and Nomenclature: Part 2.” Aromatic Wisdom Institute. Aromaticwisdominstitute.com.
3. “About the Organic Standards.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ams.usda.gov.
4. “How Does USDA Assess Organic Equivalency in Other Countries?” U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ams.usda.gov.
