“I can’t believe you’d pay that much!” was the message that came into my DMs a few nights ago.
“I can drive a couple miles down the road and get that same thing for a quarter of the price. I mean I could buy FOUR of them for the price you’re charging. It’s outrageous!”
Clearly I’d triggered this woman. #sorrynotsorry
The funny thing is... she’d come to me, asking me about my routines and some of the things I use in my day-to-day life … like essential oils.
She’d seen me on IG and FB dropping my oils into my water. Adding them to my food. Rubbing them on my skin. Breathing them in from my diffuser.
Understandably she was curious. And she wanted some of the same benefits I was getting.
(Like better digestive health. Better sleep at night. Awesome skin. Healthier hair. You get the idea.)
I mean… essential oils are kinda having a moment right now, aren’t they? They’re everywhere, not just where I live, in Boulder, Colorado and Encinitas, California and they make people curious.
And it seems everyone and their brother who lives in your neighbor’s basement is even making their own essential oils.
Which means the market is flooded (haha) with plant magic.
So that should be a good thing, right?
We all remember Economics 101. High demand and apparently high supply should mean lower cost.
So I understood why this woman was so incredulous when I told her if she got a bottle of Lavender essential oil through me, it would be $23.
Because she was used to seeing oils everywhere. Even at the grocery store.
I’ll give you a sec to guess how I replied to her. And… yah you’re reading this so don’t look to the next line until you’ve got a legit guess in your head. Deal?
Okay, here’s how I replied:
“This is the one instance where you don’t shop local.”
Not even in Boulder, Colorado or Encinitas, California.
Not what you expected?
Of course I went on to explain why and what exactly I meant. And as I was doing that I realized… this would be a perfect blog post.
Because here’s the thing: We’re kind of experiencing a crisis in the world of essential oils.
Am I being dramatic? Nope.
I was half-joking when I said that everyone is making them but… everyone is making essential oils.
I’ve even seen them stacked up by candles at a very popular home supply store. As if they were just fragrance you can spritz around your home.
#birchplease
I have a real issue with this.
Before I really dive in deep, though, and explain what’s going on and why it’s potentially harmful to your health… I want you to think about something.
Let’s pretend you’re at the store and you’re getting ingredients for an amazing dinner you’re going to cook over the weekend for your family.
You’re making your signature dish. And this dish is topped with an amazing AF sauce you created using a super duper, top secret ingredient you always get at your local grocery store.
So you head over to the aisle where it usually is and you’re surprised to see now there are three other brands that make this same ingredient.
They’re all three at various price points. You opt for the cheaper one thinking this ingredient is so simple in nature that it’s a no brainer that these three brands would all have the same thing inside the jar.
You get home. Prep your dope sauce. Taste test it.
And guess what? It sucks.. The flavor is totally off. And now you’re kinda panicking because it’s T-2 hours until Go Time and your sauce is ruined.
So you head to the recycling can and pull out the jar to scan the ingredient list. Lo and behold… this brand had a shiz ton of additives. Artificial flavorings. And some unpronounceable stuff you don’t know even recognize.
In this fictional scenario where you made a decision by price instead of quality, you realized the end product suffered.
This same concept applies to essential oils.
Not every brand is equal.
Like the lame sauce, there are lame essential oil brands out there that are sourcing their ingredients from who knows where.
Here’s the difference: unlike the sauce, you can’t really read an ingredient label list on an essential oil and know where the “lavender” part came from. At least not normally (I’ll get back to this point in a minute).
And I’m just gonna lay this out there: the dirt cheap oils are that cost for a reason.
It’s called “adulteration” which sounds wild but really just means the purity of the oil has been contaminated by additives (like synthetic fragrance or oil) to lower the amount of pure product… which lowers the overall cost.
Note to self: whenever you see the word fragrance, run for the Flatirons.
And lowers the quality.
This is why, when it comes to essential oils, you should think twice before shopping local.
If the oil brand you’re purchasing from can’t guarantee that they’re a certified therapeutic grade (not adulterated AND not accidentally contaminated) - which means safe for consumption - then run far, far away.
(And if the store is stocking the oils with the candles and bath stuff… maybe that’s a clue as to how the manufacturer of that oil views its product. #oilforthought).
Not a problem for me though, I use doTERRA.
You’d never purposefully drink potentially toxic chemicals, would you?
Of course not. So why would you want to breathe them in by diffusing adulterated oils?
Or ingest them by putting adulterated oils in a veggie capsule?
Or roll them on your skin (which is the ONLY thing protecting your vital, internal organs from all the gunk and junk of the outside world) with a roller full of adulterated oils?
Duh.
Maybe you see why I’m so up in arms about this.
When you look at the cost of a bottle of Lavender essential oil from a company like doTERRA, here’s what goes into that price:
You’re getting peace of mind (also it literally gives you peace of mind, because it’s lavender. Just sayin’) knowing the oil is certified to be pure.
You’re providing a way for the farmers of the lavender plant where the oil was sourced to continue to make a living (on their terms, on land they own directly).
You’re supporting a company that submits its products for third party inspections to keep guaranteeing its purity.
You’re declaring that oils free from impurities should be the market standard (#votewithyourdollars).
And you’re standing behind a promise that ensures every single bottle can be checked for its source and verified for its authenticity.
Uh…. didya catch that last one?
Yeah. doTERRA has a way you can enter the unique number stamped on the bottom of every bottle on a special website.
When you do that, you get the results of your bottle’s source which means you can completely rest-assured it didn’t come from someone’s unregulated “distillation” setup that involves cutting a few drops of synthetic lavender fragrance with castor oil.
Yeah that happens.
And that, my friends, is why I will always shop the global marketplace for my essential oils and I hope you’ll consider doing the same.
If you need more info on this, check out these resources I have for you:
And if this is something you really are passionate about too then I’ve gotta ask… have you taken my Wellness Warrior quiz yet? I’m asking because it seems like the kinda thing a High Achiever would care about. See if you fit that archetype by taking the quiz HERE.
Alright my friends. Keep away from those grocery store oils & stay safe.
XO,
Hayley