Your Go-To Guide for Essential Oil Shopping
Celebrated for their healing and stabilizing properties for thousands of years and across the globe, essential oils are a fascinating topic. However, not all oils are created equally. At Inshanti, our master blender, Debra Stoltzfus, scientifically blends handcrafted products to promote the healing of body, mind, and spirit. Her building blocks are therapeutic agents that come directly from nature – substances known as essential oils. Read on for a quick yet comprehensive guide to buying essential oils for the first time.
Know Your Source
1. Be careful of buying from big box stores or drug stores.
Even though we want to trust the brands they sell, there have been reports from trusted sources that some essential oil brands sold at particular large stores have been adulterated. Research brands first before potentially returning to purchase the essential oil. Likewise, the same research approach should be used for Amazon, since at the present time, Amazon has no formalized approach to verifying the oils sold through their site.
In fact, we tested some of the top oils sold through big box stores and on Amazon using GC/MS verification, and all came back as adulterated.
2. Be mindful of purchasing from direct sales companies.
Understandably, you would want to support a friend, especially one who is so excited about the benefits of essential oils. However, often, these oils are mass-produced, and the companies are not always forthcoming about their sourcing or their production methods.
3. Transparency matters.
For those who have mastered the production of essential oils, being transparent about sourcing, production methods, and ingredients, including allergens, is part of their passion for their products. Knowledgeable vendors will have relationships with their farmers, understand the chemical profiles, and be educated on the various benefits and chemical interactions. Seek out vendors who are forthcoming about their educational background and who are willing to provide detailed information about their oils and oil blends. Ask them questions!
Know Your Product
1. Watch for marketing terms.
Terminology such as “fragrance,” nature-identical oil,” or “perfume” usually signals the oil itself has been adulterated. Likewise, be precautious of suppliers that promote their essential oils as being “therapeutic grade” or “aromatherapy grade.” There is no governmental regulating body which grades or certifies essential oils as “therapeutic grade” or “aromatherapy grade.” Similarly, there is a trend of “green-washing” in essential oils, which is when companies use eco-friendly terms to entice clients, and examples include terms like “organic” or “all-natural.” Keep in mind – snake venom is “all-natural,” but we wouldn’t use it on our skin! For more information on authentic language and definitions, check out our glossary.
2. Examine the bottles.
Essential oils should be housed in dark glass so they won’t oxidize or interact in a harmful way with the chemicals used to create packaging. Additionally, exposure to light, oxygen, and heat will begin to break the oils down.
Then, review the labels – high-quality essential oils should include at least five things somewhere on the label:
- The common name.
- The Latin name, which is the genus and species.
- The plant part that it was extracted from.
- The batch number, so it can be looked up and matched to the GC/MS analysis.
- The country of origin, which is important because chemical properties vary by country.
Additionally, there should be a list of ingredients, and for a pure essential oil, there
should only be one ingredient – the oil itself.
3. Understand the price.
For essential oils, cheaper is often not always better – but be aware that prices will fluctuate according to field crop and harvest prices. Unfortunately, for most oils, if it is cheap, it is probably not the real thing. Also, with a high-quality essential oil, you will only need a few drops, so an investment will last you a long time.
Price may also be reflective of therapeutic benefits. A good example is Helichrysum essential oil, which may range in retail prices from $20 to $100 dollars. The more expensive bottle may be derived from the most therapeutic and valued species helichrysum italicum, which has wonderful healing and cell rejuvenation properties and is used for a variety of skin issues and wounds. By comparison, the lower-price point helichrysum gymnocephalum is much less prized and more useful for respiratory health. Purchasing the incorrect one will not yield you the benefits you were looking for.
The Inshanti Promise
Inshanti offers only essential oils that are either certified organic, wildcrafted, or ethically farmed (unsprayed), which allows us to confidently say that Inshanti has the best essential oils. At Inshanti, we buy directly from farmers and distillers we know and trust. By avoiding working through middlemen, we can be confident that our base oils are of the highest quality and never diluted. We strive for long-term relationships with our growers and distillers, working together to ensure the best product in the marketplace.
Each batch of oil is tested with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) so we know its precise chemical properties and can blend accordingly. All the essential oils, blends, carrier oils, butters, unscented lotions, Castile soap, and hydrosols used at Inshanti are free of chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides. Inshanti does not use synthetic oils or oils extracted by chemical solvents.
Once we’ve tested an essential oil, our master blender formats the chemical constituents into chemical families for therapeutic blending purposes. At Inshanti, we are dedicated to knowing exactly what we are purchasing and blending for you. Testing every batch of oil purchased with GC/MS technology ensures purity and gives the exact chemistry of each essential oil. Inshanti believes this process is vital for medicinal blending and for quality assurance. Our process is rigorous and our product pure. You can be confident you’re receiving essential oils that deliver the health benefits you’re looking for.
Find the best essential oil that is just right for you! See our Educational Resources page for more information about the chemical families of oils and for lists of oils that support certain health issues and emotional concerns.
Here at Inshanti, we are passionate about connecting our clients to the correct oils, oil blends, and other products most suitable to meet their goals. We are committed to education so our clients understand how to use their oils and products to maximize benefits. From cleaning product alternatives to relieving pain and inflammation to encouraging a calm mindset, we’re here to help you harness the power of plants!