Take a whiff
Open the bottle and smell the contents. If the smell underwhelms you or if it feels like a cheap perfume, know that it's a fake. Training your nose may take a little time, but it's the best way to identify pure essential oils. Remember: high-grade essential oils give off a natural and soothing scent.
Grade 1: Therapeutic Grade: Therapeutic-grade essential oils are the highest quality and are commonly used in aromatherapy, holistic health, and wellness practices.
When it comes to blending essential oils by note it is a good idea to follow the 30/50/20 rule. This makes it easier to find the right balance between the oils used in your blend, with 30% being top note, 50% middle note and 20% base note.
Purity: Ensure that the essential oil is 100% pure, with no additives or synthetic ingredients. Quality: Look for essential oils that are sourced from high-quality plants and have been processed using proper methods to preserve the plant's natural properties.
Avoid buying oils from retailers/suppliers that don't provide the essential oil's botanical name (Latin name), country of origin or method of extraction.
To check the purity of an essential oil, place one drop of the oil on a piece of paper and wait 30-45 minutes. If you notice an oil or grease ring after the product dries, it could indicate an impure product.
Top notes typically dominate a blend and are the most noticeable up-front. Top notes are also the quickest to evaporate. Popular top notes include: Citrus oils (lemon, orange, bergamot) and minty, medicinal oils (peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen).
Frankincense has earned its title as “The King of Oils” because of its versatility. When used topically, frankincense touts powerful anti-aging properties. It promotes cellular function and the appearance of healthy-looking skin, evening out skin tone and minimizing blemishes.
At doTERRA, we often encounter the question: "Why are your essential oils pricier than others?" The answer, in short, lies in our commitment to purity, sourcing, and overall quality.
Quality is Worth Every Penny
The price of the essential oil reflects the complex nature of the plant it came from- where that plant is able to grow, how easy or challenging it is to grow and harvest, and how much essential oil can be produced from the plant.
Some oils like Patchouli, Sandalwood, and Vetiver can last 6–8 years. Here are some timelines for popular essential oils: 1–2 years: Lemon, Lime, and Tangerine. 2–3 years: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Copaiba, Cypress, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Lemongrass, Melissa, Rosemary, Spearmint, and Tea Tree.
Essential oils that may be helpful in repelling rats and mice include peppermint oil, lemon oil, citronella oil, and eucalyptus oil. You can make an essential oil spray by mixing 2 teaspoons of oil with 1 cup of water or rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Then spray it anywhere you see traces of rodents.
Examples of essential oils that are effective in anti-aging are Frankincense, Lavender, Rose, Neroli, Geranium, Sandalwood, Citrus, Carrot seed, Ylang Ylang, and Rosemary.
Frankincense oil seems to kill some types of bacteria and fungi (yeasts). It is commonly used as a fragrance in soaps, lotions, and perfumes. People use frankincense for aging skin, wound healing, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support any use.
The final note to an aroma is the base note. Sometimes referred to as the dry out note, fixative note, or bottom of the aroma. These will start to appear within a couple of hours of putting the oil on, and can sometimes last for up to a day. Our classic base note is Frankincense.
One of the most underrated essential oils, frankincense could be the most powerful. Frankincense is also known as boswellia.
The label should also specify that it is “100 percent pure essential oil” and list the net contents (including metric measurement). If it says “essence oil,” that's not a pure essential oil but typically a premixed blend of essential oil(s) in a base of carrier oil (like jojoba).
Your essential oils cost less than other brands, how can you offer such low prices? At NOW® we've established long-standing relations with our essential oil vendors, and we purchase our oils in large quantities that qualify for bulk discounts, which we then pass on to consumers in the form of everyday low pricing.