Quality of EO's

November 16, 2003

A question for the list-

There have recently been discussions about the quality of essential oils

out there. For the normal lay-person- how are you supposed to know who

has the best oils? I have ordered quite a few to use in my soap-making

enterprise, as I want the beneficial effects of the oils, and NOT just

the smell. They have been ordered from a couple of Canadian suppliers,

as I live here, and importing is a pain. I looked around for a while

before I purchased, and yes- I did try to go with the most reasonable

price. For example since Ylang Ylang is the only(??) oil that is graded

I compared prices from different people. Some were double, or even more

than that, the price of others- which just amazed me- since technically

it would be for the same thing- wouldn't it??

Slightly confused

Nicole

Veliraf Farm

Nicole Heath

http://www.angelfire.com/nh/veliraf

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell ?

November 17, 2003

Hi Veliraf

First thing to keep in mind is that essential oils should have varying

prices. If you see someone selling 50 oils and they are all priced $5.00

for 1/2 oz - they are NOT real essential oils! That is because the

materials used to make the oils vary in price and the amount of oil that

can be extracted from different plant matter varies.

Next, if an oil price seems too good to be true, it probably isn't true

- for example - if someone is selling " pure rose oil " at $10.00 for a

1/2 oz - I'll bet you it is pure b.s. Now, that also doesn't mean to

just buy the most expensive oils out there because that must make them

the best. There is a multi level marketing company in the US that sells

EO's and is notorious for having ridiculously priced EO's and justifies

it by saying they are the only people selling good EO's - and that is

horse puckey!

Always look for an oil to have in addition to the common name - the

Latin name - that way you know what oil you are really getting. There

are a lot of " common " names a plant can go by - like mint - well, what

kind of mint? There are a lot of varieties of mint ...

It is also good to buy from a supplier that will tell you the country of

origin of each oil. For example - Rose Otto from Turkey or Bulgaria is

going to be much more desirable than a Rose Oil from China (but if it

just says Rose - how will you know if you got your money's worth?).

How an oil was produced is important to know too. A supplier should be

able to tell you this information. Cold pressed Lime oil will have a

much different scent than distilled Lime oil, but the distilled Lime

won't have the phototoxic properties the cold pressed Lime does, so its

more desirable if you are using it in a leave on the skin product like

lotion.

If you can find out the date an oil was produced - great!

Oh yes, and if you can get samples, yes, do that! If you can't get a

supplier to send you sample - I'd think twice about buying from them. I

can see them wanting to charge for postage, but other than that, unless

it is a co-op, no reason they shouldn't let you see what you are

spending good money on.

For soap making - especially if you are doing CP, the oil quality isn't

going to matter AS MUCH as when you make other products (blends for

ailments, lotions, etc ... ). That is because it is a wash off product

and CP changes your EO's values anyways - all that lye chemically

affects it in some ways - scent and otherwise. HP will retain more of

the scent and properties of the oil (IMHO). I still would use junk or

fragrance oils in my soaps though

One more thing, JUST because an oil is certified organic doesn't

necessarily mean it was a well made oil or from a good crop. I prefer to

use as many organic products in my life as I can because I believe

strongly in the cause, but don't let that automatically be what

convinces you to purchase an oil ....

Anyway .. that is my take on it. Happy EO testing

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

Veliraf [veliraf]

Saturday, November 15, 2003 8:09 PM