A Beginner's Guide to Essential Oils

You've just spent a pretty penny on this cute little bottle of essential oil. The problem is, now you can't remember how to use it and, truth be told, you're a little afraid of this bottle. All you can remember is that it's super-concentrated and you're supposed to use it wisely. So... now what do you do?

Take heart! It's easier than you think to use an essential oil to add health to your life. Read on to find some of your answers. The most common thing I hear is, I bought some essential oils several years ago, but I never opened them and don't know if they're still good or what to do with them. My answer is always the same:

• First e-mail me a list of your oils and who made them (or look them up online). This will enable me to look up the manufacturer and tell you if your oil is therapeutic or cut. (You can read your labels, if you have a magnifying glass, if it lists ANYTHING besides an essential oil name, it has been cut, if it does NOT say somewhere on the bottle key words like therapeutic or EOBBD tested, it has been cut. Note, 100% pure or aromatherapy really don't mean a whole lot. They can be labeled 100% pure under aromatherapy or perfume rules and have less than 20% essential oil in them. Also, if it doesn't say wild-crafted or organic, it can contain synthetics and you'll never know--some have those synthetics in them even though they say wild-crafted or organic, that's where the EOBBD tested comes into play.)
• Once you've e-mailed me your list, I can tell you what this blend or that blend is good for. If you just have singles you can look up how to use them in the library section of our website. Or, e-mail me anyway, I love helping newbies. Be forewarned, if your oil is cut I may tell you that it is good for cleaning and not much else--but it will do wonders on that stinky drain!
• If your oils are years old, they may still be good. You can tell an oil has been cut if it's several years old and stinks. That means that what they used to cut the essential oil has gone rancid. Therapeutic grade, 100% pure essential oils have been found in tombs thousands of years old and the essential oils are still excellent. Note: this does not apply to citrus essential oils. Even if they are of the best quality, a citrus oil's shelf life is 2-5 years depending upon storage conditions.