If you’re looking to relive some high school drama, get people talking about essential oils.
Please tell me you’ve heard of essential oils!
Like the name suggests essential oils are natural oils, extracted from plants, spices and other such goodies. They’re highly concentrated and have some pretty incredible healing properties.
But I’m not writing this post to convince you that these oils work. Let’s just assume you’re already on board with this staple of natural living.
I’m writing this to help clear up some confusion about where I go to get quality essential oils and why you won’t find me selling oils from the most popular companies on the market.
I’ve started using essential oils long before I ever got into blogging. I love that they’re powerful and beneficial. I use them for homemade toiletries and cleaning supplies. I also use them to help my son with Sensory Processing Disorder. I even use them to take away my aches and pains.
I’ve always used an assortment of different brands and found them to be highly effective. (Please note, these are 100% pure essential oils, NOT fragrances oils that are often laden with harmful chemicals).
It was only after years of use that I was introduced to two brands that make some very different claims.
DoTerra and Young Living are two companies that sell essential oils in a multi-level marketing scheme. They’re quite popular and VERY lucrative, especially for a blogger, since our sphere of influence is usually quiet large.
I’m thrilled that these companies have taken EO’s from weird hippy medicine into the mainstream. It’s great that friends no longer give me a blank stare when I mention my love of the oily brown bottles.
MLM systems have also proven to be highly effective for many of my blogging buddies. The money they’re making is greatly impacting their family’s bottom line. And as you probably know, one of the goals of my blog is to help supplement our family’s income.
So why won’t I be selling essential oils via Young Living or DoTerra???
First let me say, “I WANT TO!!!”
Goodness sake, I want to!
I have tried on many occasions to justify joining the program. But I can’t ignore the following problems I see with Young Living and DoTerra.
Huge Mark-Ups
If you do a price comparison between these two brands and the other brands on the market, it’s shocking. In fact, it’s a huge deterrent for many people to even be able to purchase these great products. The price hike is due to the large chunk the consultants receive and those above and below them in the pyramid chain.
I’m uneasy with that type of financial gain. If there’s a MUCH cheaper, high quality product on the market, I want my readers to know about it, so they can get more of these awesome EO’s for their money.
(Please note, I do have affiliate links to EO’s on my site. If readers click through and purchase through that link, I get a very small percentage of the purchase price as a finders fee. It in NO WAY affects the product’s price for the customer. If they’d found the product on their own, they’d still be paying the same price.)
Advocating Unsafe Uses
Essential oils are all-natural, but they are in no way “all-safe”. They have very powerful medicinal qualities, and should be administered in a way that is safe for the individuals using them.
I have found consultants for YL and DoTerra consistently promoting extremely shady uses for EO’s, namely, ingesting oils or using them “straight” without diluting with a carrier oil. These practices should be used sparingly and only under the direction of an essential oil specialist.
There also needs to be great caution taken when EO’s are administered to children and pregnant/lactating women. I’m still learning the ins and out of this and am always concerned about promoting unsafe practices myself.
Deceptive Claims
The main distinguishing characteristic of Young Living and DoTerra is their claim to be the ONLY quality oil on the market. They both have a registered trademark mark, phrases that only that company can use.
Example: DoTerra claims to be the ONLY “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” essential oil on the market, and that’s true. They coined the phrase and made sure no one else can legally use it.
But there are plenty of great high quality oils on the market. If fact, there have been a couple independent studies done comparing brands and most got good results. (Here’s the results of those tests.)
I’m not writing this post to make enemies, but to explain my reasoning behind not joining the multi-level marketing essential oils bandwagon. I understand that others have different convictions and have come to different conclusions.
(One of my blogging buddies decided to do the opposite and wrote a great, balanced post about her choice. Read that here. )
I want you as my readers to trust that I’m looking out for your safety and your pocketbook. I want you to be educated and to do your own research. I want to be transparent and honest about my findings.
And I want to represent Christ well.
It should be no secret that I’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus. He has changed my entire worldview and where I find my security (hint, it ain’t money). When He convicts me of something, nothing is going to sway me otherwise. I answer to Him alone.
I hope that you find this helpful. I’d love to hear your own thoughts in the comment section below.
Please remember that everyone is free to have a unique opinion and to be respectful of all other readers.
Julie is a frazzled mom of three tornadoes. As a dorky second-generation homeschooler, she writes about learning and play, natural living, special needs parenting and matters of the heart. She serves an astounding God that radically saved her.
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Erin says
What do you use? I started with DoTerra and thought…well to save some money I’ll sign up to sell them getting them at a discounted price. However, in order to make money I have to spend money and more than I can afford.
Julie says
I usually just use what’s readily available at the stores near me. Namely NOW and Aura Cacia. If it’s a harder to find one, like vetiver (great for SPD) I order from Mountain Rose Herbs. All of their oils are organic and their selection is HUGE! I buy organic depending on what I’m using it for and how vital it is to have medicinal qualities.
DeniJ says
Please post more about what are and are not safe uses of oils – I have just been getting started (somewhat skeptically) , and enjoy them. However i I don’t know a lot about them and don’t always know of I should trust the big name brands’ claims.
Julie says
I’m still learning in this area myself so I’m uncomfortable posting any definite rules on oils. I found this gals site extremely useful in educating myself, especially this link about safe uses for kids. http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2014/01/28/age-appropriate-anti-germ-and-anti-congestion-recipes-and-suggestions-for-babies-and-children/ In general you want to ALWAYS dilute EOs with a carrier oil and those ratios depend on the person’s age. I’d also shy away from ingesting any unless you’ve got a dire reason and a lot of evidence to back it up. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Happy learning!
Suzanne says
I had no idea that any company could trademark a phrase like that. I’ve seen advertising on tv about truth in advertising and allowing companies to trademark a phrase seems to be giving the go ahead to some deceptive practices. I’m not pointing fingers at any company – just all companies, in general, being allowed that power. This has been a rather eye-opening post. Thanks for the education!
Julie says
Agreed, it’s pretty scary! Thanks for commenting!
Jennifer Tammy says
Thanks for such a great balanced post. I keep getting approached to sell, and while I write about EOs already and wish there was a better affiliate to use than Amazon, I can’t justify suggesting a product whose price I would have a hard time paying — especially if I was new or unsure about EOs.
Julie says
So glad you found it to be balanced. I was really trying for that! Agreed, wish there was something better than amazon. I’m an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs, but haven’t done a thing with it yet! I don’t think you can link to a specific product, but I could be wrong.
Angie Young says
Thank you so very much for this post. I’ve bought some of the high dollar essential oils. And you are correct. They are very pricey. One day while in Walmart, I was in the vitamin aisle and came across Nature’s Bounty essential oils. Only $5 a bottle and the same results. So I no longer purchase those overly inflated essential oils. I’m glad I found a cheaper brand.
Julie says
Glad you found helpful oils that fit a reasonable budget! More health to ya!
jen Brady says
I’m not really a fan of the business side of YL or Doterra, though I use YL for myself. However in general, I don’t think markups are any worse then for another companies marking up to sell retail. It’s actually likely a lot less of a mark up then store brands.. retail stores mark up 100-200%. I think it really does boil down to being undiluted and more responsibly farmed.
Jackie says
Thank you so much for your post! I love to hear someone sharing their story and being honest!
Julie says
You bet!
Tamara says
DoTerra isn’t actually even comparable to to YL. So tired of this comparison, in the list of eo quality, YL is number one and DoTerra is actually fourth. There are much better quality than DoTerra, they’re just good at marketing and not at all respectful of Health Canada regulations of what you can and cannot claim about the oils.
To be certified PURE, the oil actually only needs to be 5% pure out of the ENTIRE bottle, so while they can claim to be pure, it is usually only that 5%, the rest can be adulterated.
Kerry says
Julie, the link to the essential oil comparison is outdated. Do you have another one? Thanks!
It’s great to find a Christian who also appreciates essential oils.
amy says
HI Julie I am really sorry you feel that way about MLM. I joined doTerra last year and here are the reasons why I joined.
I found out Big Pharma puts 150% markup on all prescription drugs and it is a pyramid scheme. Pharmacists get paid for how many prescriptions they fork out. Doctors get a kick back for what prescriptions they write out to you. Its in everyday life. I worked at a bank and had to reach an SR goal in order to get my bonus. If I reached my goal then my manager benefited greatly, then her manager benefited and if they reached even higher goals then they were rewarded with a trip. Sounds like a fancy MLM.
Another reason why I joined doTerra is the fact that they provide co-Impact sourcing. That means that farmers are getting paid good money for the work that they do. Even helping provide schools and proper work environments for their workers. For example Frankincense is harvested in Somalia. The women who were harvesting the Frankincense were not even getting a 15 minute break and sometimes they were not paid fairly. Now they do with doTerra. When I buy a t shirt from walmart or Hollister are they looking after the people that are making the product? I don’t think so. Their main goal is to make it cheap as possible.
The one thing that has been really good for me besides the money is the lovely people I have met. We are women empowering women and thats amazing. I love the team I am on they are sooo supportive. I am not in it for the money, I am at a point were I get my oils for free. I just want to help people feel better and maybe supplement my income.
I was like everyone here. I couldn’t afford the oils, I wasn’t sure about MLM. But the product speaks for itself. I have found ways to use it in everyday life and have replaced alot of things I buys from the grocery store. Cleaning products, facial creams etc. I am not angry with anyone hear and I don’t want to sound on the defensive. I just hope its another side to think about. thanks amy
Brandon says
It’s funny you’re trying to say your oils are better (for good reason, sure) and also claiming you’re not in it for the money yet are getting your oils for free now. You have clearly hustled so much that you’re doing extremely well in the business to be getting your oils for free, or you’re just misleading people because the people you do sell provide you with residuals to pay for your monthly order.
Let’s be frank here, you do pay for what you get everyone. If you think this blog post is not biased when they say, “btw, I am an affiliate so please check out these oils” then you need to consider what Amy is maybe not saying, or is in her own admission, still learning.
Yes, don’t just apply if you have never used an oil before – dilute. Don’t ingest if it’s not clearly something that is permissible with some digging research. And please understand that while YL and doTERRA maybe expensive in the short term, they also do have their own farms. YL for a fact has farms all over the world and a handful in the states. So, you’re paying for quality and you can do your own test by going to your local grocery store as Amy puts it, maybe buy from YL and compare them. I guarantee you, you’re going to notice a difference.
natalie says
I have a friend who sells from doterra and she sells them cheap… small bottles $5 large ones $10 … standard shop essentials oils here are $15… so I dont know where you are getting your info on crazy high prices for doterra… and she does a great job at selling and only using safe methods, when you sign up there is training… it’s a mentorship program thing so for those selling giving bad advice it’s not doterras fault … you cant exactly talk about this when you havent done it yourself.
Mary Jane Humes says
I am currently a Wellness Advocate with doTERRA….soon though not to be. And if you have a friend who is selling doTERRA oils for $5 or $10 per bottle..those are sample bottles. doTERRA’s oils start about $10.00 and go up in price. While I will admit…I am biased towards doTERA oils. But I cannot say definitely that they have the very best oils on the market. I am not a chemist with a testing laboratory, I just took the info they gave me and of course they say they are the best. And they should be proud of their company. And Young Living should be proud of their company. And every other company that produces essential oils should do so with integrity and give consumers the best.
With all that said, I personally found that selling doTERRA in my area was a very hard sell. And selling oils online is difficult because the consumer cannot experience the oils.
And another, now you may think I am really weird and if you don’t agree, this is not the place to bash me, but as a Christian who believes the Bible, I just could not get comfortable with the doTERRA Morman founders. I felt that their religion permeated their entire culture and made me feel uncomfortable. So I am in the process of leaving doTERRA. There are some products of doTERRA’s that I really like and I intend to purchase some of their products. But as a promoter and seller of doTERRA, it was not a match for me.
Jason Gipson says
I love essential oils. I have researched several companies including the ones mentioned here. I found a great company owned and operated by a Registered Nurse and Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. I found her on Facebook and her products are awesome.. I work with my hands 50+ hours a week and she has an unhinged blend that works wonder or my arthritis. She answered all of my questions and made me feel safe and confident about using EO the right way. And I feel better about helping a small business I can trust than give my money to a multimillion dollar scheme.
Josie Starke says
What is the companies name?
Debra says
Love your post and I agree. However, the only problem I face, personally, is that the FDA will allow anyone to call their oil “therapeutic grade” as long as 5% of it is therapeutic grade…. This, in my opinion, is where doTERRA and YL have the edge. I am not sure about Mountain Rose Herbs – are there oils 100% pure? I’m looking into Rocky Mountain Oils now and they may be a good source as well.
Julie says
I believe they are, yes!
Jude says
Hello Essential Oil Lovers,
I recently moved to Africa to partner with small farmers who produce & harvest essential oil crops namely: Geranium, Rosemary, Lemon Grass, Patchouli, Eucalyptus and Tagetes. The organic, natural oils are certified by ECOCERT. However the Eucalyptus & Tagetes are not certified as they are collected from the wild & not farms.
Thanks
Jude
Paul Watson says
My wife and I are solid believers in the use of Essential oils (well, my wife moreso) and have them everywhere. For us, this whole DoTERRA vYoung Living v Others has been a fascinating ride. We are members of both programs and, via different avenues, make a little on the side from both – mainly as we sell then via our Yoga studio.
I do beleive that you need to be careful with some of the cheaper options out there – namely the ones on eBay for $5 a bottle of Rose etc. but I also believe there are some great options out there that are cheaper. I guess it depends on whether you just want to use them, or see it as a business as well.
Millitant YL people will tell you that DoTERRA oils are not pure and vice versa – we have lost so called friends over the fact that we use both but at the end of the day, if it is not a business to you, then find one that you know is good quality and get into them – they are awesome! – there are tests you can do too – do some searching online for how to test essential oils…
Enjoyed your post
Paul