Doterra eo's

[AnnaMarie]

I hope this isn't a tired subject. If so, please forgive me as I am new to the forum....So I'm going to a Doterra presentation tonight. I've been to one before and have bought one of their oil blends. I have never incorporated them into my products. I was wondering if anyone used them and what they thought of them from a quality stand point. I also wondered if anyone did use them in products they made and wondered if there was a big difference. Thank you to any responders
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[pamielynn]

Way too expensive, IMO, to use in soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

Yes, too expensive. And DoTerra EOs are not any better than EOs from other well-qualified sellers, regardless of the hype.

For general fragrance in soaps, lotions, etc, I buy EOs from New Directions Aromatics. For making therapeutic salves, lotions, and healing blends, my favorite supplier is Nature's Gift, owned by Marge Clark. I can call or email Marge and I'll get a factual, prompt answer, often directly from her. No drama, no hard sell. She shares her years of knowledge freely with others and doesn't feel the need to cut others down to build herself and her business up.

She also offers a wide range of EOs -- much more extensive than DoTerra. I checked DoTerra's website and found, for example, that the company only offers one lavender (lavendula angustifolia) EO at $28 for 15 mL. No info on therapeutic strengths and weaknesses of this particular lavender. No info on the producer of the EO, the country it comes from, nor the specific variety of the lavender. High altitude? Lowland? Artisanal? Wildcrafted? Ethically farmed?

Marge has EOs from 3 lavandin varieties, 7 lavender varieties, and 2 spike lavender varieties. Prices for her lavender EOs range from $12 to $36 for 15 mL. She tells you the strengths and weaknesses of each variety and for what purpose you would want to use a particular EO.

I compare the offerings from these two companies and there's just no contest in my mind.

 

[AnnaMarie]

Thank you for the responses. I absolutely agree that they are way too expensive for soap $$$ (I can only imagine the price of the soap). I was rolling around in my head the idea of using them in lotions, however, and was interested in some feedback. I currently use Brambleberry and Mountain Rose Herbs for eo's. I like to try to keep informed and be in context. I still wouldn't mind hearing more if people want to chime in
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[coffeetime]

I've never used Doterra, but I second New Directions. I've been ordering from them and the quality is quite good and so are the prices.

 

[AnnaMarie]

So Deanna, while I have your attention....I appreciate your passion for science and accuracy very much, and so I would consider you a credible person to ask this question: is there any official data, documented studies, etc. etc. on essential oils out there? I have read much about them, but I would like some scientifically backed up, hard core facts and statistics. There is too much nilly- willy info and opinion based info out there and trying to sift through it, well.... Ughh! I notice a lot of people taking a few facts and running far and wide in their conclusions ad presenting them as science, and well...that bothers me a lot. Part of good research is finding the right resources, so I thought I'd pick your brain
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Thanks for this thread I've been considering Doterra not for soap waaaaaay to expensive but homeopathic oils. But still they are so much $$$ How do you know if it hype or real?

 

[AnnaMarie]

Pepsi girl, I want to support my friend who sells DoTerra and is very passionate about them. I have one bottle of product that I really like called breathe that I can supposedly use for my asthma (we will see). I will probably buy other oils for therapeutic value to use in personal products. After that, I don't know, so I thought I'd do a little asking around.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Yes, that's my story! My friend also sells it and knows I use EOs so thought I'd wan the "best"!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...is there any official data, documented studies, etc. etc. on essential oils out there?..."

Essential oil books are a lot like soap making books -- a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs to find a true prince. Many of the books and internet info about essential oils and their use are honestly not very creditable. Even if there are kernels of truth in these books, so much is drivel, it's impossible to sort out what's what. It's kind of depressing, because I've bought a fair number of these books, hoping to find some real meat to sink my mental teeth into ... and I keep finding the same tired stuff time after time.

There is some good news. There is increasing body of research that documents the therapeutic effects (or lack thereof) of essential oils. Although there is no single "be all, end all" source for this information, Robert Tisserand does a very good job of keeping up on the current research and debunking the foolishness and misinformation that abounds in the aromatherapy world. He just published the second edition of his book, Essential Oil Safety, A Guide for Health Care Professionals, ISBN: 978-0-443-06241-4, that I would recommend getting if you have the funds (about $75-100). He has a website http://roberttisserand.com and a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RobertTisserandEssentialTraining He presents webinars, seminars, and classes around the world.

Here's an interesting blog entry from Tisserand about a famous incident in which early aromatherapy researcher Maurice Rene Gattefosse used lavender EO to successfully treat gas gangrene in his burned hands: http://roberttisserand.com/2011/04/gattefosses-burn/

As far as finding a good source to buy the essential oils themselves, it's really tough to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt who's reputable and who's not. I look for this type of thing -- What people are encouraging sound research into the uses of essential oils? Who is contributing to fair and balanced discussions with the public about essential oils and about safe, sound uses of EOs for health and beauty? Who is making an effort to educate consumers without a lot of drama, pressure, or hype? Who is putting themselves and their good name out in the public as a source of reasonable information? What businesses provide detailed information about their EO products and provide a wide and varied selection of EOs for consumers to choose?

I could ramble on at length, but instead I'll close with a few information sources that seem particularly creditable and have been helpful to me:

Robert Tisserand: http://roberttisserand.com
Nature's Gift, Marge Clark: http://www.naturesgift.com/infomenu.htm
Aroma Web, Wendy Robbins: http://aromaweb.com/
University of Minnesota http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/aromatherapy
National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (National Institutes of Health): http://nccam.nih.gov/

And a person can search for research data using PubMed (US National Library of Medicine): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

I'm sure there's lots more, but I hope this gets you off to a good start! --D

 

[Lin]

I really like aroma web, I always recommend this article for people new to EOs http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/howtobuyessentialoils.asp

 

[AnnaMarie]

Thank you deanna!!!!

 

[AnnaMarie]

Deanna, Have you checked out Mountain Rose Herbs? They are local to me and they have a lot of organic products. I have liked what I've seen so far...too expensive for soap making though .
Also, do you know of the book "Advanced Aromatherapy"? It was originally published in Germany in the 90's and eventually was published in the US.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[cmzaha]

New Directions aromatics and Liberty Natural are my go to suppliers for eo's.

 

[pamielynn]

Mountain Rose Herbs I feel is a great place for some basic info regarding EOs. R. Tisserand has some amazing information as DeeAnna says; I trust what he writes. I despise doTerra and Young Living's hype and would never buy from either - and certainly wouldn't use them as a bulk supplier.

 

[DeeAnna]

I have used Mountain Rose Herbs some, and I think they're a reputable company. I like their focus on educating people in addition to selling their products. They're a bit on the spendy side for carrier oils, but I agree they carry organic stuff that others don't.

Schnaubelt is a well respected author in the field. I don't have Advanced Aromatherapy, but I've paged through it and it's on my wish list to get a copy. Also consider his newer book the Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils. If you're building your library, either or both would be a good addition.

Clinical Aromatherapy by Jane Buckle is another book worth considering too if you're wanting research-based information. It's more about fundamentals and theory and not a "recipe book". She teaches research-based aromatherapy courses and her focus is health care professionals and certified aromatherapists.

I think getting a perspective from a number of authors is a good idea -- no one person has all the answers nor the only "right" perspective on essential oils and aromatherapy. That's where DoTerra and Young Living fall very short, in my opinion. These companies seem to think their stuff is the only good stuff and their practices are the "one true way". I don't care for an evangelistic hard-sell approach.

Hope this helps.

 

[AnnaMarie]

I have Advanced Aromatherapy and have read it. I found it to be very informative and credible- not nilly willy . It had a lot on the chemistry of eo's which I liked. I will consider the other two books you suggested as well.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[ewenique]

Interesting information! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Lindy]

Another science based book is Aromatherapy for the Health Professional. Excellent information on therapeutic applications, toxicity and scientific research from a variety of sources.

 

[AustinStraight]

There was some conflict awhile ago regarding doTerra because their peppermint oil - which has always smelled suspiciously sweet - was found to contain ethyl vanillin, a synthetic chemical which smells of vanilla & chocolate. The test was done by an unbiased third party, too - not a competitor.