In 2013, I fell in love….with essential oils. It wasn’t a love at first sight, head over heels kind of affair, but rather a “we’re talking” sort of deal. For quite some time, my friends had been raving about EO’s and trying to hook me up, but I was a bit skeptical. It all sounded too good to be true and I’ll admit….a little fanatical. But after I’d heard a bazillion testimonies, I decided it was time to do some investigating.
Let me preface what I’m going to tell you by saying that I’m your average girl who does not want to kick her Diet Dr. Pepper habit and who craves chocolate cake and gummy bears. However, I also like to cook homemade, nutritious meals for my family from whole and minimally processed foods.
And while I am intrigued by the thought of incorporating some natural remedies and tonics into my family’s routine, I’m also a fan of modern medicine and antibiotics when needed.
I like to describe my mindset as balanced.
So anyway….I was totally captivated by all the ways my friends were using their essential oils and they were all really loyal to a company called Young Living.
So I started researching what was so special about this particular company and their oils.
Are All Essential Oils Created Equal?
I kept hearing my friends talk about “therapeutic grade” essential oils and I soon found that this is a term that is commonly used and sometimes argued in EO circles. I also found that there are greatly varied opinions. Some say there’s no such thing as a therapeutic grade essential oil (they claim it’s a marketing strategy) and others say they won’t use anything but therapeutic grade.
As I inspected bottles of oils at the store, I noticed they had warnings on them like “do not take internally” or “for external use only”. I also noticed that many times they did not smell very pure – more perfumey.
And the more I researched, I realized that many other essential oils companies weren’t really giving the full story behind their oils.
The Full Story on Pure Essential Oils
Did you know that almost every bottle of essential oil on the market claims to be “Pure Essential Oil”? Did you also know that this claim can legally be made if there is as little at just 5% of the actual essential oil from the plant in the bottle? Wow. That doesn’t sound very pure to me.
There is also no regulation for how an essential oil is to be extracted. Companies are free to use high-heat, high-pressure, and chemical-solvents to extract more from the plants – compromising purity in the process – and still sell them as “pure” oil.
Here’s another fun fact for you. The majority of essential oil companies buy their oils from an oil broker. The company isn’t actually involved in the process of cultivating the plants or extracting the oils at all.
I knew one thing for sure…I wanted to KNOW how my essential oils were harvested. I wanted to KNOW they were safe around my kids. I wanted to KNOW where they came from and what was in them.
How to Choose Quality Essential Oils
Here are 8 questions to ask whenever you’re considering purchasing from an essential oils company (adapted from here):
1. Can this company guarantee that the land used to grow their plants & herbs is free of residual herbicides, pesticides, & chemicals?
2. Does this company own their own lab to test an oil’s composition?
3. Does this company ever purchase oils from outside suppliers? If so, does the company visit the farms and oil distilleries to observe the process and make sure that there are no added chemicals to the distillation of the oils and that the herbs and plants are grown completely free from contamination with herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers?
4. Does this company only use crops that were harvested at their peak time? And if so, does the grower test to make sure that the crop is at its peak time for harvesting?
5. Does this company continuously monitor the process of distillation to make sure that the oils produced from the distillation contain all of the correct therapeutic components?
6. Can this company guarantee that oils are discarded and not sold if mistakes were made during the distillation process that affect the quality of the oils?
7. Does this company’s oil suppliers use extra solvents during the distillation process to extract extra oil from the plants?
8. Can this company guarantee that nothing is added to the oils during bottling?
Why I chose Young Living Essential Oils
After deciding that I wanted to make essential oils a part of our daily life, I settled with confidence on Young Living because all their answers to the questions above were yes!
Young Living is the only company I know of that:
- Owns their own farms.
- Can guarantee that no pesticides or herbicides are used on their crops (in fact they use essential oils for pest control and they do all of their own weeding by hand).
- Has their own testing equipment (they do both in-house and third party testing).
- Uses the first distillation oils instead of adding chemicals to get more out of the plant.
- Is directly in charge of essential oil farming operations.
Every other company goes through some kind of an “oil broker” to buy their oils, relying on the oil broker’s word that the farmers they buy the oils from can be trusted to do what they say they are doing.
I’d much rather deal with one company, that is a pioneer in the essential oil market and is totally transparent in their processes. Did you know that Young Living invites you to come and visit their fields so you can see firsthand how the plants are grown and the essential oils are distilled?
Another thing I love about Young Living is that for small fee, you can sign up to be a wholesale member and save 24% off retail prices. There’s no obligation to sell and you only have to purchase $50 per year to remain a wholesale member!
How I Use Essential Oils
So in September 2013 it became official. I became a wholesale member with Young Living and my family has been using their essential oils almost daily since then. I bought the premium starter kit which includes the Everyday Oils kit and hit the ground running.
Here are just a few of the ways that I’m using the oils in the starter kit:
Lavender essential oil – relaxation/occasional sleeplessness
Peppermint essential oil – aid in digestion/minor stomach discomfort/relieve head pressure
Lemon essential oil – in my water as a detoxification supplement and to boost my metabolism/improve mood
Copaiba essential oil – supports body’s response to injury/aides digestion/promotes wellness
Frankincense essential oil – facial skin care/immune support/calming
Thieves essential oil blend – support healthy immune function and respiratory system; awesome cleaning aide
Purification essential oil blend – cleanses skin/ eliminates odors
R.C. essential oil blend – relaxing for massage/stimulating to the senses/three varieties of eucalyptus
DiGize essential oil blend – digestive support/use as dietary supplement when traveling
Panaway essential oil blend – relieve sore muscles
There are so many ways you can use these oils. And again, I love that there is no obligation to sell anything when you become a wholesale member. You most certainly can work it as a business if you choose, but many people become wholesale members just to get their 24% discount and purchase oils for their families.
How to Buy Young Living Oils
There are a few different options. First, you have to register with Young Living. You can register as a customer and you’ll pay regular retail prices.
OR, you can choose to become a wholesale member and you’ll get the 24% discount. If this is what you choose to do, then once you fill out your information, you’ll need to pick an enrollment kit. There are several to choose from.
I would highly recommend that you choose the Premium Starter Kit with Home Diffuser. It’s by far the most bang for your buck. It includes 11 essential oils (5-oz bottles) for you to try (lavender, peppermint, lemon, copaiba, frankincense, Thieves, Purification, R.C., DiGize, PanAway and Stress Away) plus you get a really nice home diffuser that’s normally priced at $83. The total retail value for the Premium Starter Kit is over $300!
PLUS if you sign up here, I’ll also include a $25 Amazon Gift Card, a set of bottle labels and 5 AromaGlide Roller Fitments!
How to Sign Up
1. Head over to the Young Living page here and fill out your information. It only takes a few quick seconds.
2. BE SURE the “Wholesale Member” option is checked so that you don’t end up paying retail prices.
3. BE SURE the “sponsor ID” and “enroller id” say 1490402
4. If you do not feel comfortable putting in your social security number (this is only for tax purposes if you decide to turn this into a business) then you can get an EIN from the IRS in just a few seconds here and use that number instead (the IRS just needs to be able to connect some number with you for tax purposes). They need a Social Security Number or an EIN because if you make $600 or more per year selling Young Living products, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail (which is required by law). Young Living will never share this info with anyone. Again, you are under no obligation to sell Young Living products.
5. Select which starter kit you want to get. My recommendation would be the Premium Starter Kit. You can get the kit that’s $150, or you can get a kit for $160 with an even nicer essential oil diffuser!
6. I’d recommend skipping the Step 3 (Optional) part of the sign-up process. I’ll send over an email with more details on that part of things after you sign up (if you’re going to be purchasing products monthly then it’s a great program that will give you credit back with each order and save you on shipping costs).
7. Go through the checkout process. Young Living accepts most major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
8. After you sign up, send me an email at [email protected] letting me know that you signed up through this promotion so that I will know to send you your freebies.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does signing up mean I have to sell something?
No! You are not required to sell anything at all to anyone. When you become a wholesale member, you get a special link that you can share with friends and get credit from their purchases, but there are no minimum sales amounts at all. In fact, a huge majority of Young Living wholesale members don’t do it as a business. They are buying from Young Living because of the quality.
Am I required to make a minimum purchase each month?
There are absolutely NO minimum monthly purchase requirements. To remain a wholesale member, you have to make $50 worth of purchases per year to keep your membership. But if there’s a year that you don’t make a $50 purchase, you can reinstate your wholesale membership discount by just placing a $50 order.
If you do find yourself making regular purchases each month, then Young Living has a rewards program (called Essential Rewards) where you can make up to 20% back in product credit each month on all of your purchases. To participate in this program, you have to make at least $50 worth of purchases per month, but again NOT REQUIRED.
How will I know how to use my oils?
Young Living has a bunch of literature that will guide you through how to use their oils, and when you sign up under me, I will make myself available to answer any questions you have!
Does Young Living only sell essential oils?
No! In fact, Young Living has an entire line of personal care products, supplements, meal replacements, energy drinks, and more! Almost every product incorporates essential oils (for example, frankincense is absolutely wonderful in facial products), but there’s a wide variety of products available. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will do my best to answer them!
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.
