Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about essential oils. I am always interested in using natural products to fight colds – if they work. I rely on what close friends tell me has worked for their families. Two good friends whose opinions I trust shared what they use essential oils for and where to buy them for the lowest price.
Julie Anna Wagner Covey teaches friends how to cook with essential oils, and make lip balms, lotions, non-toxic sunscreen, and more. Her focus is teaching people how to replace chemicals and synthetics.
Bianca Feler Wirth uses essential oils to keep herself and kids healthy and comfortable when they have coughs, colds, stuffy noses, allergies, tooth aches, bug bites, stomach aches, muscle pains, sleep problems, anxiety, stress, depression, or exhaustion.
There are also financial benefits. “My next step in this oily journey is to start making my own non-toxic cleaning and beauty products,” Bianca said. I have been able to find lots of essential oil recipes online that come out to a fraction of the cost of store bought products! I’m really excited about that!”
How essential oil can save you money
Basic dos and don’ts:
DO store your oils in a cool, dark place.
DON’T buy essential oils with rubber glass dropper tops – the oil will dissolve the rubber, ruining the product.
DO buy your oils from reputable mail-order companies; typically they have purer oils at lower prices than your local health shop.
DON’T purchase from craft shows, street fairs and other short-duration events; unscrupulous vendors know that once their inferior products are sold you can’t get your money back.
DO consider waiting until the second trimester to use essential oils if you’re pregnant, since the oils can cross the placental barrier and have the potential to affect the fetus.
DON’T use essential oils when pregnant if you have a sensitive medical history (better safe than sorry!).
So what about those oils I bought from Whole Foods? Or other, cheaper brands?
- Bianca told me, “You can purchase oils at Whole Foods and Sprouts but they are perfume grade. You may or may not see any holistic benefits from perfume grade oils. You want therapeutic grade.”
Julie likes the brand doTERRA
- “After using all different kinds for over 20 years, once I found doTERRA, the other brands paled by comparison. So I only use their oils. I value their purity and potency. They are the only oils that I use internally for me and my kids.”
- “Many oils say on the bottle that they aren’t safe for internal use and not for use with children – so I avoid those. If I put it on my skin, it is going internally.”
- “You can purchase doTERRA retail, but the beauty of their wholesale membership is saving 25% off of retail.”
- “There are also plenty of warehouse-type, online sites where you can buy essential oils and some are cheaper than doTERRA, but if quality is the most important feature and/or you want to use them medicinally as well as therapeutically, then there is no other option for me.”
- Julie also mentioned that Young Living is a good product and probably doTERRA’s direct competitor.
Bianca prefers YoungLiving
- “I use Young Living with my family. I researched different brands and felt that Young Living was the best choice for us. The oils vary a lot in price. Some are $11 and some are $80. There are many factors that play into the price.”
- “A few months ago I read about the benefits of using Essential Oils on a blog I follow. Today we went to the zoo and my son Joshua got stung by a bee close to his eye. It was bothering him so much! When we got home, I followed the quick recipe for bee stings and he is doing so much better!”
- “This past week, my daughter Hannah had a cold and I was able to keep her comfortable and shorten the duration of her symptoms by using a few oils too. I couldn’t even believe that she was sleeping through the night! I am thankful that I have learned about a way to help my family naturally.”
- Bianca decided that signing up as a distributer with Young Living gives her the best economic advantage, allowing her 24% off the retail price, among other benefits.
Price comparison of basic essential oils
*Please note that these are retail prices, not distributer prices.
- Cinnamon Bark Essential oil – promotes circulation, helping to alleviate aches and pains, builds and maintains a healthy immune system. DoTerra price: $28 for 5ml, Young Living price: $31.58 for 5ml.
- Fennel Essential oil – used to relieve indigestion (supporting the healthy functions of the stomach), to aid in any kind of digestive issue and to support improvements to the lymphatic system. DoTerra price: $20 for 15ml, Young Living Price: $22.70 for 15 ml.
- Geranium Essential oil – useful for joint support and tempering minor aches and pains. DoTerra price: $36 for 15ml, Young Living price, $54.28 for 15ml.
- Cedarwood Essential oil – promotes clear breathing and supports healthy respiratory function. DoTerra price: $17.53 for 15ml, Young Living price, $14.80 for 15ml.
- Oil blends – Both companies offer various essential oil blends.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Both those companies are huge scams — multi-level-marketing situations. There are many places on line to get good quality essential oils. There is no such thing as a therapeutic grade essential oil. It’s either an essential oil or it’s been cut with carrier oils. Liberty Naturals is a good place to start . . . .
This isn’t true Lori. I have many oils from various brands that are 100% Pure Grade Therapeutic grade blah blah blah all natural oils…. Since essential oils is not a regulated market, you only need something like 5% of the oil for it to be considered 100% Pure. YL and DT use a higher standard.
DoTerra does a complete distill which means they boil the elements longer, which unlocks the more fragrance smelling components from the plant and also gives you more of a diluted oil, but wayyy better smelling. The medical benefits are slightly diluted, but it costs less to produce, thus the oil costs less.
YoungLiving does a 1st distill only, which means they only boil for a short period of time. The oils don’t smell nearly as great (Peppermint smells more green, DoTerra’s smells like candy), but you get a pure un-diluted version of the oil with all the medical benefits. But it’s more expensive to produce because you aren’t capturing the fragrance portion of the plant. Thus the oils cost more.
It really depends on what your preference is. But put some of your lemon oil on a balloon and see how quickly it pops compared to the pure grade of YL or DT.