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By using Essential oils for hygiene, cleaning and health purposes you can cut down on the toxic burden from products that have unwanted chemicals and products that are tested on animals, also cutting down on the extensive animal cruelty experienced by so many of these other companies.

All products can be found on www.youngliving.com or you can visit the office to sample and purchase the various oils.

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Essential oils are made from highly concentrated plants.  For example it takes about 4000 pounds of roses to produce 1 pound of essential oil and about 100 pounds of plant material to make 1 pound of lavender. Some consider this the life force and soul of the plant. Essential oils are made of constituents that are molecular in size and therefore they are absorbed easily into the skin and cells, but they do not accumulate in the body over time.  Because the molecules are so tiny they can pass the blood brain barrier, which is like a sieve that only allows certain molecules to pass. Essential oils cannot be patented therefore drug companies and mainstream healthcare practitioners don't use them. Standards for quality control of essential oils do not currently exist in the United States.There is no agency regulating whether an oil is therapeutic and most essential oils sold in the U.S. are not certified as to their organic status, but some European brands are. The organizations below do have some involvement with the production and selling of essential oils. 

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The FDA through the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.  The FDA regulates foods, food additives, drugs, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. Essential oils can be considered cosmetic or drug depending on the products use.  For example, if the oil is intended to promote a good smell or frarance the FDA would most likely regulate the product as a cosmetic. If a company claimed that an essential oil was effective for treating a condition or disease, the FDA is more likely to regulate the product as a drug.   Most essential oils are not considerred drugs and are available to anyone without questions of quality.

AFNOR(Association Francaise de Normalisation) provides  European Union states guidelines and information on various topics including determination of water content, chromatographic profiles, determination of acid value, content of phenols, etc. 

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) providesguidelines for packaging, conditioning,storage, labeling, sampling, testing, etc. ISO also provides, for a fee, quality standards for individual essential oils.  

Therefore, it takes alittle bit of research to assess the quality of essential oils. Essential oils come from all over the world, and suppliers or companies usually obtain oils from farmers or wholesalers whose practices and integrity vary.  How do we determine oil quality?  Here are some things to look for:

1. Information regarding the plants - Under what conditions are the plants grown?  Where are they grown, which can indicate altitude, soil conditions, rainfall, whether they are indiginous, etc.  Are there pollution factors such as air quality, pesticides, etcs.  Are they harvested at the best possible time and how long do they sit before they are transported or processed. Is there information about organic growing or wildcrafting (gathering wild plants)? Is the Latin name of the plant provided so that you are sure you are getting the right essential oil.  If so, this tells you the company is marketing to knowledgeable parties as well as general consumers.

2. How were the plants processed the plants? – What are the quality standards for processesing and who is doing them.  The following are some methods for processing:

3. Steam distillation - the most common method of essential oil production. Steam is put in chamber with plant causing small sacs containing essential oil to burst. The oil is then carried by the steam out of the chamber and into a chilled condenser, where the steam once again becomes water and the oil and water are then separated; Temperature differences can have huge effect. For example tea tree oil should be heated at 3 lbs of pressure at 218 degrees for 2-3 hours.  Lavender should be at 0 lbs pressure for a minimum of 1 hour 15 min.

4. Carbon Dioxide and 'Supercritical' Carbon Dioxide extraction - the latest technologies in distilling essential oils at low temperatures. Both methods involve the use of carbon dioxide as the 'solvent', which carries the essential oil away from the raw plant material.

5. Cold Pressing – for citrus oils from the peels of fruit, in which the rind is pressed at about 120 degrees F to extract the oil. Little, if any, alteration from the oil's original state occurs – these citrus oils retain their bright, fresh, uplifting aromas like the fresh fruit.

6. Carbon dioxide methods have a couple of advantages:like steam distillation, there are no solvent residues left behind, and the resultant product is perfectly pure. Like cold pressing, there is no heat applied to the plant material or essential oil to alter it in any way. Carbon dioxide distillation is highly beneficial for resins such as Frankincense and Myrrh, as more of the larger molecules - considered to have important healing properties - are brought into the essential oil. On the other hand, German Chamomile for example, only produces its naturally anti-inflammate component, chamulzine, when distilled by steam.

7. What tests have been performed for purity, who performed them and does the company offer this information.  Have the oils been mixed with lesser quality oils, or other chemicals.  The following are some tests for purity:

8. Gas Chromatography – oils are heated and vaporized  measuring how fast each constituent vaporizes

9. Mass Spectometry – after GC the oils are iodized to sort out molecular weights

10. Refrzctive index – measures light of essential oil constituents

11. Specific gravity – measures density

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4.    How are the oils stored - Essential oils can degrade with exposure to heat, light, or oxygen.  Therefore, oils in dark glass containers in cool places with good seal  Oxidation rates vary, but most essential oils can be safely used for 1-2 years or more after opening.   Labels should contain the common Name of the plant, scientific name or Genus Species of the plant, Chemotype of the plant if warranted, say 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil,  Supplement Facts, instructions for use, Caution or Safety Information, Carrier Oil (if applicable for blend or diluted), Oil Volume listed on the Label (example: 5 ml), Lot Number, Company Information

So many things can affect the quality of an essential oil to include soil quality, rainfall temperature, altitude, the way the plants are harvested, how the plants are stored and how the plants are distilled.  The purity can be affected by blending less expensive oils with more expensive oils or adding non synthetic or synthetic constituents.  For example, vegetable oil. which can be detected by dropping several drops on a tissue and waiting for oil to dry.  If it evaporates quickly and leaves no ring it is pure.  If it leaves a ring it is likely diluted with an oil of some. 

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