Buying guide for Best essential oil sets
Essential oils are distilled and used not only for their healing and therapeutic properties but also for personal fragrance, home fragrance, and flavor and fragrance in food. If you’re interested in owning an array of essential oils for at-home use, you might appreciate an essential oil set.
Aromatherapy is one of the most common applications for essential oils. Used alone or harmoniously combined in a sensory blend, quality essential oils can breathe harmony, relaxation, peace, joy, and healing into any environment. With an entire set of fragrances at your fingertips, you can experiment with a diverse array of scents to craft your own mood-enhancing blend.
Because essential oil sets are not subject to government oversight or regulation, it’s easy to become confused with endorsements and biased marketing claims. To choose the best essential oil set for your purpose, you need some additional information. Use the guidelines below to make an informed choice, and feel free to check out the specific essential oil sets we’re endorsing.
Essential oil purity
The therapeutic and medicinal properties of pure and natural essential oils play an integral role in holistic healing. Essential oils, also known as aromatic oils or plant hormones, are highly concentrated distillations of the natural oils gleaned from the flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, bark, or roots of plants. The “essence” of the plant, these concentrated reductions contain all the fragrance and healing properties of the plant.
Holistic health practitioners stress purity and quality to consumers who are looking to purchase an essential oil kit for aromatherapy use. The reason: essential oil blends containing synthetic ingredients made with chemicals to imitate a natural fragrance may lack the therapeutic properties of pure essential oil.
Before purchasing an essential oil kit, read the label to review the ingredients. Pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils sourced by professional growers are best. The goal is to find a product that is free of contaminants and unnecessary dilution.
Cautions and concerns
When correctly used, therapeutic essential oils may be inhaled, diffused, or applied to the skin. However, all essential oils require dilution to prevent adverse reactions. Dilute essential oil in your favorite carrier oil. (Carrier oils are vegetable-based oils such as olive, sesame, grapeseed, coconut, and almond oil.) Adding six to eight drops of essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil amounts to a concentration of approximately one percent. You want to be sure the concentration of the essential oil you’re using is below five percent.
Persons with allergies or scent sensitivities should avoid using certain essential oils in the bath. Some essential oils act as mucous membrane irritants, causing burning or drying of the eyes, nose, mouth, and reproductive organs. Thyme, bay, lemongrass, clove, and cinnamon bark essential oils should not be used as a bath additive.
Before using essential oils, it is important to consider chemical composition, purity, dosage, duration of use, and method of application. Your age, underlying health conditions, and use of certain medications and nutritional supplements may affect your safety when using some essential oils. If in doubt, consult a physician before using an essential oil. And if you are pregnant or taking a prescription medication, talk to your healthcare provider before adding essential oils to your health regimen.
"The marketing term “essential oil” is an abbreviation of a historical term “quintessential oil,” which alludes to pure extracted oils as the spirit or life force of the plant. "
STAFF
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Preserving freshness
Essential oils stay fresh and flavorful when stored in dark-colored glass bottles with airtight lids. You can purchase food-grade and therapeutic-grade essential oils in 5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL, and one-ounce sizes.
Essential oil set prices
The quality and purity of essential oils determine their aroma, color, flavor, and therapeutic value. The higher the quality of a distillation of oil, the higher the price.
The rarity and availability of a plant, as well as its distillation costs, also affect the cost of essential oil. Keep in mind that oils extracted from certified organic crops that meet the criteria for organic certification tend to cost more than those of the same species grown under non-organic conditions.
Consumers who are new to shopping for essential oils may note a huge price discrepancy between some companies. In fact, the cost difference between brands can be intimidating. You may opt for the cheapest choice, but you will likely find the quality of the oil reflective of the price you pay. Inexpensive brands do not offer the same clean, crisp fragrance or therapeutic value as those purchased from a reputable supplier who invests more in research, plants, distillation costs, and product packaging.
So how much can you expect to pay? A basic essential oil starter kit can be purchased for less than $20, while an advanced kit with samplings of as 80 different exotic essential oils can cost upward of $550. Most consumers looking for a nice at-home set can expect to pay $50 or less.
Tips
- When shopping for an essential oil kit, it is wise to know the Latin or botanical name for a specific oil. This knowledge will help you better compare prices between companies.
- To keep stored seasonal woolen goods fresh and free of moths, sprinkle a few drops of lavender (or your favorite essential oil) on a cotton ball and tuck it between blankets, coats, shawls, and sweaters.
- Essential oils can be added to creams, salves, lotions, and bath gels. Advocates of essential oil therapy suggest adding a few drops of rosemary, thyme, and lavender to your favorite shampoo and conditioner to stimulate new hair growth. These natural oils are thought to stimulate blood flow to the scalp.
- Tighten and firm wrinkled, saggy facial skin by adding two or three drops of geranium essential oil to your favorite night cream.
- Create fragrant note cards and letters with your favorite blend of essential oils. Put a few drops in a spray bottle with one ounce of water. Lightly mist the paper with the spray to add a unique signature scent to your correspondence.
FAQ
Q. What is the best natural essential oil to repel mosquitoes and ticks?
A. Powerful in fragrance and function, eucalyptus emits a scent that, while pleasant to people, effectively repels mosquitoes, ticks, flies, gnats, spiders, bed bugs, fleas, and lice. In fact, the CDC reports pure and natural eucalyptus oil to be as effective as DEET.
Five drops each of eucalyptus and orange essential oils, suspended in a mixture of one ounce of water and one ounce of alcohol, creates a fragrance that is noxious to insects yet pleasing to humans. Place the mixture in a spray bottle for ease of application. Although non-irritating to the skin, avoid getting this natural insect repellent in your eyes.
Q. Is aromatherapy beneficial to persons with anxiety or PTSD?
A. PTSD and anxiety can both be serious health conditions, and essential oil therapy should not act as a replacement for proper medical care. However, some people find that essential oils such as lavender, clary sage, and frankincense promote concentration, calm, and mental strength to help the user achieve greater clarity of mind.
