Only Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils?

Well, it certainly sounds great, doesn't it? Let's throw in a 'certified' too! Now that seems even more creditable, doesn't it? A great amount of my time is devoted to research and learning, and one thing I learned is that 'certified therapeutic' really means bunk. I do so love the sounds of the words together though, and I have found that most essential oils which I purchase that have that delightful wording are in fact of satisfyingly high aromatic quality. Truly, it is hard to find an essential oil container lacking that wording! I too have been guilty of employing those words in descriptions of products containing some wonderful aromatics, and I figured now was a great time to share the knowledge that I have discovered that there is no such thing as an independant certification agency that stamps the aromatherapeutic seal of approval on myriad essential oils sold by myriad companies. If I use those words in a description, it means that the essential oils used bore that suggestion on their labels and I had a moment of over enjoyment and indulgence in marketing artifice. I have a very sensitive sniffer, and I tend to rely more on it than on any collective description or wording from a potential seller. I can usually smell adulterants instantly in a great many scents. This is a blessing and a curse sometimes! Don't picture me with my nose over numerous bottles either. A straight shot of undiluted essential oil can cause some serious harm. Imagine rather a careful dispensation of minute amounts on a dispersal agent. Some big name companies that sell essential oils have marketing ploys that incense my conscience, and I refuse to buy from them. No, I most certainly DOnt Terra! When I see ingestion suggestions for essential oils, I get disturbed. Are they trying to make repeat customers, or are they serious misanthropes? When I see recommendations for external application without dilution I feel a reflexive psychosomatic rash coming on. Sometimes, if an oil is put full strength directly on the skin, horrid and much worse things than a rash can happen! When I work with essential oils here, I have to employ measures ensuring much ventilation and skin protection until they are properly dispersed and diluted. I have mentioned before that I use up to two ounces in a pound of soap. This may seem like an alarmingly high concentration, but the nice thing about essential oils in soap is that the concentration reduces as the soap ages. Also, a warm temperature increases the evaporation of the oils. By the time the soap is ready for sale, the essential oils used for a scent have dispersed to a safe level while still imparting pleasant aroma.  I consider essential oils to be the super concentrated precoursers to perfume blends. Rather than combining them with a bunch of other artificial ingredients to make a scent, I strive to make satisfying scents with as few pure ingredients as possible. I have discovered that I can tolerate scents made in this way much much better than fragrances containing all kinds of who knows what.  Fakey air fresheners make me totally ill, but diluted essential oil does not.  I do not believe in using essential oils on toddlers and babies. I know many say that this can be perfectly safe, but I prefer to err on the side of caution. So, what about that lavender baby night night wash in your local grocery? Chances are, it contains an extremely minute amount of real lavender essential oil, or none at all. It's probably full of who knows what, but it has also been thoroughly tested by the huge corporation that manufactures it. I can't stand a fakey lavender scent, but it might be alright for plenty of babies. Sometimes synthetics can be safer than the real deal.  Sometimes even allegedly safe levels of essential oils can produce alarming effects. I once liked soap with peppermint essential oil and then, over time it disagreed with me-even at a safe concentration. I now use the less irritating spearmint essential oil in my soap. I do not believe that ingesting essential oils is safe under any circumstance, no matter what brand or method of delivery is employed. If you want to gain the benefits of essential oils through ingestion, make a cup of tea with a tablespoon or so of the nice fresh plant. This way, you get the full benefit of the complete plant without over doing things to the point of organ failure as can be the case if a single drop of an essential oil is ingested.