How to Save Money When Buying Essential Oils

Many people have discovered the benefits of essential oils. They smell great, they're good for you, they lift your mood and they can even make minor aches and pains go away.

If you find this hard to believe, try this the next time you have a headache. Take either peppermint oil, lavender oil or orange oil and mix it with a few drops of a carrier oil. Rub it on your temples and on your forehead. Usually your pain will begin to dissipate within seconds.

You might also want to take a good deep whiff of these oils right from the bottle, or put a few drops in a diffuser to spread minute particles into the air. Not only will you feel better, but your house will smell great.

Once you discover the wonders of essential oils, the natural tendency is to keep adding to your collection. But the average household usually doesn't need more than five or six different oils at one time. Essential oils tend to evaporate and lose their potency after a year or two, so you'll want to keep this in mind when purchasing larger, economy-size bottles. These may not be such a good deal if you don't use all of the contents.

Many different types of plants are used to make essential oils, which are highly concentrated plant essences. A small bottle of essential oil, with moderate use, should last a long time. I try not to buy more than I can use, and I try to use what I've purchased.

Two oils - frankincense and sandlewood - are very precious. They must be produced with special care. Frankincense from the boswellia sacra tree, also known as Sacred Frankincense grows only in a certain region of Oman. Many consider this the highest quality of frankincense. I always keep a bottle of this on hand because it's so good at treating minor infections and other skin problems.

For instance, my teenage daughter had two embedded blackheads on her face. One or two drops of this oil, and they went away. I also had peeling skin on one of my elbows. A couple of drops greatly improved the skin in this area. (One should always mix frankincense a carrier oil before applying it directly to your skin.)

Frankincense also shows promise as a cancer treatment. Dr. HK Lin, PhD., from the University of Oklahoma, has studied and has found it will kill cancer cells in the laboratory, while not harming normal cells. He is trying to find a way to apply his findings into a clinical trial with humans, as he believes this could become a potential cancer treatment, without the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy.

Dr. Lin stresses that only frankincense made from the boswellia sacra tree has shown this type of anti-cancer activity. He works exclusively with the Young Living company, which gets its frankincense straight from Oman.

So this is why I don't mind paying a premium for an oil that I know has this type of research behind it.

Frankincense is one of my favorite oils, partially because it smells so good and I can also envision one of the Three Kings traveling a great distance, with frankincense, to visit Jesus in the manger.

This resin taken from the sap of the boswelia tree has numerous health benefits, and, in ancient times, was regarded as more valuable than gold. It makes an excellent skin toner,since it fights wrinkles. Although I'm sure Sacred Frankincense would make my skin look a little younger, I can't afford to use it so liberally. So I use a less expensive brand of frankincense mixed with jojoba oil, which is also good for your skin.

Instead, for general skin care, I use Aura Cacia Frankincense from the boswellia carterii tree. It's a slightly different type of tree than what grows in Oman, and the chemical composition of its resin is not quite the same as boswelia sacra. But it works just fine as a skin toner.

The brand of Frankincense I trust the most comes from the Young Living company, which manufactures and distributes high quality essential oils. They are also very expensive. A 15 ml. bottle of peppermint oil sells for $30.99 on Amazon. Shipping is included in the price.

But a bottle of Plant Therapy organic peppermint oil, at twice the size, is only $10.99. Shipping is free if you order a total of $25 worth of Super Saver items. I've found Plant Therapy to be excellent quality, and this is the supplier from which I buy nearly all of my family's "therapeutic grade" oils, or the kind that have contact with our body.

Although Young Living is known for producing good oils, part of the reason they are so expensive is because the company sells them through a multi-level marketing network. So there are multiple layers of distributors between the source and the customer.

I generally don't like to buy MLM products, except for sacred frankincense.

Tea tree oil is great for fighting mold that grows in your bathroom, or in other areas in your home subject to moisture. But I don't need a therapeutic-grade oil to do the job. Just a reasonably pure form of tea tree oil will do.

Actually, the kind of oil I buy to do the job is labeled therapeutic grade. But because it's so inexpensive, I can even use it for all purpose household cleaning.

Any of the clean-smelling oils, such as lavender or orange, make great additions to all-natural household cleaners. For instance, we use liquid castile soap to mop our floors, as it's non toxic. It already smells like citrus, but a couple of drops of inexpensive orange oil will help cut through dirt and grime, as well as add an orange fragrance to your kitchen.

I purchase an inexpensive brand of tea tree oil online, and I make sure shipping is free, or free if I buy a certain amount of other products.

In addition to finding the right oil for the price, there are many ways to use up essential oils that you have on hand, that may be losing their potency, so they don't go to waste.

Here are a few:

• Rub peppermint oil near the places ants enter your home, or where you have an infestation problem. Ants hate the smell of peppermint.
• Put a few drops of orange oil is six ounces of water, and then put this in a spray bottle. Use it frequently in your shower or bathtub to prevent mold.
• Put some frankincense in a diffuser when there is tension in a household. One woman I know does this whenever her children are cranky.
• Clove bud oil, mixed with a carrier, such as almond oil, will relieve toothaches when applied to the gums.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose‚ treat or cure any disease or medical condition.

This article is just for discussion and informational purposes and is not intended as a treatment or diagnostic tool. People with health concerns should consult a medical professional. It is best to use essential oils in conjunction with a qualified aromatherapist. Pregnant women should not use essential oils without consulting their physician.

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