Unraveling Deceptive Marketing & Common Myths

The essential oil is a ‘hormone’ in the plasma of the plant, closely linked to its physiological functions.

It is the response of the whole plant organism to environmental and life cycle challenges. The essential oil is the plant’s defence against things like disease, environmental pests, hazards, UV damage and wounds. It’s also the plant’s way of speaking with the world around it; attracting pollinators, repelling predators and communicating with other plants. It is active and ever changing, much like our own endocrine and immune system constantly changes to bring balance to our bodies.

We'll tell you one thing that is absolute fact when it comes to Floral Hydrosols; the addiction is real!

Seriously, when we run out of our Rose Bulgarian Hydrosol, we have customers lined up waiting for their fix (and we're right there with them).

There is nothing quite like a pure, Certified Organic Hydrosol and once you've experienced one, you're unlikely to be fooled by imitators. However, there are a lot of products out there masquerading as floral waters when they are in fact nothing of the sort. So we're here to debunk any misconceptions about what a Hydrosol is and is not...

One of the most common essential oil myths we hear...

"Taking Oregano Oil internally daily will keep you from getting sick"

Here's the thing:

Oregano is an effective treatment against a range of micro-organisms, but it is also a very aggressive essential oil and can be damaging to tissue. Besides the dilemma about quality and purity in relation to internal use, Oregano may have the potential to damage internal tissue, over time. Taking it internally on a regular basis is not only unnecessary, it could lead to health risks...

Today's Myth is..

"There is no governing body to certify that essential oils are pure, a company has to do it themselves."

We'll start with the little bit of truth in this statement:

In North America, essential oils are bought and sold under the regulations of perfumery. This means that by law, very little information needs to be disclosed on the label and none of this information needs to be verified. This fact makes it all the more imperative for companies to work with third party certification bodies; to verify and control the quality and purity of their products.

"I found an essential oil recipe online, tried it, and it did nothing! Essential oils don’t work."

This one makes us sad, but it's quite simple really...

In truth, many essential oils in the marketplace are not at all what they could be; intensely vibrant, vital plant forces. So we get it, but don't lose hope.

"Essential oils come from Mother Nature, they can’t harm you."

We see this type of assumption a lot.

When we tell a customer to be sure to skin test an oil before using it topically, or to be extremely careful around small children; they sometimes seem surprised!

Just because a product is natural, does not mean it isn't strong.

"It’s ‘safe’ to take essential oils internally."

This is a loaded statement on many levels. Let's unpack it slowly…

As we discussed in the previous article (click here to give it a read), there is a wide range in quality and limited accountability when it comes to essential oils.

In reality, unless an oil is controlled by a third party certification body, a consumer has no idea what is actually in their bottle. 

Many essential oils are adulterated, often with toxic solvents, adulteration is never disclosed (click here to learn more about adulteration). You need to know exactly what you’re ingesting!

We hear this sentiment expressed quite often, and it makes our jasmine-loving hearts hurt! 

The truth is, the aroma of the most commonly available Jasmine (grandiflorum) is quite heavy, heady and can cause many people to develop a headache or even a migraine. We’ve heard people go so far as describing it like the ‘smell of rotting garbage’! Yikes. Not something you want to be wearing all day, and certainly not the impression you want to be leaving on those around you. 

We always encourage our customers and students to have fun experimenting with their essential oils; it's the best way to learn! However, there a few major roadblocks that you will more than likely encounter along the way. 

Here is what you should be looking for as you browse the shelves of an Aromatherapy Aisle...

Not all essential oils are created equal.

     If you're looking to ditch the chemicals in your life, you probably want to make sure you aren't just replacing them with more (better hidden) chemicals! Here's what you need to know about essential oil quality and how to find it...

The label on an essential oil bottle should tell you a lot: where that oil came from, what the nature of its cultivation was, what part of the plant it was extracted from and the batch number that your specific bottle of oil came from.

These are all important pieces of information that will help you to be an informed consumer. 

The cultivation method tells us what practices were used during the growth of the plant and the extraction of the oil. The different cultivation methods you will see with our oils are...