What is an Essential Oil?
Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both
beautifully and powerfully fragrant. In addition to giving plants their distinctive smells, essential oils provide plants with protection against predators and disease and play a role in plant pollination.
Essential oils are non water-based phytochemicals made up of volatile aromatic compounds. Although they are fat soluble, they do not include fatty lipids or acids found in vegetable and animal oils. Essential oils are very clean, almost crisp, to the touch and are immediately absorbed by the skin.
Pure, unadulterated essential oils are translucent and range in color from crystal clear to deep blue. In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their aromatic and therapeutic benefits. Modern scientific study and trends toward more holistic approaches to wellness are driving a revival and new discovery of essential oil health applications.
Benefits of Essential Oils
There are many actions that essential oils can create within the body.
Each individual essential oil possesses its own unique variety of therapeutic abilities.
These may include, among a multitude of others, properties such as supporting a healthy inflammatory response, relieving occasional muscle and joint discomfort, cleansing and purifying action, digestive support, cellular detoxification, healthy respiratory functions and so much more...
Is it safe to use Essential Oils?
One of the gorgeous perks of using essential oils is that they bring their goodness without adding extra stress to our bodies, which sometimes happens with pain relievers or other common meds.
Science is catching up to what our ancestors understood deeply - that essential oils, which are basically the pure 'heart' of a plant, offer both mental and physical boosts when used thoughtfully and wisely
Curious About the Oil Buzz?
Using essential oils, a practice we often call Aromatherapy today, is actually tapping into an age-old tradition. It mixes the science of fragrances with the pure essence from plants to boost health, encourage healing, enhance beauty, and energize our lives
What's the difference between Perfumes and Essential Oils?
Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant they were derived from. It is important to be crystal clear here in distinguishing that perfume oils, also known as fragrance oils or “fragrances”, are not the same as essential oils. Perfume oils and fragrances contain unnatural chemicals and do not provide the therapeutic benefits of pure essential oils. As a matter of fact, many fragrances or perfume extenders can actually be toxic to the body, particularly to chemically sensitive people!
Keep in Mind: Essential Oils Aren’t Magic (But They're Pretty Close!)
Patience is key. Essential oils aren’t instant fixes, but they do help bring your body into balance, assisting its natural defenses and restoring harmony. It’s through regular, consistent use that you’ll see the best results. While sticking to recommended uses is great, don’t shy away from trying something new and experimenting a bit! Everyone’s body reacts differently, so getting to know the oils and how they work for you is crucial to finding the best fit. Remember: each oil has multiple uses, and every issue can be tackled in various ways.
PHILANTHROPY
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The Difference
dōTERRA responsibly partners with artisans from over 45 countries who champion the best seeds, soil, and growing environments. In these exclusive partnerships, we know the smallest details matter.
While others in the essential oil industry cut corners during the planting, growing, and harvesting process, or even try to “extend” pure oils by adding less expensive ingredients, dōTERRA is uncompromisingly selective.
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CoImpact Sourcing
doTERRA Helps create coalitions of growers and distillers that ensure local communities receive fair and timely payments to support their families and communities. they work with these coalitions to provide the
resources, tools, and training necessary to ensure a long-lasting
partnership.
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Healing Hands
Its mission is to bring healing and hope to the world, for lives free of
disease and poverty, and ultimately to teach impoverished cultures to
be self-reliant.
Sourcing Where Plants Thrive Most
Working Hand-in-Hand with Dedicated Partners for Top-Quality Oils
dōTERRA scours the globe to source essential oils, ensuring they come from the very best growing conditions by teaming up with devoted partners. With a continually growing product range that features over 170 original essential oils from more than 45 countries, dōTERRA genuinely brings you the finest gifts from our Earth.
Essential Oil
safety
Safe Ways to Enjoy Essential Oils
Essential oils are fabulous for a bunch of different wellness needs, both for our minds and bodies. You can use them on their own or mix them into blends depending on what you’re familiar with and what you're aiming for. There are typically three main ways to use essential oils:
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Breathing them in through diffusion
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Applying them on your skin
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Taking them internally, like a dietary supplement
01
AROMATICALLY
Let’s Chat About Aromatic Use
Smelling something can trigger all sorts of body responses, from hormone release to other metabolic changes. That's the base of aromatherapy – using our body’s built-in responses to scents. Essential oils are often used this way, and depending on the oil, they can pep you up or help you chill out when diffused into the air.
But there’s more! Diffusing essential oils not only makes your space smell great, but it can also clear the air of unwanted smells and even some airborne nasties. It's best to use diffusers that don’t use heat to keep the oils in their best form. Plus, essential oils can add a fresh, clean scent to laundry and can be used to wipe down surfaces around your home.
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Topically
Using Oils on Your Skin (Topical Use)
Essential oils, thanks to their natural makeup, soak right into our skin, making topical application a breeze. Slapping them on can give quick, focused relief right where you need it - easing irritation, getting that blood flowing again, easing pain, and helping you move freely. They’re calming, healing, and also great pals for massage and beauty routines, not to mention they’re natural germ-fighters. Thanks to their chemical makeup, once they’re on your skin, they get into your bloodstream and do good stuff for your whole body.
Heads Up: Less is More with Essential Oils
Always remember: essential oils are potent and should usually be diluted before you apply them to your skin. Using them undiluted (or 'neat') can up your risk of irritation or becoming sensitized, even though many folks (like me) have used them this way without issues. Especially if you’re using them every day or on kids, always dilute them first.
Even though we might think “more is better”, with essential oils, a little really does go a long way. It might be hard to believe, but one tiny drop of essential oil packs a huge punch with 40 quintillion molecules. Given that your body has about 100 trillion cells, even if you absorbed that whole drop (which you don’t) and it spread evenly through your body (which it doesn’t), each cell could still get hit with 400,000 molecules from just that one drop.
Two Cool Tips About Using Diluted Essential Oils:
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Slow Your Roll, Essential Oils: Essential oils are super quick to vanish into thin air because they're so volatile. So, when you pop them straight onto your skin, a bunch of those useful little oil molecules just evaporate before your skin gets the chance to soak them up. On the flip side, fatty carrier oils, like fractionated coconut oil, don't evaporate. They help keep those oil molecules on your skin, giving it more time to absorb them.
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Spread the Love (and the Oil): Getting a dose of essential oil to spread evenly on your skin can be tricky because it’s either soaked up super-fast or it evaporates. If you dilute that drop of essential oil in a fatty carrier oil, you can spread it over a way bigger area of your skin. That way, more of the oil gets absorbed, which is what we’re going for!
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Internally
Taking Essential Oils Internally
Essential oils aren’t just for smelling good, they've got some cool, subtle vibes that mingle with our body’s energy, promoting all that wellness and healing we’re after. When taken internally, many oils give a little extra backup to our immune system and help our cells stay in tip-top shape, crucial for living our zestiest life! Some oils are fab antioxidants, while others lend a hand in maintaining a healthy balance in our body's response to inflammation. There’s a good bunch of them that are totally safe for dietary use, but heads up, not all of them should be taken internally. Only go for the ones that have the necessary dietary supplement facts on the label.
Adding a Spark to Your Cooking:
You can totally cook with essential oils, but remember, they’re way stronger than your typical flavor oils, so a little goes a long way!
Essential Oils: Simple, Life-Changing, and Safe:
Essential oils can be a game-changer for your wellness routine, and while they're generally safe for the fam, there are a few safety tips to keep in mind:
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Stick with 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and always follow the label’s warnings and instructions.
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If you have a little mishap and get some redness or irritation from applying them to your skin, no worries - just apply a veggie oil, like fractionated coconut oil or olive oil, to the area.
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Keep the oils away from eyes, inside the ears, and any open wounds. Accidentally get some in your eye? Go for a vegetable oil, NOT water, to dilute.
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Only take an essential oil internally if it’s labeled with a Supplement Facts box that has all the necessary dietary supplement use instructions and warnings.
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If an essential oil is not being your friend (think skin, stomach, or respiratory irritation), it's time to break up and stop using it.
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For the kiddos: start with a super small amount to test for skin sensitivity and avoid applying it to their hands where they can transfer it to their eyes or mouth.
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Pregnant, under a doctor’s care, or just have more questions about essential oils? Give your doctor a shout before using them.
Remember to enjoy your journey with essential oils, and here’s to your vibrant life!
Why Quality Matters
Ensuring the utmost purity of an essential oil is paramount due to its immediate absorption into the bloodstream when applied topically or inhaled. The capacity of numerous essential oils to traverse the blood-brain barrier underlines the critical importance of guaranteeing the purity of any essential oil introduced into your environment.
Not all essential oil brands adhere to the stringent standards necessary for achieving therapeutic-grade purity and efficacy, owing to loose industry regulations and a lack of standardized definitions for terms like "pure" or "natural". Consequently, many products available in drug stores may not possess genuine quality or may even include contaminants.
The creation of a high-Quality essential oil involves considerable meticulousness and adherence to the following guidelines by the best essential oil brands:
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Utilizing appropriate plant species
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Indigenous cultivation for optimal plant health
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Growth devoid of chemical pesticides and herbicides
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Harvesting at optimal times to capture peak properties
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Extraction employing appropriate temperatures and pressures to retain oil molecules
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Thorough third-party testing of every batch
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Advocacy for the internal use of their oils
dōTERRA goes above and beyond by forging long-lasting, trust-based relationships with local growers and distillers, valuing their unwavering dedication to the quality and integrity of their products. These partnerships, often formed through personal connections and firm handshakes, uphold steadfast monitoring of the purity and potency of each liter of essential oil via third-party testing. dōTERRA's relationship approach not only assures quality but also uplifts local communities far more than merely employing locals for labor would, enabling a deep, personal investment in the region.
"For people who care about improving their health and that of their loved ones, we provide simple, safe and empowering solutions that heal and enhance well-being. Our pure essential oils are revolutionizing the way families manage their health. We harness nature’s most powerful remedies and share these gifts through our global community of wellness advocates"
People: Essential oils are for everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, political, or social views. All people are equally benefited.
Health: Essential oils and essential oil infused products directly and indirectly benefit the health of individuals and society.
Care: People use essential oils because they care about having something natural. They care about what they use personally and on their loved ones. They care about quality, efficacy, and safety. They care about not using things that will harm themselves and others. They care about cost. People care about about rediscovering nature's forgotten benefits.
Simple: Essential oils have been around for thousands of years. There are many different oils used in many different ways.
Safe: When you have a pure essential oil, free from synthetics, contaminants, adulteration, etc. you have a product that is safe to be used aromatically, topically, and internally. Because they are natural there are no side effects. Adverse reactions are extremely rare and usually associated with over-usage or inadvertent placement.
Empowering: I can help put control of healthcare back into your hands. The products we use are pure and therefore safe to be used in almost any way. There is no really wrong way to use them. We are breaking down many false stigmas which come from extreme positions.
Well-being: Essential oils are helping to provide healing physically, emotionally, financially, and sometimes spiritually. Essential oils are powerful agents for change.
Revolutionizing: Essential oils are highly potent and concentrated. Much of the time they work as fast or faster than many of our modern medicines. They are inexpensive alternatives, with no side effects. They replace many of the costs associated with modern medicine and they are much more convenient. Science and research is building our confidence in their vast and diverse usage.
Nature's most powerful remedies: doTERRA takes the essence of the planets most powerful aromatic plants and shares this benefit with the human race. Essential oils are the essence of nature's millennia of evolution.
Share: Essential oils are meant to be shared. It is in our human DNA to share with others the miracles that occur in our lives. When a mother solves her child's pain she will share it. When a product has solved a health concern, no matter how large or small, knowledge of it will be shared. When we see others in pain, we will reach out and share so that they may be helped. Sharing is service to others an innate desire in all of us.