This isn’t an endorsement, but they provide all kinds of information regarding country of origin, extraction methods, and guaranteed organic growing methods for some of the oils. There are a number of other websites that look excellent.

 

When you start shopping for something that’s new to you, it’s always good to be a bit wary, so don’t feel embarrassed about being cautious. Ask all the questions you can think of. If someone doesn’t have a high level of expertise, it will soon show. A person who doesn’t have an answer for some of your questions should be honest about it and promise to find the answer or direct you to someone who does know. This tells you that they are committed to what they are doing and care about giving good customer service.

 

Generally we can trust those who care and offer to go the extra mile. Those of you who are already experienced with aromatherapy hopefully know how to exercise caution. The majority of vendors aren’t out there to rip us off, but there are just enough of them that it pays to be careful. When we use aromatherapy we are putting the essential oils into our systems through inhalation or skin absorption.

 

There are ways to test the oils for purity. One is to put a drop or two on a tissue and let it sit for a while. Depending on the oil, it will completely evaporate, within a period of time. That sounds vague because the length of time to evaporate varies by oil. As an example, sandalwood takes longer than many others. Also note that dark oils may leave a residue on the tissue. When you hold it close to a light source you can tell if it’s just from the color or if the oil didn’t evaporate.

As mentioned earlier the use of aromatherapy waned as chemical products became standard. People all over the world were excited by new technology. As the years have gone by and many of us long for a simpler world, it stands to reason that things like organic food, natural beauty products, and a more holistic approach to our bodies health are coming back into vogue. Aromatherapy has definitely benefited by this return to nature attitude. There are some interesting statistics listed at a Canadian website concerning worldwide aromatherapy http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/.