Take care where you buy aromatherapy products (Aromatherapy)

Member Name: merlina

Product:	Aromatherapy
Date:	16/08/00 (25 review reads)
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Buying essential oils should be straightforward - but in the absence of internationally agreed quality standards, it can be something of a minefield. I have been quite horrified by the quality of some essential oils that I've bought from some big name suppliers in recent months. It doens't matter too much if there are few active principles, or even if an oil has been adulterated (expensive oils are often diluted by something less costly by unscrupulous suppliers) if you're going to use an oil as a room fragrance. But if you are going to use a theraputic dose (one strong enough to have an effect) on the body, or even internally, these oils can be ineffective or even dangerous. It's almost impossible for the layperson to tell the quality of an oil. Even professionals can have difficulty unless they have scientific equipment. The recent rise in the popularity of aromatherapy and its products has led, I believe, to this problem getting far worse. The answer? Only buy from names you can trust - and trust in the field of aromatherapy at that. Some of the worst oils I've bought recently came from a big supermarket chain - which should have known better. One of the biggest names, and one which is widely available is Tisserand products. I have no connection with the company, but they are one of the few genuinely reputable suppliers in this country. There are others, of course, but Tisserand are available as oils and as ready-to-use potions, lotions, soaps etc. And they're available in many local shops, including supermarkets. Tisserand goes to some pains to ensure the quality of its oils - they're its whole business so it can't afford to make mistakes. If you see an aromatherapy 'bargain' that looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Essential oils are costly to produce. Cheapest almost certainly isn't best. Perhaps one exception to that - Australian Bodycare - their tea tree oil (not the rest of their products -
they're full of petrochemicals) is great.

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