This morning, as I was patiently ( or not so patiently) waiting for my coffee to steep in our french press, I remembered a video I saw when I started to dive into the essential world. It was a simple explanation on the distillation process process of essential oils and it has really stuck with me over the last five years when I am asked to explain the difference in quality between Young Living essential oils versus other companies.
If you have ever inquired about the quality of Young Living Essential Oils, you have probably heard the words " Seed to Seal". Young Living has a number of farms and distilleries around the world. Farms that are partnered with, must pass the Seed to Seal certification standards. You can read all about the Seed to Seal standards and guarantees, here.
Let's get back to the coffee, though! One of the standards that you get with the Seed to Seal promise, is the guarantee of essential oil from the FIRST distillation. What does that mean? Well, think of your ground coffee as plant matter. When you go to brew your coffee, that first brew is going to produce the strongest cup of coffee. Think of this as the first distillation. If you were to take the same coffee grounds that you just brewed and brew them once more, you still get a a cup of coffee BUT the quality and strength of the coffee is weaker. With each brew of those coffee grounds, the coffee will get weaker and weaker even though it is still producing a cup of coffee. Think of this as your plant matter folks!
When I am asked what I think of a certain company who says their oils are pure but provide a less expensive product, I go ahead and take a peek and the website and their prices. The first oils I look at are the flowers.Why the flowers? Well, did you know that it takes 10 pounds of Jasmine flowers to make 5 mLs of pure Jasmine essential oil? It takes 22 pounds of rose petals to create 5 mLs of Rose oil. As I am browsing the prices, I know that if a company is selling rose oil for fifty dollars, something isn't right. I know that if I see Lavender oil listed for ten dollars something isn't right. Is their product pure? Maybe. If it is pure, I can guarantee you, you are not getting the first distillation. When your oil costs significantly less than the plant matter required to create that oil, you are not getting the highest quality product. What does this mean? You are going to be using a greater amount of that oil to come close to the benefits of a single drop of pure oil from the first distillation. So are you really saving money?
Paying for a quality product is worth it friends! If you are here to reap the amazing benefits of these plant juices, know that you absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to essential oils. The transparency, high standards, and quality product that Young Living produces and guarantees cannot be beat!
