My journey with essential oils began several years ago when I had MRSA on my hand. The antibiotics weren’t cutting it, but when I added tea tree oil to the mix the infection started to disappear almost immediately. Within a few days it was gone completely–and I was hooked. I moved into Lavender oil for headaches and nausea, then Peppermint and Rosemary oils for congestion. From there, I began to collect a new essential oil every few weeks, just so I could try new recipes and cures. I quickly discovered there is a huge difference between brands of essential oils. An oil is not an oil. I found that while I’d see good results with one brand, inexplicably I’d not have the same success with a different one. It really became clear when I ran out of my first bottle of lavender essential oil. I’d purchased it in England, at a small store in the lavender fields in Norfolk. When I tried to replace it with a different brand from the health food store in the states I quickly discovered that not all essential oils are created equal. One whiff of the new lavender essential oil and I knew it was weaker. I had to use a lot more to treat my headaches. I didn’t buy that brand again!

Why Do I Recommend Young Living Oils?

That experience began a journey to research and learn as much as I could about how essential oils are made, and what the differences are. Along the way I discovered that there are variances in the steam distillation process that can cause noticeable differences. Also, many oils say 100% pure, but they can be watered down with additives and carrier oils. I prefer my oils to be truly 100% pure, so that I can mix them myself without fear of reaction or issue. I also feel like I get a better bang for my buck when I buy pure oils–they cost more up front, but an undiluted bottle lasts a LOT longer, because I dilute it myself. In my research I discovered a handful of companies do things the right way. One company stuck out though, for their long term commitment to quality and their control over the process from beginning to end. Young Living Oils have been in business for twenty years now. They aren’t jumping on a trend, or some fly by night company. They’ve been doing this since well before it was popular. They have a standard of production that is impressive–from seed to seal, they control the entire process. Unlike most essential oil companies which buy their oils from suppliers, Young Living grows their own crops at their own company-owned farms–many of which are located right here in the United States. (I like that part a LOT.) They grow their own crops, they distill their own oils, they package and process them all in their own facilities. Their oils are genuine, free of sythetic chemicals, and of unmatched purity. Young Living never accepts diluted or adulterated oils. They test their own oils in-house, but also send them out for third-party testing to guarantee consistent quality.  In short, I feel like I can trust Young Living.

How Do I Use Essential Oils?

It would be easier to tell you what I don’t use them for! I seem to have several bottles open daily. I won’t lie or tell you I’ve replaced my medicine cabinet with them–we still have issues that need a doctor’s care. But we’ve dramatically reduced the number of medicines that we need on a regular basis. Almost 2/3 of our medicines are now gone. Between natural treatments with essential oils, raw honey, apple cider vinegar and others, we just don’t need those medications any more. In fact, we just aren’t sick all that often any more. I make all of my own beauty products–from makeup removal to fighting fine lines and sun spots, essential oils have helped improve my skin in ways I never dreamed possible. I add Myrhh and tea tree oil to my lotion bars to make hand sanitizer lotion that kills more germs (for longer!) than the store-bought brands. I use essential oils to help with my allergies during hay fever season. Peppermint oil is awesome at fighting heartburn. Jasmine makes a wonderful perfume. I use a blend for my homemade bug spray, and I love to use lemon or orange oil for extra cleansing oomph in homemade cleansers. Allergies? There’s an essential oil for that. Anxiety? There’s an essential oil for that. Cold or flu going through your work or home? There’s an essential oil for that. Want to clean and disinfect without chemicals? There’s an essential oil for that. Want to make your own fabric softener? There’s an essential oil for that. Want to reduce fine lines on your face? There’s an essential oil for that, too. There are literally thousands of uses for essential oils in the average home!

What Should I Look For When Buying Essential Oils?

First and foremost, you should look for purity. Buying diluted or synthetic oils will not help you, and you will not get as much bang for your buck. Look for oils that are 100% pure. A lot of companies add important-sounding certifications and trademarks to their names, but the reality is that they are just sound bites, created by the company itself to make it sound like it is more experienced than it really is. And that leads me to the second thing you should look for: experience. Living a natural lifestyle is a huge trend right now, and there are many companies looking to take advantage of it. Stick with companies that have been around for longer than five or six years. Essential oils are just another product you can quickly manufacturer. It takes time to become an expert, to know what to look for, to know what creates a quality oil. You want an experienced company who cares about the quality of the product, not just jumping on the latest marketing craze. Last, but not least, look for value. Essential Oils aren’t cheap, but they really shouldn’t be. It takes over a thousand plants to make one bottle of essential oil. As I used to teach in my frugal living classes, value is much more important than being cheap. Value means you will get multiple benefits for a long time from the money that you spend. For me, Young Living met all of these criteria–their oils are 100% pure, they have been in business for twenty years now, and the quality of their oils plus their wholesale program offers great value.

How Do I Buy Young Living Essential Oils?

You can purchase Young Living therapeutic-grade essential oils in one of two ways: as a Wholesale Member (best option) or Retail Customer (you pay 24% higher prices as a retail customer.) I recommend buying Young Living essential oils by joining as a wholesale member.

Wholesale Members get an amazing 24% OFF for every product that is offered and there is NO obligation to sell the oils. Don’t be intimidated by the ‘wholesale’ title…think of it like a Costco membership!

To begin as a Wholesale Member you start with purchasing an enrollment kit. There are three options to choose from, however, I recommend the Premium Starter Kit with 11 essential oils and the diffuser. It’s the best bang for your buck. NONE of the other starter kits have this many bottles of essential oils at such a low price- 50% OFF retail! (all other kits contain just one bottle of oil) This is the same kit I purchased to get started on my essential oil journey. It is a wide variety of oils so you have a good selection for every part of your life!

Benefits of a Wholesale Membership

• 24% off retail prices
• No required selling (just agree to order a minimum of $50 per YEAR (that’s just a couple bottles of oil)
• No required monthly minimum purchase
• Like a wholesale buying club – similar to Costco or Sam’s (but you don’t pay extra for the membership – your first order applies to the $50 per year minimum to qualify for wholesale membership)
• Comes with a LIFETIME membership
• Qualify for the Premium Starter Kit – the best deal with Young Living. Get $300 worth of essential oils and other goodies for just $150. Retail customers do not qualify for this deal

When you sign up to become a Wholesale Member you can choose an enrollment kit to get started with Young Living Essentials. I recommend the Premium Starter Kit. This gives you all of the basic oils that most people use on a regular basis, plus a diffuser to help start using your oils. I use my diffuser daily! It takes the place of all those artificially scented air fresheners we used to use, plus we can use it for medicinal use too. It was a huge help during allergy season this spring!

Here’s what’s included in the Premium Starter Kit ($300 retail value but wholesale members can get it for JUST $150):

• The Everyday Oils collection – 10 of the most popular essential oils from Young Living, including (all 5 ml bottles) Lavender, Peppermint, Lemon, Frankincense, PanAway, Peace and Calming, Thieves, Purification, Valor and Joy.
• A home diffuser (retail value $96 – this is a staple in our home)
• Essential oils users guide
• Stress Away 5-ml bottle (this is my favorite – I use it as my perfume)
• AromaGlide Roller Filament (to turn any oil into a roll on)
• Two sample packets each of Lavender, Peppermint, Peace & Calming, Lemon, and Thieves(for you to share with your friends!)
• Two NingXia Red 2-oz. samples (energy support)

How to Sign Up for the Premium Starter Kit:

1. Click over to the Sign-Up page.

2. Select “Sign Up As: Young Living Wholesale Member” (Again, you do not have to sell the oils to be a wholesale member! It’s similar to a buying club or costco membership and as a wholesale member you get 24%OFF! The premium kit is NOT available to retail customers. Furthermore, you pay 24% higher costs as a customer and are NOT eligible to receive my sign up gifts as a retail customer)

3. The “Enroller ID” and “Sponsor ID” boxes should already be filled in for you. But if not, enter my sponsor ID 1863800 for sponsor and 1863800 for enroller. That way, I’ll be your sponsor and support you in learning about essential oils.

4. Fill out your name, billing address, shipping address, and contact info. (The reason you are asked to list your social security number is for tax purposes. If you decide to sell the oils and make over $600/year selling Young Living products, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail, as is required by law. Young Living will never share this info with anyone.)

5. Create your password and pin which you will use to log in to your account and order your oils.

6. Select your enrollment order. This is where you can specify which starter kit you would like (and you know I think the Premium Kit is the way to go!). You must sign up with one of these kits to become a Wholesale Member. You can also add on other items at this time if you wish.

7. Set up your *optional* Essential Rewards Program. Now don’t be confused by this next step. Buying one of the ER kits is not a requirement to sign up as a Wholesale Member! This is a rewards program you can opt into to start earning money back to help pay for your oils. At this point, you can skip this step by selecting “No, thank you. I plan on enrolling in the Essential Rewards Program later”. If one of the ER kits looks valuable to you then by all means get one in addition to your starter kit.

8. Agree to Terms & Conditions.

9. CONFIRM YOUR ORDER. I have had many folks miss this step and end up not fully checking out. To confirm, the tool will log you in and it will show you your order again and it will make you enter in your payment information again. Make sure you confirm your oils otherwise you wont get your oils! If there is an issue with your order call 1-800-371-3515.

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless of commission, I hold my reputation highly and promise to only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."