The Oils We Love, With Caution
Our office has essential oils that we use during treatments. The integrated massage usually includes the use of one or a blend, if you don’t like them that’s cool. People compliment us on how the office smells. I’m “nose blind” to it for the most part, but it’s relaxing. When they are used, it’s in the context of enhancing your overall experience. No one in our office is a certified aromatherapist. You won’t find us using them in the context of curing, treating, or prescribing them for any ailment you may be having. The closest we may come is using lavender if you have a sunburn anywhere because it does help to take the sting out of the burn.There are several reasons I cannot sell or endorse any multi-level marketing company that sells essential oils.
The oils are overpriced. If you’re not familiar with multi-level marketing, it relies on a person actively recruiting multiple people to build their team. Those people are then responsible for building a team and so on. What this creates is a whole lot of “middle men”. Every single person in the “up line” is then compensated for sales. I’ve read upwards of 40% of the cost of a product is paid in commissions. You’re not just paying for quality; you’re paying for a sales model.
MLM companies are great at creating sales people. They’ll give their recruits the exact words to use to counter any objections a potential customer or recruit may have. What they are not is experts in aromatherapy. There’s actual training and certification programs in aromatherapy. Attending a sales meeting created with the intent to get sales is not a replacement for education.
They claim their oils are “certified pure therapeutic grade”. I’ll let you in on a little secret: that term is actually trademarked by one of the “big” MLM companies. It’s a marketing tool. The oils are not approved by the FDA no matter what they say.
Too often I’ve seen sales representatives suggest ingesting the oils. These oils are very potent. Most should be diluted. Any suggestions to ingest them should be made by
There’s questionable claims made by these companies. The FDA actually had to issue a cease and desist letter when claims of curing Ebola with the oils were being made. Sales reps are very quick to suggest a diagnosis and in my opinion prescribe a remedy in most cases without any medical training. Some EOs can eat through plastics.
When used improperly, oils can be dangerous. There have been numerous issues with daycare centers carbon monoxide scares, fire departments called, and the source is essential oils being misused.
I don’t want to discourage the use of essential oils. I do want to encourage the use of aromatherapy in a safe and informed manner.