Essential oils are great additions to the natural home, but those tiny bottles can come with a bit of sticker shock. Here are 4 simple ways to start saving money on essential oils.
By Kristen Smith, Contributing Writer
I feel silly saying it now, but when I first started my essential oil collection, I went down the list of oils in a catalog and just picked out the least expensive ones. At this point, I wasn’t even sure what I would do with some of them. I just knew they cost less than others.
Now, as a formally trained herbalist, I look back on this and just shake my head!
But the choice is understandable, to an extent. We have a large family and have to keep our costs down. Essential oils seem so expensive when that tiny bottle of lavender costs the same as 5 gallons of milk!
Thankfully, I’ve learned that there are much smarter ways to save money on essential oils. You don’t have to make the same silly mistake that I did!
Keep Your Collection Small & Simple
There are hundreds of essential oils available, and when you’re just starting out, all of those choices can be really overwhelming! Not only that, it’s easy to overspend with so many tempting options.
The great news is that you can have a really effective essential oil collection with just a handful of multi-purpose oils. If your budget is really tight, you can do so much with just lavender, the jack-of-all-trades!
You can even make your own blends with these multi-purpose oils, turning your small collection into a larger one without spending any extra money. You can learn about blending in my new book, Essential Oils: Separating Truth from Myth, but it’s probably much simpler than you think!
Always Dilute
Essential oils pack a lot of action into tiny drops. They are extremely concentrated substances!
Because they are so concentrated, they need to be diluted in order to be safe. It’s just like buying concentrated cleaning solutions: we never buy them to use straight; we buy them to dilute.
Guess what? Diluting essential oils means that we use less and they last longer. And when they last longer, you end up buying less. And when you buy less? You save money!
Diluting really is a win-win. It’s safer and more economical.
Learn Effective Uses
Wouldn’t it seem silly to choose an incredible shampoo, but use it as a hair gel instead? That wouldn’t work very well!
Unfortunately, the same type of thing often happens with essential oils.
Some popular essential oil uses really aren’t that effective, like rubbing oils on the bottoms of your feet or dropping them in a glass of water. Many people don’t realize that inhalation is one of the best uses of essential oils, as is safely diluting them in a carrier oil and applying to thin skin.
Essential oils aren’t always the best remedy, as well. Herbs can be a better choice at times, and many lifestyle changes get to the root of a problem in a way that essential oils can’t.
When you learn how to use essential oils, you don’t end up wasting them (and your money). Safe and effective oil use a key topic in my book, so be sure to check it out if you aren’t sure where to start.
Skip the Gadgets
As essential oils continue to catch on, more and more aromatherapy gadgets become available. Are you surprised that if I suggest a small essential oil collection to start, I might suggest skipping all of the gadgets, too?
Here’s the thing. Some of these aromatherapy gadgets and accessories are helpful and convenient. There’s nothing wrong with buying a diffuser, for example. But they’re rarely necessary for home essential oil use, and if you need to keep costs down, this is a simple way to do that.
I share multiple DIY diffusing options in my book, but this is my favorite: just fill a small saucepan with water and set it over very, very low heat on your stove top. It should steam, but not simmer. Add 3 drops of your essential oil, and enjoy your DIY essential oil diffuser! It’s really that easy.
One Step I Don’t Recommend
Even though I love to save money, I am very cautious about bargain essential oil brands.
These bargain oils are likely cut with synthetic fragrance oils or extra chemical components (synthetic or natural). These cheaper oils won’t have the same effects as true essential oils and might even cause irritation.
There are many quality essential oil brands available (and I give some guidelines for picking brands in my book), but lots of brands to skip, too. If a price seems to good to be true, or if all of a company’s oils are the same price, find a different brand.
How have you found simple ways to save money on essential oils? What are they?
Kristen’s eBook, Essential Oils: Separating Truth from Myth, is available in print, Kindle, and PDF.
Leigh Ann
Kristin, do you have a public Facebook page I could follow?
Erin, thank you for all you do. I feel like I have a friend I’ve never met.
??✝
Anna
I’ve found that using different brands for different purposes works well for me and saves money. For example I prefer to us Aura Cacia Essential oils on my face because i find that they are not as strong as other brands and therefore won’t irritate my sensitive skin. NOW essential oils are great for diffusing. I love to use Doterra essential oils and blends when I can but this year since we are on a very tight budget I’m going to try the Plant Therapy Germ Fighter and DigiZen as an alternative to my favorite Doterra blends.