Question (by Megan Downs): I feel like it’s hard to find accurate and easy to understand information on what to use and how to use essential oils. I don’t know what to trust. What’s the best way for the basic consumer to become more knowledgeable? And what do we look for to know that the info is legit?
Answer: This question really needs a more in-depth response, but for now my recommendation would be to read some or all of these three books:
Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art by Kathi Keville & Mindy Green
http://tinyurl.com/zqz9g4w
The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness by Lora Cantele
http://tinyurl.com/gvh3k5v
The Essential Oils Handbook: All the Oils You Will Ever Need for Health, Vitality and Well-Being by Jennie Harding
http://tinyurl.com/hy6he4w
These are all people I know well, as well as being great books. While you are reading, I suggest that you minimize your online “reading”, or cut it out completely – at least for a few weeks. If you want to know which oils to use for which problems and how to use them, then there’s very little good, comprehensive information on the internet. This is why we have books, and this is why we have training courses.
Anyone who has taken the trouble to construct a training course or had a book published by a recognized publishing company is much more likely to know what they are talking about than someone who has made a 4 minute YouTube video or posted a few comments on Facebook.
There are certainly some useful Facebook groups and pages, and you can often get decent answers to simple questions. But you will generally get incomplete information, and sometimes from people who know less than you do. LinkedIn also has some good groups, and information there is generally much more reliable. Stay away from Pinterest – almost none of it is good information, and stay away from free or dirt-cheap self-published books.
YouTube is a lottery – some of it’s great, some really not. Generally speaking, only listen to people who are qualified aromatherapists. Chiropractors are generally best avoided. They love to tout their “Dr.” status, but very few of them are giving solid information about essential oils.
For a comprehensive list of recommended reading, visit our Recommended Books page.
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