A Guide: Best Essential Oils & Best Essential Oil Brands

Essential oils have been used for centuries for their healing and beautification properties, and now, with more and more people moving toward a more natural approach to commonplace problems such as hair care and anxiety, essential oils are quickly finding their way into more homes across the globe. Once you understand what you want your essential oil to do, you just go and buy one, right? If only it were that easy. 

The market for essential oils has become a bit saturated, and finding the right product for your needs can be overwhelming. Many oils can multitask, offering different benefits for a variety of ailments or concerns, but care must be taken to find the best essential oils of the highest quality.

Instead of scouring the internet, hoping to find reputable information, this article will give you a comprehensive overview of the best essential oils for your needs, and the best essential oil companies and brands to purchase from. So take a deep breath, we’ve already done all the work for you, all you need to do is keep reading.

What is the Best Essential Oil Product for Your Specific Need?

So you’ve heard essential oils can do great things for you, they can help your hair look healthier, soothe skin irritation, and even calm your mental state. While essential oils can do all those things, and more, it’s important to understand which one will address your specific needs the best, and where to find the best quality essential oils for those needs.

Weight Loss

When used together with a healthy diet and exercise, essential oils can actually help your body break down fats, and help you in your weight loss journey. Too many people are looking for a quick fix toward their weight problems, and turn toward fad diets, or brutal exercise programs that don’t fit their lifestyles, and are then let down by lackluster results. 

Losing weight isn’t supposed to make you feel like you’re starving, and that’s where essential oils come into play. Lots of people find they lack the energy to exercise, especially after a long day at work, but citrus essential oils can really give you a boost, while oils such as peppermint and lemon work to kick start your metabolism and suppress your appetite.

Remember, when it comes to weight loss, moderation is key. So instead of eating larger portions of food, and taking in extra calories, using the power of aromatherapy can help you eat only a healthy amount of your meal, and maybe even make skipping dessert a lot less painful.

Anxiety

We have all felt anxiety, whether it comes from a stressful situation at home or work, and it can overtake our minds and cloud our thinking. While some people may turn to alternatives with questionable side effects, others have found the calming qualities of some essential oils to be the best medicine for what ails them.

In recent years, scientists have even begun studying the effects of essential oils such as lavender and bergamot, and finding that participants in the studies found positive correlations between the oils and their overall moods. 

When using essential oils for anxiety relief, aromatherapy, especially in warm bath water, is usually the simplest way to feel the effects. Essential oils for anxiety work in a couple of different ways, most will help lower blood pressure, which will calm your nerves and stop the natural “fight or flight” response we have to stressful situations. The oils will also calm the nervous system, so your body is able to better adjust to the situation at hand, and think things through a little more clearly than you would have before.

Hair Care

Let me guess, each hair product you try leaves you feeling disappointed, because your hair doesn’t look the way it does when you walk out of the salon. I know, because that was me each time I would pick up a new product that promised to make my hair look fabulous. It worked somewhat, but after awhile I finally learned the secret to gorgeous, salon perfect hair: It had to be healthy.

Now look at the ingredients list for your hair products. That’s a lot of ingredients even I can’t pronounce, and yet here you are, putting it on your hair. The alternative that works comes from essential oils, of course. Most people have probably used tea tree oil for a dry scalp, or argan oil for shiny hair, but some of the best essential oils to have in your arsenal should include basil, which stimulates circulation and hair growth, or lemongrass, which keeps hair from getting oily longer. So instead of trying to make your hair look healthier, essential oils can actually make your hair healthier.

Headaches

Getting the occasional headache can make your whole day much more difficult, but what if you often experience headaches or even migraines? Like most people, you reach for a pain reliever, try to seek out a quiet, dimly lit area, and close your eyes hoping it passes soon. Of course, finding that peace and quiet isn’t always easy, especially in an age with so much stimulation from our electronics, and everyone seems so busy all the time.

While migraines and excessive headache relief should be discussed with your personal doctor, studies have shown that peppermint oil can relieve headache pain, as can eucalyptus and lavender oils, which can increase blood flow and act as a mild sedative, allowing your body to relax and heal. Headaches can be caused by a number of reasons, whether hormonal changes, dietary changes, low blood pressure, or even stress and a lack of sleep, using essential oils can help manage the headache and migraine pain, and get you back on your feet quickly.

Sleep

Ah, blissful sleep, with no interruptions from crying children, noisy pets or neighbors, and you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. That’s the type of sleep everyone hopes for, but few actually get. While there are some things we can control, the temperature and light of the room, we can’t control outside noises, scary dreams, lingering stress from the day, or building anxiety about our day ahead.

Sleep aids can work, but most ask that you are able to dedicate eight hours to sleep, and sometimes we just can’t do that. Not to mention some sleep aids are hard to stop taking, causing another problem we just don’t need. Lavender oil has been a go to essential oil for centuries, as it calms the mind and allows sleep to come quickly.

Trying a few different oils or blends of oils may help you find what your body responds to best. Diffusing oils creates a “sleep environment” in your bedroom, and you can also rub essential oils on the back of your neck before bedtime. Be sure to check if they need to be combined with a carrier oil first.

Inflammation

No matter how well we take care of our bodies, age and injuries seems to catch up with even the best of us, and pain management is often much needed in our lives. Whether trying to cope with acute or chronic pain, finding the top rated essential oils for inflammation is absolutely necessary. Scientists recently found ginger and turmeric lessened inflammation in patients who experienced chronic pain, and eucalyptus is found to also have anti-inflammatory properties.

Used in conjunction with calming essential oils, like lavender, essential oils can lessen pain and muscle tension, so you can feel better faster.

The best way to relieve pain using essential oils is in a bath soak, the heated water combined with anti-inflammatory oils, and a carrier oil if needed for dilution, is an easy way to relieve muscle and joint pain. You can also combine essential oil with a carrier oil for a quick neck, back, or hand massage for added inflammation relief.

Skin Care

Essential oils have been used for a long time to treat or combat a variety of skin issues, and can lead to an overall better complexion. One major skin complaint is acne, the best oils for acne breakouts are those with antibacterial properties, such as tea tree or frankincense. You can add these to another carrier oil such as jojoba oil to cleanse your skin, or tea tree oil can be used directly on the skin as a spot treatment.

To keep signs of aging away, and have people constantly guessing your age, myrrh and rose essential oils will improve elasticity and firmness, while combating dryness and balancing your skins natural oils. Of course you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one essential oil to add to your skincare routine, since you may have acne-prone skin, but also want to prevent aging. Many essential oils used for skin care should be added to another oil for dilution, or to a moisturizer or serum for extra benefits.

So you’re ready to buy essential oils, and maybe you’ve even come across a few combinations you would like to try for skin care, hair care or your general health. So what should you look for when buying essential oils, and is there really a best brand for essential oils?

When doing an essential oil comparison, there are a few things you need to look out for. First things first, you need to analyze your allergies, and understand that sometimes your skin won’t react well to every essential oil it comes across. For example, my skin is fairly durable, but put a few undiluted drops of tea tree oil on clear skin and it will turn a bit red. I don’t want red skin, so I make sure to dilute it with a carrier oil and it’s the perfect addition to my nighttime skincare routine.

You do need to make sure your essential oils are pure and therapeutic, this ensures nothing else that may irritate your skin or senses is in your oils, and if it’s therapeutic, meaning it can be used for aromatherapy. Since essential oils can be used in a variety of ways, it only makes sense that you would want your oils to be therapeutic.

Some people have an idea of what their oils should look like, that they should all be golden and light colored, but that simply isn’t true. If your essential oils come in a darker colored bottle, that’s what you should look for more finding the best essential oil.

Don’t be wary of buying your oils online either, some of the best essential oil companies are exclusively sold online so they can reach more people. Just make sure they’re a reputable company and even look around online to read reviews on their products.

Relying on just one essential oil may work out for your lifestyle, but incorporating a few more can really make a difference. If you use one or two for your hair, check around online to see blends others have put together to make a killer hair serum, or see how someone else's skin cleared up with their blend of oils.

Oils can be used together, just make sure you use the correct amount of each, using far more carrier oil than essential oil in order to distill it properly. The amount will vary, so make sure you look up how much to use of each oil, and soon you’ll start to see a pattern.

Top Essential Oil Brands

Plant Therapy

Plant Therapy began as a family-run company, and has since expanded to become one of the best essential oil brands, thanks in part to its unending drive to create the highest quality oils at affordable prices. Plant Therapy also understands they can make a big impact in the global community, and give to multiple charities worldwide. With the introduction of KidSafe, a line of essential oils created for use with children, Plant Therapy has created oils that target specific issues children below the age of 10 often have. These essential oils are safe for children to use, and easy to apply as well.

Plant Therapy prides itself on its commitment to quality, and wants to positively impact the lives of their customers. They also have a staff of aromatherapists who are able to answer any question customers may have. With quick, free shipping, Plant Therapy is definitely a company you should check out.

We recommend: The Plant Therapy 6 Essential Oil Sampler Set

Radha Beauty

Radha Beauty was started in the hopes of creating products that did not include harsh chemicals with negative side effects. Co-creator Rebekah Letch grew up using essential oils in her every day routines. As she made her way through the beauty landscape, she found that too many products contained chemicals, and she wanted to change that.

Although the company has expanded to create various skin care products that contain essential oils, the 100% pure and natural oils are the heart and soul of the operations.

Rahda Beauty consistently has five-star essential oil reviews, and offers a multitude of oils for every customers needs. Taking pride in their natural approach to skincare, Radha Beauty uses eco-friendly packaging. They partner with companies that empower women, and are Earth friendly in their manufacturing processes.

As an advocate helping all women feel strong and beautiful, inside and out, Rebekah Letch donates to community outreach programs and sponsors Yoga challenges on social media to help customers realize their potential.

We recommend: Radha Beauty Aromatherapy Top 8 Essential Oils Basic Sampler

Plant Guru

Plant Guru, a family run business, began as an online retailer of high quality essential oils, offered at a fair price, and continue those same business practices today. They pride themselves on sourcing from ethical oil producers worldwide, and treating each customer with courtesy and appreciation.

In order to ensure quality, Plant Guru makes sure their suppliers meet USDA standards, and that all batches of their oils are tested again using a third-party laboratory to make sure their oils are the purest, top quality essential oils for their customers.

Plant Guru founders also realize essential oils are being used more and more by consumers, but have also noticed many retailers using gimmicks to sell their products, or over exaggerating the effects their essential oils will have. The creators of Plant Guru decided not to engage in tricky marketing techniques or misleading ads. Instead, they have counted on the products to do the talking for them. By the looks of the reviews they receive, it seems Plant Gurus oils do the marketing for them.

We recommend: Plant Guru 14 Essential Oils Set

Majestic Pure

Majestic Pure provides high quality essential oils at an affordable price. They make pure, 100% undiluted therapeutic oils, so they do not leave behind any oily residue and evaporate quickly. This means instead of wiping off the excess, or staining your clothing, you can apply their essential oils with confidence. Their essential oil reviews consistently point to their larger sizes, 4 fluid ounces, instead of the regular 10 milliliters, as an added value to the Majestic Pure essential oils.

Based in California, this online retailer sources their oils from ethical producers worldwide. They then use these oils in their all natural line of beauty products as well. Majestic Pure truly believes in the healing and beautification properties that essential oils provide, and back their products with a money back guarantee. Though we doubt you’ll find anything amiss when using the essential oils for everything from skincare to headache relief, it’s always nice when a company has your back.

We recommend: Majestic Pure Aromatherapy Essential Premium Oils Set

Healing Solutions

Fed up with the options for obtaining essential oils at the time, Healing Solutions decided to found their own company, quickly rising to become a best brand for essential oils according to reviewers. Their aim was to disrupt the multi-level marketing companies from gaining a stronghold on the industry, and driving up prices for smaller manufacturing companies. Which, ultimately, would make it more difficult for customers to obtain the products they needed.

Happily, they’ve accomplished this goal, as essential oils are now found easily online. Their difference comes from the extent of purification testing their oils go through.

Healing Solutions coordinated with three different labs to ensure their most popular oils were GC/MS verified as pure and unadulterated. They hope to provide all customers with the most outstanding quality, and provide only the best essential oils for everyone. From those who are just starting to learn about the benefits of incorporating essential oils into their everyday, to those who have been using them for years and could probably write a book on it!

We recommend: Healing Solutions Family Doctor 14 Essential Oils Set

Essential Oil Brands Worth Mentioning

BioFinest

We recommend: Biofinest Top 6 Essential Oils Basic Sampler

Edens Garden

We recommend: Edens Garden 6 Synergy Sampler Pack

NOW Foods

We recommend: NOW Foods Essential Oils 10-Oil Variety Pack Sampler

Sun Organic

We recommend: Sun Organic Essential Oils

Natural Acres

We recommend: Natural Acres Essential Oils 6 Pack by Natural Acres

Top 10 Essential Oils

Buying essential oils online can be a daunting task, with so many companies out there it can be difficult to find the best brand of essential oils, and which items are best from each seller. Below we’ve compiled a list of top rated essential oils to make your buying goals easier to achieve.

Lavender - Majestic Pure

The most popular essential oil, lavender, from Majestic Pure is considered the best brand of essential oils by reviewers due to it’s larger 4 ounce size and reasonable price. This essential oil is 100% pure, and undiluted, and is made from Bulgarian lavender. Customers rave about the flowery aroma, and many uses of the oil in their everyday lives, not to mention the fair price offered by the retailer.

Lavender oil is commonly used for its calming properties, and even more to help with sleeplessness. Other great uses of lavender are to help relieve headaches, healing factors for eczema, and its anti-aging benefits. Lavender essential oil is able to do all of this because it is a natural antioxidant, and fights free radicals that your body comes into contact with each day, and it’s a natural mood stabilizer.

It’s no wonder lavender is one of the best rated essential oils on the market, it’s perfect for anyone just starting to find the benefits of essential oils, and those who use them regularly.

We recommend: Majestic Pure Lavender Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Lavandula Officinalis
Aroma: fresh, herbaceous, floral scent with a woody, balsamic undertone

Tea tree oil is one of the most versatile essential oils on the market, and it is offered by Radha Beauty, one of the best essential oil brands sold on the Internet today. Tea tree oil should be in every family’s home, as it can be used for everything from soothing bug bites, to getting rid of, or even preventing, pesky lice.

The oil has also shown benefits in helping cure nail fungus, when used over the course of a few months, and even athletes foot, which is also caused by fungus. Tea tree is a natural anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial, which is why it’s used in so many different ways. If you have issues with acne, dandruff, or even psoriasis, tea tree can be used to help aid your skin in healing, though reviewers suggest mixing tea tree with another carrier oil if using it over a wide area.

We recommend: Radha Beauty Tea Tree Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Melaleuca Alternifolia
Aroma: potent, warm, spicy

When doing an essential oil comparison for what would work best in your everyday life, eucalyptus is at the top of most lists. Eucalyptus is an excellent multi-tasker, hands down, and you’ll always find a use for it. It’s an anti-inflammatory, and acts as an antiseptic, antibiotic, and decongestant.

It has a pretty distinct smell, and most people will quickly realize that many products made to help clear your airways contain eucalyptus.

The oil is helpful in healing cuts and scrapes, or relieving joint and muscle pain, including arthritis. When you catch a cold you can feel run down, especially since your sore throat, coughing and runny nose are probably keeping you up at night, and this is where eucalyptus essential oil shines. It acts as an expectorant, meaning it will help clear the gunk from your airways, so you can breathe easier. A few drops into a diffuser before bed will help your body rest easily and fight your cold faster.

We recommend: NOW Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Eucalyptus Globulus
Aroma: very herbaceous scent with soft woody undertones

Lemon essential oil is used for both home and personal care, since it’s a natural antimicrobial, and cleanses the body of harmful toxins. Most essential oil users keep a bottle of lemon oil handy, and this is one of the best rated essential oils, mostly for it’s large size and exceptional value.

Everyone can find a use for lemon oil, it’s incredibly versatile and works for so many different needs.

Use it at home to clean up sticky messes, disinfect bathroom or kitchen surfaces, or even to wash your hands if they become greasy. Lemon essential oil is a wonderful addition to your skincare routine, especially if your skin is oily or acne prone. Looking for more health benefits? Lemon aids in weight loss when added to your daily water intake, as it boosts metabolism and energy, and supports your immune system so you can get over your cold quicker.

We recommend: ​Majestic Pure Lemon Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Citrus Limonum
Aroma: strong citrus scent

Most people have only heard of frankincense through old stories of travelers who brought it as gifts, but we don’t understand why it would be so coveted. With it’s slightly woody scent, frankincense is the answer to many health needs.

As a natural astringent, it can help reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines, while fighting acne and breakouts. If past acne breakouts have left you with scarring, frankincense can also diminish the look of those, or any other scarring including stretch marks.

If you use it with your skincare routine, add it to a carrier oil first. When added to a warm bath, diffuser, or warm washcloth, frankincense has been found to relieve stress and joint or muscle pain, or even help you sleep at night. If you’re still not convinced that frankincense deserves a place in your medicine cabinet, consider a recent medical study that showed it could be used to aid in digestion, balance your hormones, and can even help side effects of chemotherapy.

We recommend: Healing Solutions Frankinsence Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Boswellia Serrata
Aroma: green, woody, earthy scent

Five More Top Essential Oils

Geranium - Majestic Pure

We recommend: ​Majestic Pure Geranium Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Pelargonium Graveolens
Aroma: Herbaceous, sweet, and floral with green undertones

Rosemary - Radha Beauty

We recommend: Radha Beauty Rosemary Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Rosmarinus Officinalis
Aroma: fresh, strong, woody, balsamic, herbal minty scent

Peppermint - Plant Therapy

We recommend: Plant Therapy Peppermint Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Mentha Piperita
Aroma: strong, clean, fresh, minty

Chamomile - Majestic Pure

We recommend: Majestic Pure Chamomile Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Anthemis Nobilis
Aroma: strong, friendly aroma with a distinct scent of apples

Pink Grapefruit - Plant Guru

We recommend: Plant Guru Grapefruit Essential Oil
Botanical Name: Citrus Racemosa
Aroma: fresh, sweet citrus smell

Conclusion

So, do you feel better about your essential oil journey? Hopefully you have what you need to get started, and now understand why essential oils are used by so many people. Essential oils have so many different uses, from healthcare, to beauty, to home care. The information provided here is meant to give you an overview about essential oils, but there is so much information out there, it would be impossible to cover all of it.

Take the time to understand your needs, and use this information to guide you through your essential oil shopping. Soon you’ll be well on your way to a less stressed, and overall healthier, you.

Product images sourced from Amazon.com