Why I Will NEVER Use Young Living Essential Oils

Some of you may be shocked or offended but the title of this post (and it's gonna be a LONG one) but there is so much mis-information out there and I am hell-bent on educating the public about safe use of essential oils, so this post has been a long time coming. What has put me over the edge was reading a blog post from a YL rep about natural eye drops using essential oils.  Please read this! I have years of training and experience with using essential oils safely and what I know is scientific. I get none of my information from a multi-level marketing company that only cares about making money from the gullible. Many of the reps for Young Living (and Do Terra) are like brainwashed cult members who receive all of their "training" from the company.

The oils are drastically overpriced. Yes, good essential oils are going to cost more money but in this case you are NOT paying for better quality. You are paying for layer upon layer of commissions for the reps and recruits.

They claim to be the only company with pure therapeutic quality essential oil, therefore making them safe to be used undiluted on the skin. I'm not even sure where to start with this BS! First of all, there are LOTS of companies who sell pure, high quality essential oils and even have them tested to prove it.  Second, there is no such thing as "therapeutic grade".Who is grading them? There is no certifying body for essential oil quality. As far as using oils undiluted, or "neat" on the skin-well, that depends on the oil. Very few can be safely used this way (lavender, tea tree, rosalina, MQV and not much else). Their claims with this are all over the place. They say if you experience burning with anybody else'soils it's a sign that they are contaminated. If you experience burning with their oils it's a sign your body is detoxing. Well, how convenient. Sorry to burst your bubble but if an essential oil burns your skin it's because of the chemistry of the oil. If you put straight cinnamon or oregano oil on your skin itWILL BURN.  I say if it doesn't THAT is a sign it isn't pure, no matter whose oil it is!

Young Living claims that their steam distilled Frankincense contains boswellic acid. No it doesn't.That molecule is far too heavy to be carried over in a steam distillation. If you bother to do any honest research on essential oil chemistry you will find out that diterpenes are the absolute heaviest molecule that can be carried over in steam and even at that not many oils contain diterpenes.

Young Living promotes dangerous practices. He recommends all of his oils and blends for internal use.  I am NOT opposed to internal use of essential oils but, here, you need to understand the chemistry and what you are ingesting. Some of his blends contain Tansy oil. Which one? The safe annual kind (AKA Blue Tansy) or the very toxic perennial? I can't emphasize enough that a substance isn't safe just because it's natural. Petroleum is natural-would you drink oil? Poison Ivy is natural-would you roll naked in it? Would you let your child eat all the pokeberries they want or let your dog chew on the Christmas poinsettias?

We live in the age of the internet and we have more information available to us than ever before in the history of our species. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are too lazy to find information for themselves. I absolutely believe in the power of aromatherapy but I also understand it has its limits. It is NOT a magic bullet for all of your problems. And you certainly MUST learn how to use them SAFELY and with RESPECT. You shouldn't put straight orange oil on your wood furniture and you sure as HELL shouldn't put rosemary oil IN YOUR EYES!

Here are some important links I want everyone to look at.

Gary Young Arrest

The Truth about Gary Young

Gary Young Shocking Exploits

Young Living’s Fake Products

Is Gary Young an MD?

The FB page for Essential Oil University is run by Dr. Robert Pappas who has an actual PhD in chemistry. Not a mail-order degree, and actual degree and he is an actual college professor and works as a chemist in real life. He tests essential oils for various companies, including Young Living. He is currently testing samples of frankincense to prove the boswellic acid thing.

In short, I won't use Young Living oils because they are MASSIVELY overpriced, and no matter how good they are, I will not put one penny in the pocket of a man who I consider to be unethical and dangerous.

YLEO - What happens in Oman stays in Oman

Very few individuals are willing to pay the price, since it is easier to copy other people's information, claim someone else's stories as their own, or just make it up when they simply dont know what they're talking about. (Gary Young)

Feels like he's looking into his own mirror... Isn't this what Gary Young has been doing all along? Copying Tisserand, Lafabvre, Penoel, etc... alleging that he has studied with some or all of them...which is not true. Marcel Lafabvre himself said that Mr. Young took one class that he never completed. By the end of the first day, he was boasting around like an "expert". Needless to say he looked ridiculous to all who attended that class/seminar.

Mr. Young continues to add lies to falsehoods, to bogus medical claims, while showing very little respect for the cultures he is exposed to...obviously leaving his ominous footprints wherever he goes, like a bulldog coming home with paws full of mud... In the end, reputation is everything, and Mr, Young despite his financial success is really not taken seriously by anyone involved in true Aromatherapy.

Another lie...and a serious one: https://www.facebook.com/dgaryyoung

Here Gary is shown posing with his Business permit from the Ministry of Agriculture-Dhofar (Oman).

Moreover, Young Living is proud of the singular opportunity we have to be the first commercial frankincense distiller in Oman in hundreds of years" (Gary Young)

The date of his Business Permit is dated May 30, 2013. I KNOW FOR A FACT that there is a distiller in Salalah who has a Business Permit dated JULY 25, 2011. This means that this company has been distilling in Oman for at least two years prior to Gary Young. AND GARY YOUNG KNOWS THIS. He knows but lies about it. I have seen the permit. I believe at this point that Young is suffering from multiple psychosis, one of them being that he thinks that he is "the only one who", "the first one who". He forgets too easily that in this industry people travel far to search for their oils... and sometimes bump into each other... it's a small world after all... and Salalah is a small town.

And once again Gary Young has been caught in a big fat lie as he keeps talking out of his "derriere". Mr. Young is neither the first, and was never the only company granted permission to distill, and/ or export Frankincense.

If his blunder in Somalia is an indication of how adept he is at making friends, I sincerely doubt that the Omani people respect him at all... and for good reasons.

Most companies buy their Frankincense from Somalia, not Oman... there is too little of it in Oman. But since G.Young insulted Sultan Yusuf in Somalia, I would doubt that he would be welcomed back.

Another thing that G. Young is not telling: In Oman THERE IS NOT ONE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPANY THAT IS HARVESTING THEIR OWN FRANKINCENSE. That's a fact. In Oman frankincense is harvested by "tribes". If you want frankincense, you need to buy it from the tribes who own the trees. THAT'S A FACT. Tribes in Oman are "families", well educated, prosperous, wealthy, well dressed, sophisticated and professional individuals. They control large businesses and send their children to study abroad. They are by no means the "tribes" that most people imagine, ignorant, poor, perhaps barbaric, and in need, and running around with a loin cloth... ;o)

They don't need a guy like G.Young.

I have built two distilleries in Salalah and have walked the mountains from the eastern Dhofar mountains east of Hasik to the border of Yemen, harvesting frankincense resin". (Gary Young)

One, you cannot go into the mountains and harvest frankincense in Oman... it is not allowed. Secondly, you cannot harvest frankincense in Oman. It's strictly a tribal business.

Then there is his story about receiving a "gift" of 200,000 to 400,00 acres of land from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, for their exclusive use of frankincense. This has been posted on the Internet... However there is nothing about this that Gary Young has written about. He does not write it... he tells his cult members during his conferences, then THEY write it, they annote it, but he doesnt do this anymore, lest he may be accused of lying! He has been caught lying too many times and his legal team have put a gag on him. He will not speak without his legal team as a shield. He would not show up for the interview with Utah Stories... This story about the gift of land is simply not true. Mr. Young has always wanted to appear more important than anyone, and who is going to check into his stories?..not his followers. Ask yourselves, why would the Sultan award this guy whom nobody knows., with a gift of land?...for what reason? There has never been such a gift.

Young claimed that he would be protecting the trees and help the tribes. Seems a bit like a colonialist attitude to have, don't you think? The trade never needed his help, thank you. It continues to succeed and prosper without G. Young.

Following the fiasco in Somalia, I would advice Mr. G.Young not to repeat that experience in Oman, which is quite a different place. Publishing lies about meetings with important Omanis is a big mistake.

About US:

For more information visit us at:
The day Young Living broke my heart
Truth about Gary Young
Young Living’s Fake Products
Gary Young Arrest
Is Gary Young an MD?

Shady Sourcing: Why I Can’t Trust Young Living’s Essential Oils

Last week, was a total treat—I was invited to tour the farm that supplies the organic milk and free-range eggs that I buy at my local health store. Let's just say that getting some face-to-face time with the farm’s five new calves, was the highlight of my summer. Anyways, the drive home was filled with an epiphany moment: that brand's ethics matter—really, really matter.

It might sound overly sentimental, but knowing where/how a product is sourced can make a profound difference. Being “source aware” is good for the soul, it’s good for the body, and it’s good for this friendly place we called Earth.

I started thinking about the origins of other products that I use on the daily.  I was feeling pretty good about my Mrs. Meyers cleaning products, Puracy Shampoo, and SSEKO bags (gold, leather, and fair trade—yes, please!)  but what about all my EO's (essential oils)?  Somewhere between pouring drops of Lemon and Eucalyptus oils in my diffuser and sparkling water, I thought "Wait, where is this really coming from?"

So, I dived into some research.  First off, I have to admit (blush) I wasn’t the brand-loyal girl out-there, so my essential oils drawer had a bit of everything—Young Living, doTERRA, and a couple other labels like Aura Cacia and Fabulous Franny.  Anyways, turns out a little digging revealed quite a lot:

The (Seemingly) Good:  Of all the brands I had in my oil entourage, both Young Living and doTERRA seemed to address and publish both their sourcing and ethics the most openly. doTERRA stands by their “Source to You” (a really indepth program that covers all sorts of good policies—from partnering with underdeveloped countries/fair trade to super transparent sourcing) and Young Living had this neat "Seed to Seal" promise. Their website emphasized their oil’s purity came from owning their own farms and controlling what goes into every bottle.

The Sketch: Okay, here’s where the bad news comes in, as I was looking into whole "Seed to Seal" from Young Living, I realized it’s sounds fantastic, but it is a bold-faced lie. Young Living claims to control all their oil sourcing, but when you take time to look at how many farms they own (and compare it to the amount of products they sell) things really, really don’t add up. We're talking about seven farms creating all products every year? Yep—that’s impossible. The more research I did, the worse it got.

On the flip side, when it comes to sourcing,  I give the thumbs up to doTERRA’s oil origins. First off, they are a heck of a lot more realistic. I really appreciated all the material they publish about where each oil comes from—with a map, links, and stories describing the partnership farms all over the world. Plus, I became an ever bigger fan when I read about their Co-Impact Initiative. Three cheers for transparency! You can even find super specific details on doTERRA setting up ethical working practices everywhere from Nepal to Somalia and Madagascar.

And then the Ugly: Jumping back to Young Living, things went from bad to worse when I found this article all about false documentation. This lead me to a chain of examples where third-party testers discovering synthetic substitutes in Young Living’s oils, like Jasmine and Birch. All that info made me more than a bit sad—the whole purpose of essential oils was to embrace Mother Nature’s way of bringing us back in balance. But touting an oil is “all” natural when it’s synthetic is just aggravating. It’s like putting a “12-grain Sprouted Wheat” label on white bread. Not okay.

Anyways, on Saturday, when I went to purchase frankincense oil—it wasn’t a hard choice.  Young Living’s and Doterra’s prices are about the same (in fact doTERRA is slightly less expensive) but I felt a lot better swiping my card for doTERRA because A.) they aren’t hiding their sources B.) their third party testing C.) their actively working to be ethically/socially responsible.  Here's to the investing in the good stuff!

The Nitty Gritty on Essential Oil Purity

Today, I’ve decided to pull my hair up and get serious about the purity of essential oils. After all, if I’m gonna be rubbing them on my stomach/feet/chest/face (the list goes on and on), sniffing them, and even tasting them—they had better be 100%, no-nonsense pure. Unfortunately, NOT all essential oils are created equal.

Here’s the riff: every essential oil company claims their contents are “pure.” Ugh. So who can you trust?

Personally, I trust certified aromatherapists, dermatologists, massage therapists, oil distillers, naturopathic physicians, and holistic nutritionists. So I researched what these specialists look for when selecting their essential oils. Here’s the collective criteria:

●     Rigorous Testing

●     Unadulterated Oils (Yep--those oil companies shouldn’t be committing adultery either)

●     Plant Potency

●     Published Main Chemical Components

●     Scientific Backing

Cheers to Lots of Testing:

When it comes to testing, essential oil companies differ—a lot. Some brands do all sorts of less-than objective tests (cough, cough) or even certify their oils by merely paying “sniffers.” True story. I’m of the opinion that the more tests involved, the more trustworthy the oil. And that’s one cool thing I found out about the doTERRA brand. They don’t mess around with verifying their oils objectively, and they definitely don’t test just once a year. Each batch (liter) goes through what I like to call the “Accountable Eight” via 3rd party testers: organoleptic testing, microbial testing, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), chirality testing, isotopic ****ysis and heavy metal testing. Only if an oil passes this intense lineup, is it considered CPTG (Certified Pure Theraputic Grade).

If an oil doesn’t pass every last test, doTERRA rejects the entire batch. And if the oil continues to fail, doTERRA will keep that oil out of stock until it has a batch that passes. Back in 2015, doTERRA did that very thing w/ “Melissa Officinalis” (aka Lemon Balm) and “Roman Chamomile.” Both of these oils are big sellers, so keeping them off the market until they met their standards, well, let’s just say that’s a big trust builder for me.

Young Living also publishes their fairly rigorous testing processes.  But it just doesn’t have the checks and balances to it that I’d like. It’s one of the predominant reasons I felt a bit hesitant to keep using their stuff.

Let’s Talk Science:

I wanted to see if there were any oils/brands that weren’t “poo-poo-ed” by the traditional medicine posse.  So when a nurse told me the hospital she worked at diffused peppermint oil for queasy patients, my interest was piqued!  After a bit more probing, I found that the doTERRA brand is actually used/being studied in a bunch of hospitals across the nation, including the Cleveland Clinic and Vanderbilt Medical Center among others. How’s that for a credibility?

Unadulterated and Undoctored:

What makes an oil truly essential? It shouldn’t be filled w/ additives, fillers or synthetic stuff  and it shouldn’t be grown with any nasty ”cides” (pesticides/herbicides). Plus the harvesting, distilling, transporting, and storing are all critical.

Plant Potency:

Happy plants make good oils. Okay, that sounds silly, but honestly, if a plant is grown in the right soil, climate, and temperature, it reaches it’s highest potency levels. This is why I’m a big fan of how doTERRA grows its plants in their indigenous environment—like lavender from France and frankincense from Somalia (both have grown in those respective locations for hundreds of years).  If an oil company is sourcing from 33 countries instead of just a handful—you know it cares about plant potency.

Exploiting the Exploited : Gary Young’s Treatment of Native Americans and Somalis

If you, like me, fell in love with Young Living for its holistic care and positive impact—I’m afraid you’re about to be blindsided by some uncomfortable documentation on Gary Young. I had the same experience last week while Googling Young Living’s founder and CEO. Yes, the truth was difficult to swallow, but it’s also empowering for us moms determined to find the most trustworthy products for our families.    

Gary Young—in an attempt to add some legitimacy to his marketing materials—has blatantly exploited multiple cultures for his own gain. Recently, an online “truth-crusade” led by Native Americans and Somalis have exposed his unconscionable treatment of vulnerable populations.    

For example, Gary Young has long published claims regarding a close mentorship with one of the Lakota Nation’s most prominent medicine men. Recently, however, a representative for the Lakota tribe, has devoted significant time and effort to publish the truth. Below are the nitty gritty details:   

Gary Young claimed that he developed his controversial essential oil “Raindrop Therapy” in the 1980s after working with the Lakota Tribe’s influential Wallace Black Elk. However, according to a tribe representative, Raindrop Therapy had never been part of the Lakota’s healing process. The tribe’s representative further responded to Young’s marketing by emphasizing that Gary Young “never ‘worked with’ nor was he ever taught, endorsed, or recognized by Grandfather [Wallace Black Elk]. He has stained our beautiful Grandfather’s name and it has to stop...to to claim to have been directly taught or instructed by Grandfather is simply an untruth.” The representative was most sickened by Gary Young’s insistence that he was involved in Wallace Black Elk’s sacred work.   

As if this charade weren’t alarming enough, Gary Young has also taken advantage of impoverished Somali natives. In 2014, a Somali leader Sultan Yusuf Salah, struggled to redress false marketing/newsletter materials promoting his “relationship” with Gary Young. Sultan has sent multiple emails to Young Living asking them to remove his name from Gary Young’s “propaganda.”   

In fact, Yusuf describes how Gary Young misrepresented himself as a “philanthropist and doctor,” showed up unannounced in his country, and obtained nine days of unpaid tribal service all while promising to pay for schools and hospital. However, two years later, Gary Young has yet to make good on his word. It turns out the trip was merely for publicity’s sake.  In order to justify the hefty cost of frankincense oil, Greg Young spent a large part of the trip gathering photos for a four part-series for the Young Living newsletter about the process of collecting the oil in a foreign company.  In the series, Gary Young portrays Sultan Yusuf as his friend and protector. But the Sultan says such depictions could not be further from the truth.    

When Sultan Yusuf, discovered the depraved publicity being used in the Young Living newsletter he contacted both Gary and his company urging them to be honest about their real experience in Somalia.  Young Living responded by claiming “defamation” and encouraging YouTube to remove a video that Yusuf posted clarifying the real events of Gary Young’s trip.  

Ultimately, Gary Young’s glib willingness to exploit vulnerable populations is appalling. Ugh, need I say more?