Aromatherapy, and the use of essential oils is slighly more complicated than just buying something that smells nice and putting it on the dashboard of your car. Just because something smells nice doesn't mean it has any relation to real aromatherapy, even if it does say so on the label!

So before you go shopping for real essential oils check out these...

Five Tips For Buying The Best Aromatherapy Oils  

by Vincent DeLuca

Walking into an aromatherapy supply store can feel like walking into a slice of heaven. The sweet scent of aromatic skin care solutions excite the soul while the tantalizing aromas coming from scented candles steal the show.

However, the aromatherapy connoisseur knows that not every scented oil and sweet smelling candle on the shelf contains healing power. Here are five tips to help you find only the best in aromatherapy products.

Tip #1: Check the bottle. If your aromatherapy essential oil is in a clear bottle or a plastic bottle, then you should not get it. Light has a damaging effect on oil and truly essential aromatherapy oils can be contaminated when stored in plastic bottles.

[ This is the same reason that a number of medicines come in those brown bottles. -ed]

Tip #2: Check the label. Keywords such as "perfume" or "fragrance oil" are a big sign that the oils contained within the bottle are not pure essential aromatherapy oils. Even though the bottle may have the term aromatherapy printed on it, if you see natural identical oil or fragrance oil on the label, then your aromatherapy oil more than likely contains unwanted perfumery chemicals.

[ pure essential oils are plant derived. Of course, man made products can be built with nearly any scent desired, but they're not the natural oils. Also, pure essential oils will tend to be more expensive than their perfumey counterparts. -ed]

Tip #3: Check for dust. If you see an aromatherapy product on the shelf that has dust on its cap or around its container, then avoid getting it. Dust generally means that your aromatherapy product is old. Like many other types of oil and solutions, as aromatherapy products age, they lose their healing powers and aromatic scent.

[just like canned foods that have been on the shelf for too long. These products do have expiration dates. -ed]

Tip #4: Check the price. Different types of aromatherapy oils demand different prices. Pure therapeutic oils that are exotic cost more than aromatherapy oils that are more common. If every bottle of aromatherapy oil is the same price, you may want to reconsider.

[also check to see how diluted the oil is. -ed]

Tip #5: Do your research. Each type of aromatherapy oil has a different therapeutic quality. The scent of aromatic essential oils such as cypress is good for treating coughs and asthma. However, the scent of Patchouli is used for anxiety, depression, and healing skin conditions.

Don't let the sweet talk of the salesman override the natural therapeutic power of pure essential aromatherapy oils. Whether you are purchasing your aromatherapy supplies from one of the many great online retailers or from the local establishment at the shopping center down the road, by following these five tips you can avoid the pitfalls and start enjoying the healing power of aromatherapy.