The Oily Debate: Young Living vs doTERRA

I'm going there.

If you have dabbled at all with essential oils--or even just started reading about them--you've no doubt heard about two companies: Young Living and doTERRA. You may have even read crazy articles about how they are involved in legal battles with each other and how doTERRA actually originated from some higher ups in YL who left to start their own network marketing company. I'm not planning to go into all the drama because it's exhausting and you can lose yourself in the muck of blaming and bashing. And that's no good for anyone. What you focus on, you become.

Instead, I would like to tell my story. I believe it has a very powerful message for both camps and I hope it's read and received from the place from which I've written it: a perspective of curiosity.

My first introduction to essential oils was through HEB--our local grocery store. I wanted my house to smell delicious and after trial and error, I found that Scentsys and Bath & Body Works candles gave me headaches. I purchased NOW brand lemon, peppermint, jasmine, and ylang ylang. They smelled okay to me because I didn't know any better. THIS, my friends, is a large percentage of the population of people who are trying essential oils. The opportunities for education are endless, as we all know those store-bought oils are full of crap. Almost literally.

My first introduction to therapeutic essential oils was with one of my acupuncturists. She asked if she could put a drop of lavender on my forehead because I was particularly stressed that day (former middle school teacher = 'nuff said). At first I was hesitant because I thought it was a fragrance oil, which gave me headaches. But in the end, I decided to trust her and boy was I wowed at the scent! I asked her to order me a bottle of lavender, this she did, and I was hooked. I signed up for a doTERRA starter kit the next month, even though I still had one foot in skepticism. The other foot was hopeful that these oils were all they were hyped up to be.

First off, I started with a Family Physician's kit which did not come with a diffuser, so I had to order that too. This put me well over $200 for my first purchase. My kit arrived promptly and I was very impressed with the oils. I didn't really like the smell of DigestZen (which ended up becoming my favorite doTERRA oil, which just shows you that it's not about the smell; it's about the therapeutic benefits) but the others smelled good! Lavender, lemon, and peppermint smelled sweet and I liked it!

But apparently I have a lot of green in my dominant yellow personality. For those of y'all who don't know the colors assessment, green is the analytical, fact-based researcher tendency. [If you’re curious, click the link to take the test: https://jacobadamo.com/personality-colors-quiz/] And so I began researching what all I could do with my newfound love of doTERRA.

I was obsessed with learning more. I began to read articles and articles about essential oils. And wouldn't you know it? The name Young Living kept popping up. Many articles were comparing the two brands. Some articles were about the dirt of how doTERRA left Young Living. But what especially piqued my interest was reading about how Young Living was a 20+ year old company and had built their own farms and distilleries. Article after article, people were raving about YL, and yes, some were bashing it. But the scientist in me had to know by experience.

Just 11 days after I ordered my doTERRA kit, I begged and convinced my husband to let me spend another $150+ on a Young Living starter kit. It came WITH a diffuser, I cried!  We'll use it, I promised. And so I enrolled online without a member number and was given an amazing woman who lived in Amarillo, TX as my sponsor. We are now very close!

I played with both kits for months. Immediately, I enrolled in both autoships, purchased more products, and continued to experiment and compare. The more I smelled doTERRA's lavender, the more it smelled sweet. When I smelled Young Living's lavender, it smelled like a lavender PLANT. I liked the sweeter smell, but YL's smelled truer to the botanical. The more I smelled doTERRA's peppermint, the more it smelled like a peppermint candy cane! Again, YL's peppermint smelled like a peppermint PLANT, which was actually less palatable at first but somehow felt more TRUE. On Guard wasn't even in the same vicinity as Thieves (in my personal opinion) and so I barely used it. Still, I continued to use doTERRA's Breathe, DigestZen, Past Tense, ClaryCalm, and a few others right alongside my YL oils. And here's my (as unbiased as I can make it) report:

• Young Living's oils just FELT better. While many of doTERRA oils SMELLED better, YL's smelled truer to the the botanical. Ergo, the therapeutic properties were vastly more present.
• YL oils were "thicker" than doTERRA's. DoTERRA's oils seemed thinner or more "watery". Ergo, I felt like I needed less of YL's oil to achieve the same effect.  
• There were blends from both that I couldn't stand the smell of at first, but the reasons why were different. With YL oils, I started out being repulsed by RC and Dragon Time (I think it's the clary sage) and Digize. I pushed through the smell and kept using them and my body (and sniffer!) adjusted because they worked. They began to smell better as my body associated them with relief. With doTERRA's, there were oils that I was repulsed by because they smelled off. I don't know how else better to say it, but they just didn't smell okay. I used them anyway for a time and eventually couldn't get past it and stopped. Those oils were Serenity, Holiday Joy, and On Guard.  
• YL has a Seed-to-Seal process that is unparalleled! Over 20 years of research and science behind their craft, and they’re the only major company to not simply rebottle another farmer’s product! That’s right, they own farms all over the world and have built their own distilleries from the ground up, so we can all take part in that process. When they grow it, they know it! Full disclosure: We don't grow it all ourselves, and we do partner with other farms to provide us with certain botanicals. These suppliers do need to abide by our rigorous Seed-To-Seal standards and they are constantly checked in on to make sure that's the case! 
• More about the above bullet point can be found in a book that I devoured in days! I can not recommend this book ENOUGH; READ IT: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/d-gary-young-the-world-leader-in-essential-oils
• Young Living's humanitarian efforts are the icing on the cake!  Just look up what the Young Living Foundation has done....oh em gee! (Side note: I believe doTERRA is also doing some humanitarian work as well)

This is purely my opinion, based on about 9 months of using both. In the end, similar comp plans, customer service, and similar pricing didn't weigh in. For me, it was the spirit or energy behind the YL oils that won me over. The Seed to Seal philosophy. The fact that YL owns their own farms and distilleries and has over 20 years of research and experience behind it. Who else can go and physically see and take part in their oils cultivation, harvesting, and distilling?

So what do I say to people who say they prefer using doTERRA? Or Native American Nutritionals? Or Melaleuca? Well I'll tell you what I DON'T say. I don't badmouth them or try to "convert" them. In my opinion, that shows a lack of integrity and that's not what YL stands for. I say, "I'm so glad you found oils that work for you and your family. I'm assuming that you've done your research and feel like this is a product that you can get behind, and kudos that you are incorporating natural wellness into your life instead of relying purely on chemical-based pharmaceuticals. Best wishes to you on your journey with essential oils."

And then I mean it. That's it. If they want to press me for why I choose YL or why I left doTERRA, I'm more than happy to share my story. But if they don't ask, I don't tell.

So there you have it! After a year of membership, I chose not to continue as a doTERRA distributor. I wish doTERRA reps the best and I also freely admit that I'm an oil snob for Young Living. [And any doTERRA peeps reading, if you would like to try some of my YL oils to do your own comparison, I’m game to share!] If you are aren't a member of either and you are considering both, I implore you to do your research. I don't believe you can assert a strong opinion until you've at least tried them both. Go forth with what resonates with you and fill your life with 'little drops of God in a bottle.'

[If you are ready to get started with a Young Living Premium Starter kit and nobody else is already working with you, I would love to support you!  Please click the following link "SIGN ME UP!", follow the instructions, and I'll contact you when you've successfully ordered your kit!  memberSIGN ME UP! ]

Love always,

Michelle Harvey
Hippie Oil Chick and Oil Goddess  :)