Before I begin with my story, I’d like to make it crystal clear that this is not a MLM (Multi Level Marketing) bashing post. You can read my thoughts on DoTerra and Young Living essential oil reps here. This is merely my experience, my personal journey, my story to tell. I’ve been asked why I left YL (Young Living) too many times to count. So here is my story for all who are interested….
If you’ve ever read my blog or website, you know that I tried essential oils in college to study for an exam. I was not impressed and my EO journey ended as quickly as it began.
That is until I got older and became a mom.
One of my children received a diagnosis and I was looking for alternative ways to help that child. Like any good mother, I researched the heck out of the issue to see what I can do. The amount of times I saw “essential oils” mentioned in articles, research abstracts, and blogs was staggering. So, I reached out to a friend who was a Young Living rep and asked her about 2, 467 questions. Finally, I bucked up and got the infamous Starter Kit.
Long story short, the essential oils I ordered worked for my child. I decided to share newfound love of essential oils with the world by joining the Young Living team. See, I recently had taken a leave from teaching to stay at home with my kids. I thought I had hit the jackpot. I could earn money AND help others with essential oils. It was like the skies had opened and given me a gift.
I gave 110% to my YL gig. I was constantly reading the '“Holy Bible of Essential Oils” that was given to me from my upline. I was in every YL Facebook group imaginable soaking in everything I could. If there was a YL event was held in my city, I attended it. I even attended YL events out of town. In fact, one summer, our vacation was centered around me attending an out of town YL Raindrop class. I listened to the podcasts while my kids were napping. I bought all of the merchandise to help me be successful. I taught “classes” online and in person. I started a Facebook group and website. I even bought the “magical” tool that scanned you and told you what YL essential oils you needed.
I WAS ALL-IN.
My upline was fantastic. They could sense my hunger for success in this business and supported me any way they could. As someone who had just left their teaching job of 14 years and the work family that I loved, having this “YL family” meant everything to me. I felt loved. I felt that these people believed in me. I felt like I was part of something so magical and so important.
Then I decided that I needed to know EVEN more so I could be the best I could be. So I went to a natural health school and got certified in holistic health. But they didn't really dive deep into aromatherapy so I decided that I had to attend aromatherapy school.
My first aromatherapy school was pretty hands-off and didn’t give me any certifications or tests or projects. It was just a manual. While I received some pertinent information from that course, I was less than impressed. I didn’t feel like it gave me the tools I needed to really understand aromatherapy.
So I switched to a school that was approved by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. It was a well-known school and came highly recommended by the top aromatherapists in the world. The main instructor had received awards from these organizations. While it was more than three times the price of the first aromatherapy school, I felt that a quality education was worth it.
So I enrolled.
It took about five days at my new aromatherapy school for my whole world to be turned upside down. There was a pit in my stomach because things I thought I knew, I didn’t actually know at all!
“Wait, that can’t be right! Young Living said I didn’t have to dilute it.”
“Hold on! Could this rash on my stomach be sensitization?”
“Oh. My. Gosh. I’ve been exposing my baby to essential oils daily because I thought they were okay for her. The book they gave me told me it was okay! ”
“Why doesn't Young Living have GCMS reports?
“I’ve been spending HOW much on essential oils because I thought only the expensive ones were pure?!”
That’s when I started started asking questions to my upline.
I was told…
“Aromatherapy school is outdated”
“Aromatherapists don’t know what they are talking about.”
“We teach the French way of aromatherapy. Aromatherapists don’t.”
“Your rash is detox. You should still keep using the body wash. It’s helping you.”
Since I wasn’t getting any answers from my upline, I decided to contact Young Living themselves to get answers.
I was told…
“Our essential oils are protected by propriety so we cannot release GCMS reports.”
“Our essential oils are safe to be used as directed by the bottle because they are pure.”
“We own our own farms. We have a seed to seal process to ensure purity.”
So many questions without any real answers.
So I decided to do my own research.
Here’s what I found out…
It turns out that EVERY book I was given or referred to was related to Young Living somehow. I was not given a single neutral or third-party source for information. NOT ONE. If you are looking for COMPANY NEUTRAL sources, look here.
It WAS sensitization due to the lemongrass body wash. I’m still sensitized to it today because of overuse and improper dilution. You can read about that here.
Their recommendations on dilution are not aligned to the recommendations I learned from all of my aromatherapy schooling.. Read how to properly dilute here.
They still don’t release their GCMS reports, even though most essential oil companies do release them. Oh and this is important too! Companies should have these easily accessible to the public BEFORE you buy them. You should not have to wait until after you purchase them to get the report.
Their essential oils prices are not in direct correlation with purity. Learn what really determines the cost of essential oils here.
Most of what I was taught was MARKETING. I have attended several aromatherapy schools, spoken with hundreds of professional aromatherapists, and the consensus is clear…
YOU SHOULD GET YOUR ESSENTIAL OIL EDUCATION FROM PROFESSIONALS, NOT PEOPLE WHO WILL PROFIT FROM SELLING THEM TO YOU.
After learning all of this and more, I could not, in right conscience, stay with a company that preached practices that were in direct conflict with what I learned from trusted professionals.
Could I have made a KILLING financially for being a certified aromatherapist who also sold YL? Absolutely!
But I just couldn’t do it. I could not live with myself knowing what I know now. I already felt awful that I had given people bad advice when it came to essential oils. I apologized to everyone who had ever attended my “classes” or were part of my downline. I then directed them to reliable sources.
I also felt gut-wrenching guilt for overexposing my own children to essential oils. I remember attending the Raindrop class with my baby and she cried the whole time. I had to call my husband to come get her because she was inconsolable. I remember thinking she was sick but my husband took her for a walk outside and said she was fine the rest of the day. She was overstimulated with the excessive amount of essential oils used in that small room at one time. I remember even left with a headache. Luckily, there were no long-term effects from overexposing my children but I make it my mission now to make sure parents are properly informed with using essential oils with their children.
After I announced my departure to my upline, I was dropped like a hot potato. Never to hear from my “YL family” again. They even spoke poorly about me to my downline to try to keep them as part of their sales. How very sad.
I have never looked back and regretted my decision to leave Young Living. I also don’t regret being a part of YL either. Why? I believe that my mistakes were purposeful. These mistakes have lead me to where I am today. These mistakes allow me to be a better teacher to those who want to learn.
I am perfectly content with sharing my knowledge to those who want an unbiased education in essential oils whether it brings in an income or not. In fact, as of right now, I get approximately ZERO DOLLARS to write blogs or give advice. I just genuinely care about essential oil safety and have a passion for proper aromatherapy education.
Can you be a YL user and still use their essential oils properly? Absolutely!
This is not an article encouraging you to stop using their essential oils. In fact, the advice in this article applies to ANY company that sells essential oils. I’m sure there are others with similar experiences from different companies. This is not a problem that is exclusive to Young Living.
The bottom line is…
If you love your company’s essential oils and they are pure, by all means, use them! All I ask is that you get your education on how to use them from trusted professionals who are company neutral.
