The number one reason it’s important to share compliantly is that it’s the ethical thing to do. I want to represent myself and the Young Living brand in a way that earns trust and respect. It’s important to me that people know they can count on me to be honest, straightforward, and reliable. Competency is important to me. Sometimes I let myself and others down, but I always want to make things right.

Sometimes it may sound like we’re making the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) out to be the bad guy, but that’s inaccurate. They are enforcing laws which have been on the books since the 1930s, designed to protect people from unscrupulous salespeople and companies. That’s a good thing. And sometimes, essential oils distributors have behaved unscrupulously, either on purpose or through ignorance. Young Living has been charged with training their distributors to do a better job, and I’m seeing them do that.

I’ve heard all kinds of wild claims about what essential oils can do, and frankly, it made me suspect about them. When I learned a more balanced approach, my anxiety and skepticism dropped significantly. At first, I struggled with the concept of sharing compliantly. It seemed like it would be easier to say, “If this, then this.” In reality, that isn’t the case.

It’s useful if we remember Young Living Essential Oils is a wellness company. They are talking about things “above the wellness line.” Their products are designed to help our bodies achieve balance in our wellness journey. That’s why we don’t want to get in the business of diagnosing and prescribing even if we could. Everybody’s body achieves balance in different ways because there are so may variables. An oil that balances one person’s body systems may not do a thing for another person, because that person’s body needs a different set of molecules to achieve the balance it needs. When using Young Living’s oils or oil-based products, remember these are derived from plants via some form of distillation (usually — there are a couple other methods for a smaller number of oils). When the plant is harvested, the process used to extract the essential oils from the plant is critical to the quality of essential oil obtained. The purity of that product is critical when you care about what goes into and onto your body. When applied to the body, inhaled, or consumed (depending upon the product), the body will use what it needs and discard the rest.

Some oils are known to work with certain body systems to keep them in balance. It’s incumbent upon each of us to research what oils work best with each system and use them to support our overall system balance. If one oil doesn’t appear to provide the balance we’re looking for, we should consider an alternative with different constituents.