Ever the die-hard natural remedies guru, my mother used essential oils for as long as I can remember. She had a little kit with half-dozen basic oils...I only remember lavender, peppermint, & orange. She massaged them on her temples for head-aches or on our bellies for nausea. It was a low-key, unremarkable experience, that had little meaning for me until...
Recently, a school yard incident with my young son, brought me into a conversation with someone from my past. Two mommies had to deal with an embarrassing situation so we met for coffee to hammer it out, hear apologies, and make nice. I mentioned that things had been stressful in general lately, and so I was glad to have resolved this matter quickly. The mention of stress, led immediately to her sales pitch on doTerra essential oils. She demonstrated on my wrist what seemed to be (and most likely IS) rather convincing proof that the oil immediately enters the bloodstream, gave me a sample to try at home, and invited me to a doTerra meeting at our public library.
I used the sample of "Balance" that week and at times felt as though I wanted to lick it off of my wrist because the aroma was so appealing! At other times, the aroma smelled rather unappealing. I was perplexed and attended the meeting, hoping that someone might explain why I was having such hot and cold reactions to the product.
I was greeted warmly, and helped into a seat. The presentation started. It took many turns including an almost prayerful thanking of God for the abundance of natural remedies housed in his vegetative Creation, a tearful bit on moms in third world countries who can send their children to school thanks to the high wages they are paid for collecting herbs for doTerra, personal anecdotes of cures and symptom reduction for all sorts of ailments, and of course the sales pitch itself.
I received a free roller-bottle mixed by the presenter that smelled divine and was given a flyer and marketing material.
Now, my father was an Amway distributor, grandma sold Jafra, and I sold Park Lane Jewelry. So I understand the MLM (multi-level marketing) business model fairly well. I know that the products have amazing quality. I know that the prices charged for these amazing product are directly related to the pay structure of all the up-line folks taking their cut, not the cost of ingredients. The VALUE of the product lies heavily in the consumer's conception, carefully shaped by well-trained salespeople who seemingly worship the life-giving (or at least life-altering) product and it's company. Belief in the company is indispensable, since the expectation is that every consumer become a devotee and join the great cause. My uncle was once approached about Amway and his reply was, "No thanks. I have my own religion."
With doTerra marketing material in hand, I began to mingle. I had been researching essential oils independently and had heard Neroli was good for tension and mood, so I hoped to sniff test it to see if I would enjoy it's use or not. The mommy who had invited me ran around the room systematically rifling through the purses of her entire doTerra sisterhood looking for a sample. Now, maybe this is just a person boundary, but from my viewpoint, the contents of a woman's purse is sacred. I would not presume to invade the purse of my best friend, my mother, my sister; and I would be appalled if I knew they had been in mine. And NOT because I have anything to hide or embarrass at the contents! It is just a thing you don't do; a place you don't go. The term "sister-wives" came into my mind, and of course, out of my mouth--I couldn't help it!
Well, Neroli could not be located, so I decided to look into the description and price of "Balance" (the sample I had been given). That was promptly produced. I read the ingredients list on the label and realized that this proprietary blend is diluted with coconut oil! I was perplexed, since the presentation had demonized other "unscrupulous" companies that cut their essential oils and pass them off as "pure." The presenter insisted that the potency of an essential oil is of paramount importance to do the miraculous healing they promise it will do. Afterall, "a single drop of lemon oil contains 40 trillion molecules--enough to treat every cell in you body many times over!"
What miraculous healing did they claim? Well, if I stayed for the following presentation, a member who had attended a "Symphony of Cells" seminar would be sharing her notes and demonstrating a massage that would (and reportedly has) cured a number of spine ailments. I heard one woman ask another how a blend she had prepared was working on an unnamed condition. The other woman said it gave him a horrible rash, so she only tried it once. She was reminded that "our bodies have a natural inflammatory response, so a rash is a GOOD thing!" and exhorted to "KEEP using it!" I had to pick my jaw up off of the floor. The woman was also standing in disbelief, so I frowned and shook my head to discredit this insane advice--which medical advice, by the way, was dispensed and presumably practiced without a license! I overheard at least two others telling attendees to avoid the medical profession whenever possible.
My grandmother has 10 compression fractures in her spine, so I thought I ought to stay for the extra instruction. Slides of a curvy spine were shown before and after shots in a powerpoint presentation. Then, a male volunteer received a generous oiling from the base of his neck to the soles of his feet. I started to write down the protocol in my notebook, but the 15 drops of this and 10 drops of that followed by handfuls of coconut oil seemed never-ending, and I could not possibly keep up with the flow of information. Besides, they were giggling about the generous spilling that was happening on the massage table and surrounding carpet. The honorary massage 'therapist' recovered by ensuring the crowd that since the oils were natural, there really was no way to make a mistake, and that the protocol could be adapted to utilize any oils purchased from doTerra.
My friend asked me what I thought at this point. I had already run amok with the "sister-wives" comment, so I only dared to ask what investment would be required just to accomplish this protocol, and to remark that this single treatment seems very expensive--especially if repeated frequently. But inside I was screaming, "if a single drop of essential oil treats every cell in your body many times over, then WHY were they bathing this man in essential oils?!?!? And if I need to buy the most potent, pure, concentrated, weaponized, expensive products in this market--why would I also need to buy doTerra's fractionated coconut carrier oil to dilute it?!?!"
I finally found an exit, and booked out of that library! I was a bundle of nerves, and felt as though I had just escaped a dangerous encounter with...with...with...it would take me 'til the next morning to find the word: CULT.
My husband had been calling the whole essential oil industry "snake oil and voodoo," and I was forced to admit to myself that demonizing all competitors, discouraging people from seeking medical care, the playing on emotions, the intense devotion, and the weird bond they all seemed to have definitely seemed to have strong religious (even cult-like) overtones.
Weeks later, I was convinced to attend a 2nd meeting (which I will try to recount for you soon), where a saleswoman said to me, "I know you are skeptical, but keep attending our meetings, and we'll eventually convert you."
The funny thing is, I was NEVER skeptical of essential oils UNTIL my brush with doTerra! The truth is, I might have just encountered one localized, rogue team of over-zealous, well-meaning men and women who over-stepped the scope of their work and mis-represented their company. But I went seeking a product, and was sold a lifestyle that I cannot afford. I am writing this several months after the encounter, so I've had time to reflect, but my discomfort with this company hasn't subsided. I haven't given up on essential oils themselves. I research. I read labels carefully. And I do not buy from brands that promote unsafe practices, nor do I buy from the brands claiming to be the only trustworthy source. We have got to learn to detect and reject grandiose propaganda. DoTerra did not invent essential oils, and they did not perfect them either. God did that.
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