If you dabble with essential oils, you might have heard about the ‘paper test’, which in theory can show if an oil has impurities. Does it always work? Not always (for example, if an oil is an absolute, where alcohol is used, it would leave a mark – Rose and Jasmine being two of them), but it can for many others. I did a 6 brand test of lemon essential oil recently to see how it would fare. My test includes one well-known MLM brand, one house brand, and 4 ones that can be sourced in stores and online.
I compared:
dŌTERRA Lemon
Aura Cacia Lemon
Nature’s Alchemy Lemon
NOW Lemon
The Vitamin Shoppe Lemon
Plantlife Lemon
This was after 30 minutes of the test. All had dried clear but the Plantlife brand, in the lower right corner.
It might be hard to see, but there is a light stain. 3 days out and I can still see the stain.
My thoughts on the 6 brands, which includes prices I paid for them (the links out might reflect different prices), color of the oils, scenting, and other things I noted.
dŌTERRA Lemon:
Wholesale $10.00, Regular $13.33 15 ml
This may seem biased, but it isn’t – this is my first choice. For all the MLM marketing hype, their oils do have the best smell. It is vibrant, and smells like a freshly zested lemon. The color is yellow. It is also the most expensive when done by size, at 66 cents a ml for wholesale price. The bottles are well made, and the lids don’t leak. They drop well, not too fast.
Aura Cacia Lemon:
$4.99 15 ml
This would be my second choice for this oil – and it is easily sourced locally, and on Amazon. Stores like Super Supplements, and natural food stores carry it. Aura Cacia oils tend to have a medicinal aroma, but in a diffuser, or other application similar, it loses that edge. The color is pale yellow. At 33 cents a ml, it is very affordable. The bottles are well made, and don’t leak at the top. They drop well, not too fast.
Nature’s Alchemy Lemon:
$4.79 15 ml
32 cents a ml. Pale yellow, very faint aroma. I was not overly impressed with this one. There just wasn’t a lot of “smell”. This isn’t a brand that excited me. The lack of aroma is what let me down.
NOW Lemon:
$13.99 118 ml
While the price is highest, this bottle is also ginormous compared to the others. It’s price is 19 cents a ml. It has one major drawback: no built in dropper. A large bottle, with a large opening. To use it properly, you will need to get a pipette to pull out. I didn’t know this till I opened the jar. It was intensely yellow in color and the aroma was faint lemon cleaner. Not a favorite of mine, but I could see that people might get excited over-size. Personally, I won’t buy it again.
The Vitamin Shoppe Lemon:
$7.99 30 ml
26 cents a ml. This can be found at The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements stores and online at their website. I added them in to try, since these stores are easy to access. I found of all the ones with built-in droppers, this one poured too fast. It is very pale yellow in color, with a light smell that I didn’t find “natural”. But for its ease in finding, and it’s price (this month they have a buy one, get one 50% off deal on their house brands), it is a great way to source oils for cleaning. As for body applications, I am not sure I would, but that is me.
Plantlife Lemon:
3.64 (it was on sale, normally $7.29) 10 ml
Plantlife was my least favorite. It left a stain on the paper test, but more so, the smell was very off to me. I felt like I was smelling commercial lemon cleaner product. It is not one I want on my skin. The color was also very yellow, which left me wondering was the color why it stained? Not one I would buy again.
Lemon Mirror & Glass Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup rubbing alcohol
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 3 to 6 drops lemon essential oil
Directions:
Add everything to a 16 ounce clean spray bottle (that has not been used for commercial cleaning products!), seal lid firmly and shake before using. Use a lint free towel, or white paper towels, to clean surface. It may not completely wipe off when cleaning, but dries in short time, and leaves no residue.
FTC Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.
