Purchasing essential oils is very easy; just head out to the nearest grocery store with an aromatherapy section. But when it comes to buying authentic essential oils Bangkok, you cannot afford to be as casual. You need to do your homework and know how to separate wheat from chaff.

On that note, let’s look at some of the things you’ll want to avoid when shopping:

-Products that don’t have their countries of origin and botanical names listed on the label. This information is crucial because plants from different regions have varying chemical compositions — and therefore, distinct therapeutic properties. As such, you cannot be sure of what to expect from products that only carry common/generic names. Any vendor worth their salt will know the significance of providing all the details.

-Any essential oil described as a perfume/fragrance oil or “nature identical oil.” These terms suggest that the product you’re getting is a diluted or impure variant of whatever it claims to be. Likewise, take any offers for “aromatherapy-grade” or “therapeutic-grade” oil with a pinch of salt. Essential oils Bangkok are unregulated, so there’s no single authority that can certify products as such.

-Vendors who sell all their products at the same price (or price range). Why? Because not all essential oils are extracted similarly. An ounce of lemon essential oil costs around $15 to process; agarwood can cost up to $800 for the same amount. It beats logic as to why oils derived from these two plants would be priced in the same bracket.

Now that you know what red flags to look out for, these tips should help you find products you can really count on:

-Choose organic oils whenever possible.

-Look for products backed by test results outlining the chemical makeup of each essential oil.

-Speaking of test, it’s common sense that you’ll want to test out products prior to purchase. But don’t apply the oil to your skin straight away. First give it a sniff while holding the bottle about 5 inches away from your nose. Pure essential oil should have a natural scent; if you detect a twinge of alcohol or a smell similar to that of a kitchen detergent, opt away.

-Do some research to see what others have to say about the particular product you’re considering. This will help if you’re shopping online and can’t do a smell test, or if the vendor doesn’t provide a test sample (this is often the case for the more-expensive oils — don’t take it as a red flag).

• Check that the product(s) you’re buying are packaged in dark blue or dark amber bottles — essential oils are photo-degradable. They can also dissolve plastic and get contaminated, so opt away if it ain’t glass.

-Most essential oils have a shelf life of less than a year, so only buy as much as you need for the near future (typically 10ml).