Caveat Emptor

I was recently at a yoga teacher training where one of the major topics of discussion was chakra balancing. Without getting into a long discussion of either the science or the merits, there are a couple of key points that are important to know if you choose to use either essential oils or minerals for chakra balancing or aromatherapy, or even making your own jewelry and perfume for fun.

Essential oils. In the U.S., essentials oils are regulated very differently depending upon the "intended use". If the intended use involves treating or preventing any condition or disease, it's regulated as a drug. If not, it is regulated as a cosmetic, and those regulations, as you may imagine, are considerably looser. Consequently, you will almost never see essential oils with a non-cosmetic intended use. Furthermore, organic food standards do not apply to cosmetics. That means that the word "organic," when used in a cosmetics label, doesn't mean the product has met the same standards as organic food, or even any specific standard. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a handy list of companies that have agreed to certain standards. If you're really hardcore, you can read the entire text of H.R.2359 -- Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, which was referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections last time I checked. Please note that European, Canadian, and other countries' regulations differ, and individual U. S. States also have various regulations.

Minerals or "gemstones". Read the labels; there are a lot of simulated or look-alike "gems" out there. Reconstituted malachite is common, as is faux turquoise and faux hematite. Real citrine is extremely rare in its natural form, and you're unlikely to find it in a craft store, or possibly even in a jewelry store. Also, it's very common to find dyed quartz and other treated stones offered as low-cost substitutes for the real thing. (Common treatments are heating, dyes, acid baths, irradiation, stabilization, composite, etc.---the Fire Mountain Gems catalog is nice in that it actually lists which of its stones are treated and how; reading it can also give you a feel for what is usually "real" and what isn't). Glass and plastic "simulated" stones are also common. Names can be deceptive, so ask questions. Finally, if you see a stone that's markedly different from the normal color range (i. e., yellow jade), be skeptical.