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Appalachian Valley Natural Products Frankincense East African Blend Essential Oil Review

Ah, frankincense. A precious oil and resin coveted throughout the years. That's about all I knew about it, besides the Three Wise Men bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I didn't even know what it smelled like. AVAT recently had a sale and I was trying to get my cart to $35 so I could get free shipping. I decided to add 4 out of 5 of their frankincense essential oils.

Now, frankincense is one of those oils that I really don't want to try and that's because it's semi-expensive. The majority of the oils I have are citrus and very affordable. I don't like to diffuse expensive oils because I feel like it's a waste of money; I'd rather use them topically. Part of me hopes that when I try samples of precious oils, that I won't like them so that I don't have to spend the money on them since I'm cheap. Happily, AVAT does have pretty affordable prices compared to other companies and that's one reason that I tried it. I figured I could swing $2-0-$35 for 20 ml if it came to that.

About Appalachian Valley Natural Products: On my page about Appalachian Valley Natural Products, you can read more about their company and read my product reviews. I have reviewed other companies and their products as well and you can find those on my complete list.

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http://bit.ly/2K7wF1ZProduct Details
Wild-crafted and steam-distilled, this Frankincense comes from East Africa, which is really quite vague since that area is made up of a handful of countries.
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Unlike Edens Garden and Plant Therapy (get $10 off), AVAT does not have a line for kids. Frankincense is safe for kids. AVAT has 5 types of Frankincense.
  • Blend (East African)
  • Carerii
  • Carterii PREMIUM (certified organic)
  • Frereana
  • Sacra
I really don't know much about Frankincense at all, but I do know which companies do. I would recommend checking out Frankincense Resin and All Tree Resins, Apothecarys Garden, Fair Trade Frankincense, and NWI Trading Company. All of these places are extremely reputable sources for information and for purchasing frankincense.

Smell, Use, and Viscosity
I reviewed AVAT's carterii before and honestly, this smells the same. I'd definitely not an expert at all on frankincense. It's sweet, like honey and fruity with a bit of a lemon scent to it, yet it's warm and spicy as well. It doesn't smell as woody as I thought it would, but I can detect a little bit of it. It smells amazing. I absolutely love it.

It's supposed to help with a variety of issues such as sleeping, digestion, and being an antiseptic.

This is a thin clear oil, however, one thing I've found about AVAT's orifice reducers is that they are smaller compared to the one that Edens Garden and Plant Therapy use. I often have to tap the bottom of the bottle in order to get drops out. If you create an account, you will have access to more sizes. All their milliliter sizes have orifice reducers; their ounces sizes do not. If you're going to buy the ounce bottles, you'll probably want to either use a pipette or decant into smaller bottles. I forgot I had one bottle that was an ounce size and ended up dumping a lot of spearmint into my diffuser. My entire house smelled like toothpaste for a week.

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Size, Price, and Packaging
I got a sample size for 0.75 cents and their 20ml size is about $21, so pretty affordable. This is the cheapest of the 5 frankincense they offer. My guess is that the quality / grade is slightly lower than others, plus, it's not from a specific place. AVAT does get their products from reputable distillers and this oil is pure, it is just probably not the best of the best. If you're looking for an affordable frankincense to try, I would definitely recommend this one.

AVAT is so affordable, that had I not been recommended this company in Real Aromatherapy Reviews and More 2.0, I would have thought it was fake. They do have GCMS reports, but they are done in house. They also don't offer dates on distillation or GCMS testing, however, John the owner has been in business for a while and developed a good reputation. With that being said, there are some people who don't buy AVAT oils because of it. Some well-respected companies such as Original Swiss Aromatics, Apothecary's Garden, and Snow Lotus Aromatics don't even offer GCMS reports.

Their sample sizes come with a narrow mouth and a screw-off top. I prefer this packaging to the normal wands that some companies use for essential oils. This is mess likely to spill or get essential oil on you. The oil is thin, but the orifice is small, so you might have to tap the bottle or shake it a bit to get drops out.

One complaint I have about their packaging in general, is that they don't have a label on the top of the oil. This means that you either have to buy bottle cap stickers or make your own. I know it's a wholesale company so that might be why.  I personally make my own stickers. They don't look pretty, but they do the job.

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Would I Get This Again?
Yes, I probably would and I would get a larger size next time. I like the company very much as well. You can buy it here.

Safety
The shelf life is about 2-3 years. I keep all my essential oils in the fridge to help extend their shelf life.

Make sure to follow proper dilution guidelines. Click on the button that says "download dilution chart". Do not use undiluted. Patch test before using. Check the max dilution on the label. If pregnant, nursing, or under a doctor's care, please contact your caregiver first. Do not use internally unless directed by a licensed aromatherapist or physician. Follow safe essential oil usage; not all people or pets should be exposed to essential oils.

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