Neem buyers- A few pointers to help you shop for quality neem oil
Have you been shopping for good quality neem products but did not know what to look for? Neem-oil products are getting more attention these days and are being made available, but as of now are usually only found on the internet or in health shops and specialty stores. Since these are hard to find items it is easy to grab the first thing you come across just because it has the word neem on the label. But here are a few tips that will help you choose wisely before purchasing an inferior product.
Know How The Neem Oil Was Removed From The Neem Seeds There are a few different methods commonly used today to extract the neem oil from the seeds of the neem tree. As you might have already concluded, not all extraction process produce the same quality oil. The method that produces the best neem oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressed neem oil is the best, as the majority of the active compounds remain intact. Cold pressing is also the oldest method of extraction. It utilizes a mechanical device that squeezes the oil from the dried seeds. Always make sure to buy only cold pressed neem oil where possible.
The next process uses steam and heat. Though this method yields more oil than cold pressing, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil can possibly be destroyed due to the exposure to high heat.
The third technique is one that most processors use because it gets the greatest quantity of neem oil. It is called solvent extraction, and almost always hexane (white gasoline) is the solvent of choice. Even though this process extracts almost all of the neem oil from the dried seeds, the chemicals render useless most of the desireable compounds in the neem. Besides this and the fact that the chemical being used is poisonous, it is best that you look for neem products that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.
Avoid Additives Almost all cosmetics and bath/shower products today contain chemical compounds to “enhance” how the product works. However, some of these compounds can potentially cause adverse side effects. Two of the most common additives that may be in a lot of bath bath products are Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) and Parabens. Lauryl Sulfates are often used as foam producers, because they are inexpensive and work very well. A lot of inexpensive neem oil products use these additives as well. However, these chemicals have proven to cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, the USFDA asks developers of these products not to use them.
Parabens are preservatives, and though there has been no substantial proof that they are potentially dangerous, they are starting to be avoided by many. Some organizations feel they should be avoided for the sake of precaution.
Be Sure To Look For Certified Organic Ingredients Quite obviously, organic ingredients are better than others. These are natural substances, and have not been exposed to man-made chemicals, fertilizers, the like. Look for labels that list certified organic ingredients. If a producer uses organic ingredients, they will almost always state this (it’s a selling point) somewhere on the packaging.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 at 8:20 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.