posted by hot news on Jul 1
Looking for neem? Have you ever been searching for high quality neem products but could not figure out where to begin? Neem-oil products are starting to become more available, but as of now are mostly only found on the web or in health food shoppes and specialty stores. Because it is hard to find these products it is easy to grab the first thing you come across just because it says “this product contains neem oil”. So here are some tips that will help you choose wisely before you stock up on an inferior product.
Figure Out How The Oil Was Removed From The Neem Seeds There are a few different methods used to extract the oil from the seeds. As you may have guessed, not all extraction process are to be trusted. The method that produces the most desirable neem seed oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressing neem oil is the best, as the majority of the active compounds remain intact. This is also the oldest extracting process. It is done with a mechanical device that squeezes the oil out of the seeds. Always try to get cold pressed neem oil where possible.
Steam extraction- this extraction technique uses hot water vapor and heat. Though this method yields more oil than the cold pressing technique, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil can possibly be ruined by the heat used in the process.
A third extraction method is the most preferred one that most neem processors use because it yields the largest amount of oil from the seeds. It is called solvent extraction, and in most cases hexane (also known as gasoline) is the solvent of choice. Even though this technique extracts almost all of the neem oil from the seeds, the chemicals destroy many of the desireable compounds in the neem. Besides this and the fact that the solvent is poisonous, it is highly recommended that you look for neem products that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.
Be Sure The Products Do Not Contain Additives Nearly all bath and beauty items today contain chemical compounds to “enhance” them, so to speak. However, some of these additives are known to likely cause many side effects. Two of the most common compounds that are in most products today are Lauryl Sulfates and Parabens. Lauryl Sulfates are often used as foamers, because they are cheap and work very well. The majority of inexpensive neem pet shampoo and soap products have many of these additives too. However, these chemicals are a known irritant. In fact, the USFDA encourages developers of these products not to use them.
Parabens are common preservatives, and though there has been no real studies showing that that they are potentially dangerous, they are becoming more and more controversial. Some organizations feel they should be avoided in order to err on the side of safety.
Buy Only Products That Contain Certified Organic Ingredients Quite obviously, organic ingredients are better than ones that are not. These ingredients are all natural, and have not been exposed to potentially dangerous chemical compounds, fertilizers, plant growth regulators, pesticides or similar chemicals. Look for labels that list certified organic ingredients. If a producer uses organic ingredients, they will almost always state this selling point somewhere on the product.