Essential Oils

 

What are Pure Essential Oils?

Essential Oils are potent therapeutic components used for its medicinal values since 3500 BC by the Egyptians. Throughout the years history has recorded the usage of these wonderful oils in aromatics, incense and ointments. Today we see pure essentials used in aromatherapy, massage, emotional health, household solutions and personal care.

Most essential oils are produced through the process of distillation where water is heated and steam passes through the plant material that vaporizes, into valuable compounds. Following distillation, essential oil is physically separated from the water phase. Some oils are produced through mechanical process such as for orange and lemon rind. There are oils, which are produced using absolutes because of the delicate texture of certain flowers like Jasmine.  Different parts of the world are famous for the oils that they produce, we know that high quality tea tree oil comes from Australia and the Queen of all oils, Rose is the best from Turkey. The soil and the climate of the country determine the quality of the flowers and plants that are distilled to produce these lovely oils.

It is really important to know that only pure essential oils carry therapeutic properties, as these oils are potent they must be diluted in proper quantities before applying to skin. The general rule of thumb is to use 3 drops of essential oil with 15ml of carrier oil. This is can be lowered to 1 drop in 10ml of carrier oils when using for young children. Carrier oils that are used must be cold pressed to maximise the usage of essential oils. Examples of carrier oils are sweet almond, jojoba, calendula and many more beautiful oils. Some citrus oils are photosensitive, meaning they react to sunlight. So stay out from direct sunlight if you have orange or lemon oil on your skin (great for combating cellulite and stretch marks)

Do beware of pre-blended essential oils; there is abundance of them in the market. There is nothing wrong with these oils but if you are paying a certain amount of money it is wise to make sure there is value to your spending. Most aromatherapy guidelines will always advise you to blend your oils as and when you need them. Oils that are pre-blended unless stated massage oils would have lost its potency after 2 weeks. If you just plan to use them as fragrance oil then it fits the function, otherwise choose carefully when purchasing your essential oils.

So how do you know whether you are buying pure essential oils? First look at the price tag, sadly in the world of essential oils price does make a difference. 10 to 15ml of pure Lavender oil will averagely fall in the price range of RM40 to RM100 so this is a great guide to determine the authenticity of the oils that you are choosing to buy. Reputable brands will impose a heavier price tag, as you will be paying for the branding as well. The price of a 10ml pure Rose essential oil is RM1800 to RM2000.  There is great scarcity of this luxurious oil in the world at the moment. One needs thousands and thousand of rose petal to produce this glorious oil. So if you do see a bottle of pure Rose oil going for RM50, rest assure that is just rose scented oil, perhaps you can use it to deodorise your rest rooms.

Look at the packaging, all pure oils must come in amber glass bottles because of the potency of the oils plastic cannot house pure essential oils. Let your nose decide, pure essential oils are lovely in their scent tones. Some have high tones such as citrus oil, middle tones for Lavender and base tones for oils like Sandalwood. This is where the world of perfumery meets when oils are combined to produce your perfect suiting scent.

Pure essential oils are a must in your first aid kit. It helps with headaches, tummy cramps, acne, bites, cuts and to put your mind and body at rest. So get your set of your pure essential oil today from My Favourite Natural Products  or follow us on Facebook for updates and information.

Cold Processed Soaps

What are cold processed soaps and what is the difference between them and the usual commercial soaps? Why would a person choose to use cold processed handmade soaps? Generally if you survey prices, consumers certainly pay more for these soaps compared to the commercial types on our regular shelves. The opposite does happen as well for certain peculiar reasons.

Cold processed soaps are made and produced at low temperatures. Using commercial soaps over time leaves your skin feeling dry or sometimes just the opposite, oily and not feeling clean overall. On the contrary, natural handmade soap uses natural ingredients that restore moisture to skin, and leaves it  clean.

Generally, commercial soaps sold at most chain stores, are full of chemical additives, these additives not only dry out your skin but also can lead to rashes and other irritations. These are the regular chemicals found in commercial soaps

• Syndetic or synthetic detergents
• Fillers
• Preservatives
• Colouring
• Fragrances

We hear common remarks about soaps that dry up skin. The reason why this happens is because commercial soaps have glycerin taken out of them. So what is glycerin? Glycerine is a sweet-tasting colourless thick liquid, which is a natural by product of the soap making process. It is a humectant, which means it attracts moisture to your skin making it soft and supple. Many major soap and shower gel manufacturers remove glycerine from their soaps to use in more expensive products, like creams and lotions. Handmade soaps contain about 15% - 20% pure glycerine; you may notice that when a bar of soap with lots of glycerine is left exposed to air it will attract moisture and gleam with moisture beads.

Commercial soaps bought from retail stores are actually synthetic detergents, which are great for doing your dishes, but are harsh to your skin. Remember, although your skin works as a first barrier to dirt and dust it is still a porous canvas that easily soaks up nasty chemicals if exposed continuously.

Handmade soap in its pure form gently cleanses excess oils and bacteria, but doesn't strip your skin of its natural oils. The soaps that we sell are cold processed and contain natural vegetable glycerine and are highly moisturizing. The emollient, skin loving and gentle nature of these soaps is especially good for tender or dry skin and children. Our soaps take 30 days to cure  and are handmade gently. Most produce used in the soaps is sourced locally from fresh papayas to royal jelly. High quality essential oils are used in the soaps together with other nourishing oils such as coconut and olive oil. These are the oils use in our soaps.  For botanical oils we use coconut, palm, sunflower, sweet almond, olive, rice bran, grape seed, sesame, flaxseed and sea buckthorn. For rich and nourishing butter both cocoa and shea butter is used. Herbs and spices are also used such as candle bush, centella asiatica, rosemary, thyme, ginger, betel, rose, jasmine, loofah and mulberry

All essential oils are imported from Europe, such as lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, fennel, lemon, lime, orange, clove, peppermint, lemongrass, rosewood, ylang ylang, patchouli, geranium and cypress. For infusions, we use green, black, chamomile, butterfly pea and flower tea.

How to care for your gentle soaps? Keep them away from shower sprays by resting them in proper soap dish. Always allow your soaps to drip dry, this avoid your bars from going soft as the ingredients used in the soaps are made from natural resources which washes away easily with water.

If you are looking for good quality handmade soaps, visit our shopping page for your selection. All our soaps are made from natural products and are free from animal testing. They are gentle enough to be used for face and hair as well.

Happy skin happier you