Neem is great stuff. Ever been looking to buy top quality neem products but did not know where to start? Neem based products are starting to become more available, but for now are for the most part only found on the internet or in health food shoppes and other out of the way places. Since these are hard to find items it is easy to grab the first thing you find on the shelf just because it has the word neem on the label. But here are a few tips that will help you make an informed decision before you stock up on the wrong stuff.
Find Out How The Oil Was Removed From The Neem Seeds There are a couple of methods commonly used today to extract the oil from the seeds. As you may have guessed, not all extraction process were created equally. The extraction process that produces the best neem 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 process uses superheated water and heat. Though this technique gets more oil from the seeds than using a mechanical press, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil are made useless because of the heat used in the process.
A third process is the one that most manufacturers use because it gets the most oil. The technique is called chemical solvent extraction, and almost always hexane (which is also called “white gasoline”) is the solvent that is used. Even though this technique extracts nearly all of the oil from the seeds, the harsh chemicals render useless nearly all of the desireable compounds in the neem oil. To add to this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is preferable that you look for items that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.
Watch Out For Additives Nearly all cosmetics and bath/shower products today contain chemical compounds to “enhance” how the product works. But keep in mind that some of these chemicals can likely cause unwanted side effects. Two of the most common compounds that may be in many of the products are Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) and Parabens. SLS’s are often used as foam producers, because they are not very costly and work particularly well. A lot of inexpensive neem pet shampoo and soap products contain these additives too. But, these chemicals have proven to cause allergic reactions in some people. The US Food and Drug Administration asks developers of these products not to use them.
Parabens are often used for preserving, and though there has been no scientific evidence 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 Of course, organic ingredients are preferred over ones that are not. These ingredients are all natural, and have not been exposed to man-made chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, or other un-natural substances. Look for labels that list certified organic ingredients. If a manufacturer uses these ingredients, they will always state this selling point on the label.
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