Have you been shopping for top quality neem but could not figure out where to begin? Neem products are slowly becoming more widely available, but right now are for the most part only found on the web or in health food shoppes and specialty stores. Since these are hard to find items it is easy to grab the first thing you find on the shelf just because it says neem on it. But here are a few tips that will help you make an educated choice before you stock up on the wrong stuff:
Find Out How The Neem Oil Was Extracted From The Seeds There are several methods used to extract the neem oil from the seeds. As you have probably figured out, not all extraction process were created equally. The method that produces the highest quality neem seed oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressed neem oil is the best, because most active compounds remain intact. This is also the oldest extracting process. It utilizes a mechanical device that squeezes the oil from the dried seeds. Always opt for cold pressed neem oil where possible.
The next process uses steam and high pressure. Though this method yields more oil than cold pressing, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil are made useless by the exposure to high heat.
A third process is the most preferred one that most neem oil dealers use because it gets the greatest quantity of neem oil. The method is called solvent extraction, and usually hexane (white gasoline) is the chemical used. Though this process extracts nearly all of the neem oil from the neem seeds, the chemicals kill many of the active compounds in the neem oil. Besides this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is highly recommended to look for neem products that do not contain solvent extracted neem oil.
Avoid Additives Nearly all bath and cosmetic products today contain chemicals to “enhance” the products performance. At the same time, some of these chemicals may potentially cause unwanted side effects. Two of the most common additives found in a lot of bath bath products are Lauryl Sulfates and Parabens. SLS’s are mostly used as foam enhancers, because they are not very costly and work pretty well. Many inexpensive neem oil and soap products have many of these additives too. However, these chemicals are a known irritant. In fact, the USFDA encourages manufacturers not to use them.
Parabens are common preservatives, and though there has been no substantial proof that they are potentially harmful, they are starting to be avoided by many. Some organizations feel they should be avoided for the sake of precaution.
Try To Find Certified Organic Ingredients Of course, organic ingredients are preferred over others. These are natural substances, and have not been exposed to man-made chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, or other un-natural substances. Look for labels that list only organic ingredients. If a vendor uses these ingredients, they will almost always state this (it’s a selling point) on the label.
