Neem buying: How to find quality neem oil

Have you been searching for top quality neem but did not know what to look for? Neem products are getting more attention these days and are being made available, but as of now are mostly only found on the internet or in health food shoppes and specialty stores. Since these are hard to find items it is easy to grab the first thing you stumble upon just because it says neem on the bottle. Here are some quick tips that will help you make an informed decision before you stock up on an inferior product:

Know How The Oil Was Extracted There are a couple of methods used 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 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. It is also the first and most accepted method of extraction. It is done with a mechanical device that squeezes the oil from the dried seeds. Always try to get cold pressed neem oil where possible.

A second method uses hot water vapor and extreme temperatures. Though this technique gets more oil from the seeds than using a mechanical press, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil can possibly be made useless due to the heat used in the process.

The third technique is one that most manufacturers use because it yields the most oil. The method is called solvent extraction, and usually hexane (also known as gasoline) is the chemical used. Even though this process extracts almost all of the oil from the neem seeds, the solvents destroy nearly all of the active compounds in the neem seed oil. Besides this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is preferable that you look for items that do not contain solvent extracted neem oil.

Watch Out For Additives Nearly all bath and cosmetic products today contain chemical compounds to "enhance" how the product works. But keep in mind that some of these chemicals are known to likely cause unwanted side effects. Two of the most common additives that may be in many of the products are Lauryl Sulfates and Parabens. SLS's are commonly used as foam producers, because they are cheap and work very well. A lot of inexpensive neem pet shampoo products have many of these additives as well. However, these chemicals have proven to cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, the USFDA encourages manufacturers not to use them.

Parabens are often used for preserving, and though there has been no real studies showing that that they are harmful, they are starting to be avoided by many. 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 better than others. These are natural substances, and have not been exposed to potentially dangerous chemical compounds, synthetic fertilizers, or other un-natural substances. Look for labels that list only organic ingredients. If a vendor uses these ingredients, they will always state this selling point on the label.

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