The Product Review Center

Have you been in the market for good quality neem products but did not know what to look for? Neem based products are slowly becoming more widely available, but as of now are mostly only found on the web or in small beauty shops and other out of the way places. These products are not easy to find, so it is easy to grab the first thing you come across just because it says neem on the bottle. But here are a few tips that will help you choose wisely before you stock up on an inferior product:

Know How The Neem Oil Was Extracted From The Seeds There are several ways it can be done, but I will only be discussing a couple of methods commonly used today to extract the neem oil from the neem tree seeds. As you may have guessed, not all extraction process were created equally. The method that produces the best neem oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressed neem oil is the best, as the majority of the active compounds remain intact. This is also the oldest way to extract the oil. It utilizes a mechanical device that squeezes the oil from the dried seeds. Always try to get cold pressed neem oil where possible.

The next method uses hot water vapor and high pressure. Though this technique yields more oil than using a mechanical press, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil can possibly be made useless due to the exposure to high heat.

The third process is one that most processors use because it yields the greatest quantity of neem oil. It is called solvent extraction, and usually hexane (also known as gasoline) is the chemical used. Though this method extracts almost all of the neem oil from the dried seeds, the solvents render useless most of the desireable compounds in the neem oil. Besides this and the fact that the chemical being used is poisonous, it is best 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 cosmetic products these days contain chemicals to “enhance” them, so to speak. But keep in mind that some of these chemicals can likely cause adverse side effects. Two of the most common additives found in a lot of bath bath products are Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) and Parabens. Lauryl Sulfates are often used as foam producers, because they are not very costly and work pretty well. The majority of inexpensive neem oil products contain these additives too. But, these chemicals are known to have some side effects. The US Food and Drug Administration asks manufacturers not to use them.

Parabens are common preservatives, and though there has been no real studies showing that that they are potentially harmful, they are becoming more and more controversial. Some organizations feel they should be avoided in order to err on the side of safety.

Be Sure To Look For Certified Organic Ingredients Of course, organic ingredients are better than ones that are not. 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 certified organic ingredients. If a vendor uses them, they will always state this selling point on the label.