Neem buyers- Tips on how to buy quality neem oil

Looking for neem? Have you ever been searching for good quality neem but did not know where to start? Neem products are slowly becoming more widely available, but right now are for the most part only found on the internet or in health shops and specialty stores. These products are not easy to find, so it is easy to grab the first thing you find on the shelf just because it says neem on the bottle. So here are some tips that will help you choose wisely before you actually purchase the wrong stuff.

Find Out How The Oil Was Extracted There are several methods used to extract the neem oil from the seeds of the neem tree. As you have probably figured out, not all extraction process were created equally. The best extraction method that produces the best neem seed oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressed neem oil is the best, because most active compounds remain intact. Cold pressing is also the oldest extracting process. It is done with a mechanical device that squeezes the oil out of the seeds. Always make sure to buy only cold pressed neem oil where possible.

Another extraction technique uses hot water vapor and extreme temperatures. Though this technique gets more oil from the seeds than the cold pressing technique, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil are often made useless by the exposure to high heat.

A third technique is one that most manufacturers use because it extracts the largest amount of oil from the seeds. The method is called solvent extraction, and in most cases hexane (which is also called “white gasoline”) is the solvent that is used. Even though this process extracts almost all of the neem oil from the seeds, the chemicals destroy many of the active compounds in the neem. Besides this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is preferable that you look for products that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.

Watch Out For Additives Nearly all bath and cosmetic products these days contain chemicals to “enhance” the products performance. But keep in mind that some of these chemicals are known to actually cause adverse side effects. Two of the most common compounds that are in many of the products are Lauryl Sulfates and Parabens. SLS’s are mostly used as foam producers, because they are cheap and work very well. Many inexpensive neem oil products contain these additives as well. But, these chemicals have proven to cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, the USFDA asks developers of these products not to use them.

Parabens are preservatives, and though there has been no substantial proof that they are potentially dangerous, they are starting to be avoided by many. Some organizations feel they should be avoided for the sake of precaution.

Buy Only Products That Contain Certified Organic Ingredients Of course, organic ingredients are preferred over non-organic ingredients. These ingredients are all natural, and have not been exposed to potentially dangerous chemical compounds, fertilizers, or other un-natural substances. Look for labels that list the ingredients. If a vendor uses them, they will always state this selling point on the label.