BASE OILS
“Liquid Gold” is how the ancients referred to oil. The art of pressing oil from certain seeds and fruits is over 10 000 years old. In the ancient world plant oils fuelled the economy much as mineral oil does today. Olive, sesame, soy and poppy seed oil were used for lamp fuel, food and medicine, as anointing oil in sacred rituals, and most importantly, for cosmetics.

Natural plant oils nurture and soothe the skin, making it feel soft, silky and smooth. Oiling the body was part of the daily hygiene ritual. An un-oiled body or dry, flaky skin was considered ugly and dirty. Oil not only lends a lovely sheen to the skin, it also protects it against dehydration. Our modern obsession with cleanliness counteracts the body’s own protective mechanism as we try to scrub all the natural skin oils, the ‘sebum’, away. Oiling the body with natural plant oils helps to replace some of these skin oils and thus helps to restores the protective function of the skin.

Vegetable oils and butters are derived from seeds and nuts or very oily vegetables like olives or avocadoes. Just as such nuts and vegetables are healthy and nutritious for the body when included in the diet they also nourish and help to maintain healthy skin, nails and hair when used in cosmetic preparations. Each type of oil has its own specific characteristics, feel and consistency. Some are quite drying, while others are rich and thick. Some have a chemical structure that is very similar to the skin’s sebum and are thus particularly healing. Some oils are particularly rich in unsaturated essential fatty acids (also known as EFAs, such as oleic or linoleic fatty acids) and vitamin E and other fat soluble vitamins, which are essential to our health and well-being. Such oils are considered vitalizing and rejuvenating and are thus particularly suitable for tired and worn skin.

Our range of base oils includes ‘carrier’ and ‘nutrient’ oils. Carrier oils are gentle, nutritionally well balanced oils that can be used neat on any skin type. To make body lotions, bath or massage blends for specific purposes or skin types the carrier oils are usually combined with a smaller amount of other, ‘nutritive’ oils, that may be rich in EFAs or particular minerals and vitamins that benefit various types of problem skin. A few drops of a suitable essential oil are added to the carrier oil blend. Carrier oils can also be used for macerating herbs to make ‘infused’ oils, such as St. John’s Wort oil or Calendula oil. These can also be further enriched by adding small amounts of ‘nutritive’ oils such as wheat germ oil, which adds the nutritive value of its vitamin E content to the macerated oil. Vitamin E is strongly anti-oxidant and can thus be used as a natural preservative.

USE:
Our carrier oils are 100% pure, cold pressed oils derived from various seeds, nuts and vegetables. The consistency and nutritious qualities vary depending on their source. Carrier oils are used to suspend and dilute essential oils so that they can be applied to the skin - either as bath or massage oils, anointing oils, lotions or as natural perfume blends. The recommended dilution rate for essential oils is 1 - 3%, (e.g. 1-3ml per 100ml of carrier oil), though some may be used in stronger dilutions. Familiarize yourself with all the oils you intend to use and take note of all cautions. If in doubt test your blend on a small area of the inner arm first. If you notice any kind of allergic reaction, stop immediately and wipe off the oil. Essential oils are very potent indeed and should never be underestimated.

CAUTION
Allergic reactions may occur as a result of exposure to any substance - even base oils. In particular people with nut allergies should be cautious and avoid certain oils entirely.