Tag: hud

#12. The difference between essential oils and extracts

Original article published on LinkedIn, also on his website, 23 June 2021, by: Nuqo Trading

“With the increased awareness of natural products, more people are asking questions about the difference between essential oils and extracts. Both play an important role in natural wellness products used in everything from aromatherapy to teas, and the right process is essential to get the most out of these natural substances.

The main difference between essential oils and extracts is the process. While both are extracted from different parts of the plant, the process is very different. Essential oils must be extracted through distillation, while extracts are steeped in a liquid to isolate the flavor.

Oils collected from the aromatic parts of flowers, roots, and leaves are known as essential oils. These oils are concentrated in nature and prepared by steam distillation. The plant parts are placed inside a steam chamber, steam is released over the plant parts, and the oils are collected by squeezing under steam pressure. The extracted substances are collected in the vapor chamber and cooled in a condenser. The condenser creates water and separates the oil into a concentrated form.

With extracts, the plants go through a steeping process, where the collected substance is concentrated. This can also be done by pulverizing the plant. The most common extraction process is herbal tea, while tinctures require the plant material to be steeped in alcohol for a long time to remove the essential compounds.

Each method removes the most important compounds from plants and concentrates the best of nature into a simple, easy-to-use substance.”

My question to Nuqo Trading:

In my handmade soap production1, I use olive oil, which has been infused with 720 grams of herbs such as rosemary, oregano, sage, lavender, in 15 liters of olive oil. The infusion time is half a year. Then the soaked herbs are filtered out, and powdered in the food processor, filtered again and returned to the added oil, so that everything that is possible to extract from the soaked herbs is retained and used in the soap production. The infused olive oil looks black when the grinding and back-filtration are done. The smell is extraordinary. Next to that, I use a tea from the same herbal extract (for many days), which is also very dark. I use this tea to create a lye with sodium hydroxide. Later, when the liquid starts to saponify, I add the necessary amount of essential oil of the same herb for that batch.

My question is: is the result of infusion, and the way I make the oil, also a kind of extract?

Answer on LinkedIn, by Nuqo Trading:

Most likely! Your soaps sound amazing!

In the video you can follow the creation of (in this case) lavender soap, from lavender fields to infusion, to cutting and packaging:

Footnote

  1. Cretan-Garden webshop ↩︎

#11. Loofah and skin care

The official name is Luffa aegyptiaca, or Egyptian Luffa. It is a cucumber-like fruit, but belongs to the gourd family. When the fruit is ripe, it can be eaten. If it is left hanging and overripe, it gradually dries out and a fibrous substance is left behind. Once the fruit is harvested, the skin can be removed and the fibrous material can be cut up, sold and used as a bath sponge.

The sponge feels hard when dry, but soft when wet. The sponge then feels like a firm terry cloth, which is still rough enough to remove old skin cells. Using the sponge while massaging activates all skin functions and increases blood circulation in the skin, which slows down the aging process of the skin. Regular use of the loofah keeps the skin young, fresh, shiny and radiant. The loofah can also be used for a facial scrub. 

The skin

The skin is an organ, just like the heart, kidneys, and liver. Its total weight is one sixth of the body weight. The skin is a complex and active organ, a mantle, which acts as a protective layer between the body’s sensitive tissues and everything outside the body. The skin is not only a barrier, it is also involved in maintaining body temperature and internal moisture, neurosensory functions and natural resistance to infection and disease. The aging process affects the skin in several ways. The epidermis thins and the rate of renewal decreases dramatically as we age, and in women especially after menopause. Most skin care is primarily aimed at slowing down the aging process, slowing down the formation of wrinkles. When we start real skin care on time, our skin stays healthy much longer and skin diseases and wrinkles are less likely.

Skin care

The skin can be nourished both from the outside and from the inside. Since the skin is a natural tissue, it is logical that a natural oil is the best product for caring for the skin’s surface, that is, the outside. An oil that has everything in it for that care is olive oil. You can apply this oil directly to the skin, but you can also add 10 drops of essential oil, of your choice, to 10 cl of olive oil. You can buy essential oils at a health food store. After washing and scrubbing with the soapy loofah, rinse your body. Then put a little olive oil in the palm of your hand, and spread the olive oil over your still damp body. Then dry your body. The oil penetrates the skin quickly because it is warm.

Skin Care Products

A. The Exterior of the Skin

Let’s look at the following image. We will see an enlargement of the skin surface. A natural soap, such as Cretan-Garden soaps, is an excellent remedy for removing sebaceous gland fat, sweat, body odor, dirt, bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Skin, with hair, dead skin cells, clogged pores, bacteria and viruses (iStock)

When you use a fatty soap, such as an olive oil soap 1, a very thin layer of olive oil remains on the skin after washing and drying. That is excellent, because that layer protects the skin. Using olive oil also as a body oil after washing, showering or bathing, the skin is supported even more in its elasticity, moisture and condition. Olive oil is high in vitamins E and K, both of which are very important in skin care. Olive oil is also a panacea after sunbathing, or even sunburned skin. Daylight is very healthy for the skin, but it is necessary to protect yourself from excessive direct sunlight. Even then, olive oil is a good way to protect your skin additionally.

B. The interior of the skin

By eating healthily and regularly, drinking enough water, green tea and fresh fruit juice, you keep your skin healthy from the inside out. Fruit, green organically grown and unsprayed vegetables and also organic olive oil are good for healthy skin. Alcohol dries out the body and skin. As a result, the skin can age and premature wrinkles can appear. 

Skin condition

By being active every day, being in the fresh air, and getting enough sleep, living in a well-ventilated house, you give your blood enough oxygen and that oxygenated blood is very necessary to prevent rapid skin aging. In the next picture we see young skin on the left and older skin on the right. You can see that the older skin is thinner, contains less fat in the lower layers and the blood vessels contain darker blood: it is blood with little oxygen.

Adapted from Characteristics of the Aging Skin – PMC (nih.gov) with permission from Dr. Miranda A. Farage

Antioxidants protect the skin from aging

Oxidants (free radicals) are aggressive substances which are created in the body by stress and subcutaneous tensions, among other things. These aggressive substances are also produced by radiation from cell towers, Wi-Fi, smart meters and all other wireless devices.

An excess of free radicals or a lack of antioxidants causes oxidative stress: damage to healthy tissues and cells in our body. The result is uncontrolled cell division, faster aging of the body and a greater risk of health problems [source]. Oxidants, free radicals, cause tissue and skin damage. Antioxidants fight oxidants, but electromagnetic radiation reduces the effect of antioxidants. This has been scientifically researched and proven in several studies. Latest study: see here. Avoiding radiation as much as possible is therefore a good choice. In addition, it is important to support antioxidants with vitamins A, C and E, and the mineral magnesium.

Vitamin E is abundantly present in olive oil and rosemary2 (herb). In addition to vitamin E, olive oil also contains vitamins A, K and the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Daily use of olive oil in meals, but also as a skin care product 3 4, is therefore recommended. 

More recommendations

….that help reduce stress include:

  1. Therapeutical massage:
  2. Acupuncture
  3. Walking
  4. Hiking
  5. Sport
  6. Gardening
  7. Yoga
  8. Meditation
  9. Phytotherapy:
  10. Aromaterapy / videos:
    • essential oils like lavender, orange, pine, cypres, Ylang Ylang, sage
  11. Dr. Bach flower therapy:
  12. Disable / turn off
    • all electromagnetic radiation from wireless devices at night by using airplane mode on laptop, and your phone
    • turn off WiFi and Bluetooth

Additional information

Footnotes

  1. Cretan-Garden soaps are pure olive oil soaps, enriched with herbal extracts and essential oils ↩︎
  2. Cretan-Garden Rosemary soap ↩︎
  3. Recipe for a home made skin conditioner ↩︎
  4. Recipe for a footbath ↩︎

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