Looking for neem? Have you ever been searching for good quality neem but did not know what to look for? Neem products are starting to become more available, but right 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 “this product contains neem oil”. But here are a few tips that will help you make an informed decision before you actually purchase anything-

Figure Out How The Neem Oil Was Removed From The Neem Seeds There are a lot of methods commonly used today to extract the neem oil from the neem tree seeds. As you may have guessed, not all extraction process produce the same quality oil. The method that produces the most desirable neem oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressed neem oil is the best, as the majority of the active compounds remain intact. Cold pressing is also the first and most accepted way to extract the oil. It utilizes a mechanical device that squeezes the oil from the dried seeds. Always make sure to buy only cold pressed neem oil where possible.

The next method uses steam and heat. Though this technique gets more oil from the seeds than the cold pressing technique, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil can possibly be made useless because of the extreme temperatures.

A third extraction method is the most preferred one that most neem processors use because it extracts the largest amount of oil from the seeds. The method is called solvent extraction, and usually hexane (white gasoline) is the solvent of choice. Though this process extracts almost all of the neem oil from the seeds, the harsh chemicals kill most of the active compounds in the neem. And along with this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is highly recommended to look for items that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.

Avoid Additives Almost all cosmetics and bath/shower products today contain chemical compounds to “enhance” them, so to speak. However, some of these additives may potentially cause unwanted side effects. Two of the most common additives found in many of the products are Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) and Parabens. SLS’s are mostly used as foam producers, because they are not very costly and work very well. A lot of inexpensive neem pet shampoo and soap products use these additives as well. However, these chemicals are known to have some side effects. In fact, the USFDA asks manufacturers not to use them.

Parabens are common preservatives, and though there has been no real studies showing that that they are potentially dangerous, they are becoming more and more controversial. Some organizations feel they should be avoided for the sake of precaution.

Try To Find Certified Organic Ingredients For obvious reasons, organic ingredients are preferred over non-organic ingredients. These ingredients are all natural, and have not been exposed to man-made chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, or other un-natural substances. Look for labels that list certified organic ingredients. If a vendor uses organic ingredients, they will always state this selling point somewhere on the packaging.