Monday 19 May 2014

About Hair Loss & Natural Hair Growth Solutions

WHAT IS CAUSING YOUR COWN FROM BEING FAR FROM LUSHES? WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU WE CAN REVERSE THE SIGNS OF HAIR LOSS? WOULDN'T YOU TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE?
LAVENDER OIL PROMOTES HAIR GROWTH. Ylang Ylang Oil REDUCES HAIR LOSS. 
Hair is a string of dead cells
An adult looses about 100 stands a day. Buts its ok, we have about 120,000 strands.
Hair grows about 6 inches a year
There is hair on every part of your body except our palms and the soles of our feet. Some are so fine, they are practically invisible to the naked eye. 
Hair Growth
Hair is made of a protein called keratin that is produced in hair follicles. As follicles produce new hair cells, old cells are being pushed out through the surface of the skin. 
At any one time, about 90% of the hair on a person's scalp is growing. Each follicle has its own life cycle that can be influenced by age, disease, and a wide variety of other factors. This life cycle is divided into three phases:
Anagen - active hair growth that lasts between two to six years
Catagen - transitional hair growth that lasts two to three weeks
Telogen - resting phase that lasts about two to three months. The hair strand falls out at the end of the resting phase but a new strand begins to grow.
Reasons For Hair Loss 
As people age, their rate of hair growth slows.
There are many types of hair loss (alopecia) :
Involutional alopecia - hair gradually thins with age. More hair follicles go into the resting phase, and the remaining hairs become shorter and fewer in number.
Androgenic alopecia - a genetic condition that can affect both men and women. Men with this condition, called male pattern baldness, can begin suffering hair loss as early as their teens or early 20s. It's characterized by a receding hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and frontal scalp. Women with this condition, called female pattern baldness, don't experience noticeable thinning until their 40s or later. Women experience a general thinning over the entire scalp, with the most extensive hair loss at the crown.
Alopecia areata - causes patchy hair loss in children and young adults. This condition may result in complete baldness (alopecia totalis). In about 90% of people with the condition, the hair returns within a few years.
Alopecia universalis - all body hair to fall out, including the eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair.
Trichotillomania - is a psychological disorder in which a person pulls out their own hair.
Telogen effluvium - is temporary hair thinning over the scalp that occurs because of changes in the growth cycle of hair. A large number of hairs enter the resting phase at the same time, causing hair shedding and subsequent thinning.
Causes Of Hair Loss
Doctors don't know why certain hair follicles are programmed to have a shorter growth period than others. However, several factors may influence hair loss:
  • Hormones, such as abnormal levels of androgens (male hormones normally produced by both men and women)
  • Genes, from both male and female parents, may influence a person's predisposition to male or female pattern baldness.
  • Stress, illness, and childbirth can cause temporary hair loss. 
  • Ringworm caused by a fungal infection can also cause hair loss.
  • Drugs, including chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment, blood thinners, beta-adrenergic blockers used to control blood pressure, and birth control pills, can cause temporary hair loss.
  • Burns, injuries, and X-rays can cause temporary hair loss. In such cases, normal hair growth usually returns once the injury heals.
  • Autoimmune disease may cause alopecia areata. In alopecia areata, the immune system revs up for unknown reasons and affects the hair follicles. In most people with alopecia areata, the hair grows back, although it may temporarily be very fine and possibly a lighter color before normal coloration and thickness return.
  • Cosmetic procedures, such as shampooing too often, perms, bleaching, and dyeing hair can contribute to overall hair thinning by making hair weak and brittle. Tight braiding, using rollers or hot curlers, and running hair picks through tight curls can also damage and break hair. However, these procedures don't cause baldness. In most instances hair grows back normally if the source of the problem is removed. Still, severe damage to the hair or scalp sometimes causes permanent bald patches. 
  • Medical conditions. Thyroid disease, lupus, diabetes, iron deficiency, and anemia can cause hair loss, but when the underlying condition is treated the hair will return.
  • Diet. A low-protein diet or severely calorie-restricted diet can also cause temporary hair loss.

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Aroma Oils vs Essential Oils - Know What The Labels Mean Before You Buy

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ESSENTIAL OIL GRADES

WARNING! USING LOW GRADE OR SYNTHETIC OILS ON YOUR SKIN CAN BE HARMFUL. USE ONLY CERTIFIED ORGANIC, PREMIUM GRADE OILS.
colouredoilssmall.jpgNATURAL vs SYNTHETIC
Essential Oils = Natural
Fragrance Oils = Synthetic
Synthetic oils mimic the aroma of essential oils. Although cheaper they have absolutely no therapeutic benefit on the skin. This is because fragrance oils are synthetic versions with different structures and the body does not absorb them like natural molecules. In fact, synthetic oils can be harmful when applied to the skin causing irritation and rash.
Essential oil prices can fluctuate greatly because of crop conditions. For this reason some are reasonably priced while others seem excessive. Fragrance oils are cheaper and can be purchased in unlimited quantities because they do not depend on a crop harvest. A few essential oils are less expensive than their synthetically produced counterparts such as lemon, orange, pine and some lavender but they are also more volatile.
As its name suggest, fragrance oils only smell good. They will offer absolutely no therapeutic benefit.
So how can you tell if you’ve got the real thing?
  • Some people are genetically able to smell the difference.
  • If you are not one of these people – do the oil drop test. A drop of natural essential oil on paper will evaporate without leaving an oily residue.
GRADES of ESSENTIAL OILS
There are 4 Grades of Essential Oils
Grade A essential oils are pure and therapeutic quality. They are usually made from organically grown plants distilled at the proper temperatures using steam distillation
Environmental factors (where the plant is grown, soil type, fertiliser (organic vs. chemical), altitude, etc.) and physical factors (how and when the plant is harvested, distilled and bottled) also determine if an essential oil is of therapeutic quality.
• Grade B essential oils are food grade. They may contain synthetics, pesticides, fertilisers, chemical/synthetic extenders, or carrier oils.
• Grade C oils are perfume grade and may contain the same type of adulterating chemicals as food grade oils.
• Floral Water is a byproduct of the distillation process. It can be very high quality if it comes from a Grade A distillation process. Accordingly, a very low quality if it comes from poor quality raw materials and/or poor distillation processes. It is usually found in skin and hair products. This grade has no therapeutic qualities.
Some Evidence The Quality Of Essential Oils Makes A Difference
Not all essential oils are the same. A randomised, double-blind trial of essential oils from two different species of lavender, topically applied on post-cardiotomy patients revealed that the quality of the oil is an important factor in determining the efficacy of its use.
28 patients were randomly selected to receive aromatherapy massage with one of the two essential oils on two consecutive days, and their emotional and behavioural stress levels were evaluated both before and after the treatment.
The results revealed that the therapeutic effects of the two lavenders were clearly different; one was almost twice as effective as the other, thereby disproving the hypothesis that aromatherapy, using topical application of essential oils, is effective purely because of touch, massage or placebo.
[Source: Buckle J. Nurs Times (ENGLAND) May 19-25 1993, 89 (20) p32-5]
Why is it so Costly to Produce Therapeutic Grade Oil?
You need hundreds of pounds of material to make a pound of therapeutic grade oil. For instance it takes 30 to 60 roses to make one drop of pure therapeutic grade Rose oil.
It takes far less material to make synthetic or perfume grade oil. Therefore producing oils correctly and for therapeutic benefits is extremely time consuming and costly. The cost of the plants alone can be enough to discourage a company from producing them. The therapeutic grade essential oil is extremely concentrated and although the cost of the oil is more, we need far less and we can expect superior results.
Enfleurage is the most expensive extraction method and is the only one that won’t alter the chemical makeup (therefore, fragrance) of some botanicals such as lilac. As a result, commercial production of some essential oils is impractical.
Distillation and cold pressing methods yield liquid essential oils. The results of solvent extraction and enfleurage are resins and concretes--solids and semi-solids. Essential oils will dissolve in alcohol or oil and are volatile; evaporation dissipates their scents quickly (patchouli is one exception). A drop of pure, liquid essential oil on paper will disappear without leaving an oil spot when it is dry. You can use this easy test if you doubt the genuineness of an essential oil.

Tuesday 13 May 2014

How Essential Oils Are Extracted From Flowers, Bark & Leaves.

ALL OUR ESSENTIAL OILS ARE EITHER
 COLD-PRESSED OR STEAM-DISTILLED TO
MAINTAIN THERAPEUTIC GRADE AND
ORGANIC STATUS
I'm fascinated by how amazing it is that a flower, stem or leaves of a plant can be reduced to it pure essence (essential oils) and enjoyed as a raw concentrate. The time, effort and sheer amount of plant material required to do this has led me to compile some of the more time-tested methods of essential oil extraction methods. This may lead you to understand that essential oil quality DOES matter. 
Cold-Pressed
Cold-pressed oils are oils made by first grinding nuts, seeds, fruits or vegetables (depending on the oil being made) into a paste. Then an oil stone or other tool is used to press the paste which forces the oil to separate out.
Effleurage
Effleurage is an archaic method of extracting essential oils. It is rarely used nowadays because it’s a costly and time-consuming method of extraction. It involves placing the flower petals onto a layer of glass that is has been layered with fat called “chassis”. The oil from the petals diffuses into the fat. The fat is then collected and the oil is extracted from the fat using alcohol. Once the alcohol evaporates what is left behind is pure essence.
Expression
When oils are taken from the rind of fruits they are called “expressed oils”. This method is cold and does not involve any solvents or heat. Most of the citrus oils are extracted in this manner including mandarin, lime, orange and lemon essential oils.
Since citrus fruits are constantly sprayed with pesticides and cold methods do not adulterate the essence, pesticides can be present in high quantities in the oils. For this reason, our mandarin oil is organic, pesticide and chemical free.
Steam Distilling
Steam distillation has been used for hundreds of years and today remains one of the most common methods of extracting essential oils.
There are three different steam processes but in all of the methods, steam is used to rupture the oil membranes in the plant and release the essential oil. The steam lifts the essential oil into a condenser and as it re-liquefies the lighter essential oil floats to the top. The water is more commonly known as floral water and the oil is known as essential oil.
The distilling equipment including the distillation temperature and pressure will all have an impact on the quality of the oil. Essential oil distillers must have the knowledge and expertise to know how to produce therapeutic grade essential oils
Solvent Extraction
Solvent extraction is a method dominated by the perfume industry. Technically it does not produce therapeutic grade oils because chemicals such as hexane, acetone, di-methylene-chloride and others are used in the process. Plant material is immersed into the solvents to become a thick substance called ‘concrete’.
The oil particles are released when the ‘concrete’ is mixed with alcohol. When the alcohol and the ‘concrete’ are separated the chemicals still remain in the oil. These are perfume or aromatherapy grade oils. As they have chemicals in the oils, they are unsafe for direct application onto skin or hair.
Solvent extraction is faster and cheaper because the oil is cut with solvents and can increase production volume significantly. This grade of oil is often used in bath oils and gels, candles, shampoos, toothpaste, fly spray, and air fresheners.
Perfume or aromatherapy grade oils make up 98% of the oils sold in health food stores, retail outlets and aromatherapy suppliers. What you get at The Little Essentials is even rarer than the remaining 2% because, our products are also certified organic. You get nothing but premium,therapeutic grade oils here.
Percolation and Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation separates the volatile oil in different portions at various boiling points. This method is used in oil refineries for distillation of petroleum products and is not suited for therapeutic grade essential oils.
Percolation is one of the newer methods of extraction essential oils. It is similar to normal distillation but the equipment is literally upside down! It has been used successfully in France; however sometimes an emulsion is produced that can’t be separated out, so until it can be further developed you will not see it in large scales.
Super Critical Fluid Extraction or Carbon Dioxide Extraction
Super critical fluid extraction or carbon dioxide extraction is also a fairly new solvent extraction process that uses carbon dioxide at very high pressures. The carbon dioxide is injected into the tank where the plant material is contained and acts as a solvent to extract the oil.
Carbon dioxide is colourless and odourless and can be completely removed. However, there is no research at this point to verify if there are any toxic effects of using this procedure. Additionally, the distilling equipment is extremely expensive. Until more is known about this process, it is advised using steam distilled and expressed oils is still safer.
Phytonic Process
The phytonic process is a one of the newest methods of extracting essential oils using non-CFCs (non-chlorofluorocarbons). It is also called florasol extraction and the oils are referred to as phytols. The oils are very natural. However, it does use fluoro-hydrocarbons which can be harmful to the environment!