Why buy cold pressed oils for skin care?

cold-pressed-oils

A few readers have asked in the comments section if they can purchase commercially available oils from the shelves for skin care and oil cleansing.

Commercial oils are extracted via high heat or hexane
Well, you can but you want to know that these commercial oils for skin care are processed with high heat or chemical extraction using solvents like hexane to get rid of the insecticides used to grow the seeds, nuts and vegetable oil crops. High heat alters the nature of the oil, in some cases rendering it abnormal.  As for hexane, they will show up as trace amounts in the extracted oil which are considered to be toxic to our body.

Cold pressed processing retain valuable elements in the oil
It is therefore better to purchase organic cold pressed oils for skin care as far as possible. Organic, cold pressed oils are substantially more expensive than commercial oils but this is because these oils are produced by heating gently at low temperatures as excessive heat will kill the valuable elements in the oil. They are processed without chemical extraction, and without solvents like hexane. In fact, you might have heard that cold pressed olive oil should not be subjected to high heating during cooking.

Different regulations on cold pressed oil
Unfortunately, the term cold pressed oil is subject to different regulations according to what I read at WiseGeek as well as other resources. In the Europe, for example, oil which is labeled as cold pressed must be unrefined oil extracted at temperatures around 80 degrees to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  In the United States, however, oil labeling is not regulated, so cold pressed oil may not actually be cold pressed oil at all.   Tricky isn’t it?

Expeller pressed is not the same as cold pressed
In addition, some companies manufacture expeller pressed oil which is made in a high pressure environment but you should know that while all cold pressed oils are expeller pressed but not all expeller pressed oils are  necessarily cold pressed. Companies may clarify by specifically labeling a product expeller cold pressed oil according to the same article in WiseGeek.

So it’s better to purchase organic cold pressed oils for skin care as far as possible.  And better still if they’re from Europe.

Comments

  1. pf1123 says:

    The oils from whoopeekiddies and yours essentially (or is it essentially yours?) are from Europe isn’t it??

    I think Europe is really quite good with skincare huh? Counting all the products I like are European. hehee…

    But I also heard that the Japanese makes better base makeup/foundation.

    Looks like different countries has various expertise in beauty, huh?

    pf: I think Europe is more stringent in terms of their quality control and some of their standards have been around longer. US has some good products too but I guess they’re the leader when it comes to marketing. I’m not so sure about Japanese makeup, but yes, that’s what I heard too.

    Btw, most of those oils from the two vendors are from US as far as I can remember.

  2. Leon says:

    Very informative, even my readers tend to get confused when it comes to selecting oils for skin care, this is definitely gonna help:)

    Leon: Glad you find this informative. ?

  3. Florence says:

    Hi sesame,this is not related to the post, just like to let u know that the Lavera promotion they are extending till 21st april!3 for $21.In case any of ur frens miss out the promotion…:)

    Florence: Oh great!!! I was regretting that I didn’t stock up more of the body oil. Thanks for highlighting this Florence! Wow, Lavera is really going all out to woo the customers!

  4. Florence says:

    keke, coz I left my HP no to them, I ask them to give me a call if they are extending the promotion, coz I also need to try out the stuff.If it’s suitable , I will stock up more.They told me that they had already ordered more stk coming in.

    Florence: Ah I see! I heard the Lavera distributor is actively promoting their range with the promo. Anyway, good for us! ?

  5. pf1123 says:

    Oh yeah. I think European companies are really more stringent because I see quite a lot of their products are derm tested.

    But I guess US companies are more regulated with the FDA.

    pf: Yes, if the products are to be sold in US, they would have to follow the FDA regulations and be FDA approved whether or not they are US or European companies.

  6. prettybeautiful says:

    this is really an eye-opener, i never thought of how oils are pressed. hahaa. hmmmm can i assume that my face essential oil is cold pressed too? maybe i should check with my beautician

    Prettybeautiful: It depends. Some essential oils are distilled; not all are cold-pressed. So probably your beautician will know.

  7. Lynn says:

    Hi Sesame! I know you’re interested in natural and organic things like I am, so I thought I’d just let you know I found this quaint little shop in Simei at Eastpoint Mall. Its on the 2nd floor, I think. It sells pure essential oils and organic products like one of my faves, Badger. Check it out(: Oh, and I read somewhere that a girl uses Savlon on her blemishes to help the healing process. What are your thoughts on that? TIA.

    Lynn: Hey thanks for the info! I haven’t gone to Eastpoint for very long. But this is a reason to head there…hopefully soon! I’ve never heard of Savlon but it looks like an antiseptic cream so it might be true if the blemishes is due to external bacteria and such a cream may help it. But it’s definitely not natural ingredients.

  8. Lynn says:

    Oh yeah, the shop’s called Garden Of Essence ?

  9. astrorainfall @ beauty box says:

    Very informative. I’m a big fan of cold pressed oils too, for beauty and for cooking. And it also shows that anything highly processed is just toxic for our bodies.

    Astrorainfall: Unfortunately so…but I wish they’ll not make the natural/organic stuff so expensive and have them more accessible.

  10. Lynn says:

    Yep, its an antiseptic cream. Dyou think the skin would become tolerant to it though, like aspirin?

    Lynn: It might happen. I know I had the problem with these creams after awhile. So rotate after using it for sometime.

  11. London Virgo says:

    Oh Wow!
    This brand in takashimaya – Body Essentials sells some different types of cold pressed oils for moisturizing skin and for massage. Lime & Ginger, Eucalyptus & Ginger and Sandalwood are some of the bases that I saw.

    Its a cocktail of different types of oils such as almond oil sesame oil etc with essential oils of herbs and plants.

    LV: Okay, I need to find out the price point next time I visit the store.

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