Naturally Speaking

I feel it is necessary to first speak on the current 'trendiness' of natural products.  It is wonderful on one hand that we are moving towards a more grass roots, locally supportive, change from all consuming corporatism, however, the nature of the corporate conglomerate is to capitalize off of any and all trends.  This being the case, many products boast natural ingredients or to have natural extracts in their products, but really the amount actually in the product is negligible especially considering the rest of the product is filled with mineral/petrol or overly processed and usually completely synthetic fillers, emulsifiers, and preservatives.  I am talking drug store and mall scores for the most part.  I will never name names as in this case there are many of them, and the point of this is solely to make you more aware and educated on how to tell what is more likely to be authentically natural. 
The word 'extract' for starters is extremely vague.  There are many ways to extract properties from a plant.  Distillation, solvent extraction, infusion in oil or water, specific chemical isolations, & alcohol are some of the basic methods of extraction for botanicals.  Which method used should be determined by the active components desired in the formulation to produce the desired results.  If the ingredients list uses the latin binomials of the plants (i.e. Coconut = Cocos Nucifera) this is a good start.  Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) essential oil, Violet (Viola odorata) infusion, Rose (Rosa Centifolia) Absolute these are more specific and give you a clear idea of how they obtained that botanical extract, which allows you to better trust the integrity of the natural ingredients. 
Science is also in full interaction with the natural cosmetic world in a positive way.  So just because you may not recognize the name of an ingredient, this does not mean it is not natural.  Prefixes and suffixes will give you a good clue on this.  I will be defining alot of the complex botanical isolates in Shalom Organic's collections here in this blog. 
The realm of scent and aroma is another subject I will discuss throughout this blog at length.  Did you know that you could be actually creating positive chemical changes, regulating hormones, and tonifying body systems by using Aromatherapy (educated use of PURE plant essential oils, absolutes, hydrosols)?  You can rest assured that the term 'fragrance' in an ingredients list denotes a synthetic fragrance meaning there is no active botanical components and in fact contain strong chemicals that invade and block your receptors for perceiving natural scent.  Not to mention they give us false hope, sorry strawberry and cherry just aren't scents that can be naturally extracted to have the aroma that is so popular in synthetic lotions and bodycare.  You can however use strawberry (Fragaria vesca) leaf infusion as a rinse for your face and hair, or you can get Cherry Kernel oil (similar to apricot oil or almond oil used as a carrier or base) but it does not have a distinct aroma outside of the common oily scent that accompanies most vegetable oils.  This is in terms of scent that gives a product its signature aroma, as to a trained nose there are many differences in carrier oils.  Also very heartbreaking, is the demise of many Aromatherapy companies, distillers, and small farmers around the globe due to the lack of interest, knowledge, and use of pure plant extracts and oils.  They require a person to grow the plant, then harvest it carefully at the correct time, then process it in the correct way, bottle it and get it to us!!  No easy feat, and prices must be kept so that we can afford them.  Sadly, it is still so much cheaper and easier for companies to just use sythetic fragrance oils, so the choice is simple do that instead.  It is painful to see a killer line up of natural ingredients and then at the end 'fragrance', such a waste.  Some Aromatherapy companies even sell synthetic oils claiming they are pure essential oils!!  It is my goal to help educate people on this, and raise awareness and interest so that we do not loose the Aromatherapy industry all together.  Most people have no idea what a natural perfume smells like, nor have ever used one, this is only the case as of the last 100 years or so.  But there is over 3000+ years of experience in the field of natural perfumery and cosmetics.  How exciting!!

The best way to know what your getting is to ask the maker of the products.  And beware that companies stretch the truth to make money all day long and it is important to be discerning when it comes to what you are putting on and in your body.  I want you to consider your cosmetics purchases as another way to connect with the earth and the people around it.  Do your life, skin, and olfactory system a favor and stop using synthetics.  Shalom Organics aims to make this transition a most pleasurable experience!

Reference Notes:  In general I will quote references as often as possible as it is the right thing to do.  The information in this blog is what I consider to be some of the key points I have learned in my studies with Jeanne Rose, and facts mentioned here are strewn about her Aromatherapy and Herbal Studies courses, and from my notes from her seminars.  www.jeannerose.net  www.shalomorganics.com