Singing Flower Studio uses natural oils such as Sweet Almond Oil, Macadamia Oil and Avocado Oil to carry the important essential oils and other ingredients that have healing abilities in our lotions. These are called carrier oils because they “carry” other essential ingredients so that you can spread them out evenly on your skin. These oils are also absorbed by your skin and the healing ingredients that the plant creates are also introduced into your body through your skin.
Like all natural ingredients, carrier oils have a shelf life and will eventually become old. Then you will want to start over with a new jar or tube of lotion. I mark all our ingredients with a 2 year shelf life, but I have some lotion from 7 years ago that is still good. It has been on my bathroom shelf, however, not on the dashboard of my car.
This is why big box stores often use chemicals to carry their ingredients. Chemicals are available that will not deteriorate in hot warehouses or in very cold warehouses. These ingredients often have a very long shelf life. Unfortunately, these chemicals are not healthy.
At best they are just inert chemicals that pass through our bodies with medicinal elements contained in them. Many are petroleum distillates such as “petrolatum.”
Others may just be laboratory products such as “propanediol” and “polyisobutene.” These are all chemicals that I found in a cream that was prescribed for psoriasis. (Don’t doctors read what ingredients are in the creams that they prescribe for their patients?)
Natural oils such as Rose hip seed oil is very rich in vitamin C and other nutritious vitamins and minerals that are found in roses. We all know about avocado oil and how healthy it is to eat avocados. Using avocado oil allows the nutritious vitamins and minerals found in avocados to penetrate our skin and contribute to our good health.
I also like to use Meadowfoam seed oil. This oil comes from a flowering plant that turns a meadow into a sea of foam-like flowers when it is blossoming. It is raised primarily in Washington and Oregon. It has a long shelf life and helps to protect other oils in our lotion.
In the soap that I make I use Olive Oil and Coconut Oil. These oils create a Castile type soap. Soap is called “Castile” style because Castile, Spain was the center of olive oil production. The soap is very gentle and does not dry out the skin.
Because the Federal Food and Drug Administration does not monitor skin care products, it is important to monitor them for ourselves. Artificial carrier oils and artificial fragrances labelled “parfum,” “fragrance,” and “fragrance oils” are also often added.
Be kind to your body. It is the only one you will ever have. Read labels carefully and make your own decision about what you want to have in your body. All lotions pass through your skin into your body very quickly.
