I have used this product as a pre foot massage soak & it is ab fab. Lots of lovely comments from clients too." Sue.

Hot extraction destroys the life force of the oil, along with all the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. This leaves them devoid of skin-enhancing benefits – in other words ‘dead’.

Some oils are further refined to remove their natural odour or colour. The cosmetics industry generally uses refined oils, because the stronger colour and fragrance of unrefined oils can be too difficult to disguise in the finished product.

My own view, as an organic formulator, is that unrefined oils are well worth the challenge.

Infused - or herbal - oils are produced differently, because the oil comes from the maceration (infusion) of botanicals in a vegetable oil (solvent).

The flower or leaf of the plant is steeped for several weeks in the chosen vegetable oil (normally sunflower seed or olive).

The oil acts as a solvent and draws not only the essential oil, but also the other important fat-soluble substances from the plant. The oil is then filtered, and the plant material composted.

An important consideration when choosing any oil for use in skin care, is the conditions under which it has been grown.

Organic oils are grown and produced without pesticides or chemical fertilizers (the residues of which find their way into the finished oil), and they have not been genetically modified.

They are produced in much smaller quantities, by specialist organic producers. They are more expensive to buy, but we know it's worth it. And so do our customers!"

Wendy