Absorbing Baobab Oil

Baobab oil is highly acclaimed for its ability to diminish fine lines and wrinkles, reduces scarring and eases stretch marks.  Many users marvel at its benefits for moisturizing dry, brittle hair.  Extremely rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids Baobab oil gets added as one of the ingredients in the manufacture of creams, lotions, soaps and shampoos.  Pure Baobab oil is an excellent way to moisturize and rejuvenate your skin and hair. It has a nutty aroma, and incredibly beneficial for massage, as its non-greasy and fast absorbing. Indeed Baobab oil is the up-and-coming high end ingredient in care formulations.

For thousands of years, women have nurtured their bodies by utilising a vast variety of creams, unguents, emollients, lotions and ointments to combat dry skin problems with varying degrees of success.  Due its incredible moisturizing ability, baobab oil has been found to be exceptionally helpful in relieving dry skin conditions. It? one of nature? best botanical oils known for its multi-tasking virtuoso alone: not only is it rich in omega essential fatty acids, but also for its excellent absorption and penetration qualities.

Baobab oil is extracted from seeds of the fruit of the Adansonia tree, there are eight species. This tree is perhaps one of the most characteristic trees of Africa, and is often referred to as the upside down tree, as it looks as though it is growing roots upwards. These trees have a thick trunk which is usually thickest in the middle.

Of all the species, the Adansonia grandidieri trees are the most picturesque. These trees store water in their trunks and are able to survive in years of drought. Many of these exotic looking trees are more than three thousand years old. The seeds of the Baobab tree have been traditionally used in Africa to extract cooking oil. Its fruit resembles coconuts, but the taste is somewhat tarty. These fruits are rich in many nutrients, and have great nutritional importance.

The baobab fruit grows on the trees and matures during the dry season and fruit drops off the trees when ready to harvest.  People living in rural areas collect the fruit from under the trees. The fruits are then transported to a processing facility where the fruits are cracked open and the inside powder and seed is removed. The extracted seeds are then washed to remove a powder coating and then air dried in the hot sun.  These seeds can be stored for many months before pressing. A press, or expeller, queezes the oil from the Baobab seed.  The newly pressed oil is immediately filtered to help clarify the oil which is then bottled.  EcoProducts are proud to say that their oil process produces 100% pure Baobab oil, as it does not undergo any further refinement or processing and has no additives.

EcoProducts is a company based in Limpopo Province, South Africa. They buy Baobab fruit from rural communities. Fruits are processed at their factory to extract Baobab powder and Baobab oil. The extracts are packaged and sold to retail stores and in bulk to local and international manufacturers of food and cosmetic products.  The company has developed expertise in wild harvesting protocols, rural community supply chains, track and trace systems and Baobab fruit processing technology.  EcoProducts is one of the first companies in the bio-trade sector in South Africa to gain organic status and to comply with national bio-prospecting legislation.

The healing properties of Baobab oil offer incredible therapeutic healing benefits.

• Anti-Inflammatory due to the presence of omega fatty acids
• Antioxidant prevents the skin from free radical damage
• Cicatrizant promotes wound healing
• Emollient is an excellent moisturizer for the skin
• Insulator protects the skin from excessive high /low temperatures
• Non-siccative does not dry for a long time
• Rejuvenator promotes rejuvenation and skin cell repair

The Baobab oil has a tremendous deep golden, yellow colour, and mild earthy aroma and nutty taste. The oil is quite viscous, with a rich, silky feel. Baobab oil is an excellent moisturizer and ideal for numerous cosmetic applications. It is one of the few oils added in its raw state in cosmetic products. Undoubtedly Baobab oil is one of the most prominent oils found in Africa.

Absorbing facts – how oils penetrate dry skin

Why is it important for a skin care product to penetrate the skin? From the beginning of the 20^th century our skin was assumed to be a barrier. The belief was that the skin was completely impermeable to substances, and unable to be absorbed into the body. Of course, today we know our skin is the largest absorbing organ in the body, and has the ability to absorb different substances in varying degrees and at different rates.   How well a product penetrates the skin depends, amongst other factors on the molecular size of the substance. The majority of cosmetic formulae require specially developed penetration enhancers to deliver specific ingredients which adds to the load of ingredients in commercial moisturisers.  Baobab oil on the other hand, has very small molecules and therefore is absorbed very easily into the skin, confirmed by a cosmetic technology development and innovation expert.

Why baobab oil good for dry skin?

Baobab oil has an exceptional ability to moisturize the skin. Baobab oil becoming a known remedy for dry skin conditions associated with dehydration and ageing skin. It is also excellent for the dryness and flaky skin associated with eczema, dermatitis, dry psoriasis and dandruff.  In addition, it has been found that baobab oil is very helpful in reducing the appearance of scars and skin cancer spots.

 Baobab oil absorbs rapidly, is non-siccative (non-drying) and does not clog pores.  Most creams and lotions on the market today are water-based which means they also require synthetic preservatives, stabilizers, performance enhancers and fragrances to maintain stability and make them pleasant to use.  The wonderful thing about using botanical oils is that they rarely need any of these additives. It is apparent that nature offers the simplest of solutions for our complex problems.

The biggest use of Baobab oil is as a cosmetic agent. One can use it directly on the skin, or combine it with other natural ingredients, like essential oils, to impart specific benefits.

As a Massage Oil

It offers a silk smooth texture on skin, really different from other oils. Massage is easily facilitated as It helps the skin to restructure and heal itself, and so good for dry, damaged skin. It is quickly absorbed into the skin. However, it does not leave the skin completely dry because of its non-siccative property.

Home Remedy for Stretch Marks Baobab oil is a great home remedy for stretch marks, with regular application on an area affected by stretch marks reduces the appearance and depth of such marks. The Baobab oil may stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis under the skin to heal the stretch marks. Similarly, it can be used to heal wound scars, like post-surgical scars.

As a Daily Moisturizing Lotion Apply a small amount of baobab oil on the skin, immediately after a shower, as this helps to lock in the moisture. The oil is readily absorbed, leaving a silky non greasy feeling within minutes. Alternatively, one can add it to a moisturizing lotion to increase its effectiveness.

Chapped Lips Baobab oil is naturally great for chapped lips. Just a small amount of oil applied to the lips gets rid of chapped lip conditions quickly.

Hair Care Conditioner Baobab oil is heated gently and then applied on the scalp for a hot oil conditioning. Cover with a shower cap for a few hours and then wash it off. This leaves the hair soft and noticeably silky. In addition adds more volume to the hair. Applying baobab oil to the hair protects it from sun damage and free radicals, which often leaves our hair separated, damaged and frizzy.

Nail Care Soaking hands and feet in baobab oil makes them soft and easy to take care of. This is helpful if you suffer with mild ingrown toenails, as the nails becomes soft and easy to pull out. This nail treatment prevents them from unwanted breakage.

Buying and Storage

Baobab oil has a strong resistance to rancidity. It should however be kept away from light. It has a long shelf life. The best oil is organic, cold pressed oil which is unfiltered. This oil is used for topical purposes. For use as cooking oil, one should obtain oil from which the anti-nutrients have been removed.

Baobab oil a natural choice for healthy skin, as it is an excellent skin moisturizer, it absorbs quickly without clogging pores. It leaves the skin radiantly soft and moisturized. Further it contains Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids which contribute towards maintaining a healthy skin. Baobab oil has a silky texture and considered an exotic oil as it smells so good for enhanced hair and skin care.

There are hundreds of cosmetics on the retail market that is so easy to become a product junkie. Many people have been consuming various parts of the Baobab since ancient times for its extremely high concentration of calcium and vitamin C. Notably the Baobab contains high levels of protein and vitamin A. The Baobab is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Baobab face and body oil is hot beauty trend on the rise especially good for the dry winter seasons. Baobab oil increases elasticity of the skin and decreases moisture loss. Do discover for yourself the anti-aging secret of this amazingly ancient Baobab tree.

References:

1. Prota 14: Vegetable oils/Ol?gineux . Record display. Adansonia grandidieri Baill 2. Baobab, Adansonia Digitata L. By M. Sidibe, J. T. Williams, A. Hughes, N. Haq, R. W. Smith 3. Three major tree nut oils of southern central Africa: Their uses and future as commercial base oils. N. Zimba, S. Wren A. Stucki. International Journal of Aromatherapy.
2. www.ecoproducts.co.za/product/baobab–oil-2