OUR INGREDIENT PHILOSOPHY

Our skin is our largest organ and what is applied to it is absorbed into the body. For this reason it is important to use food grade ingredients and avoid the chemicals found in most skin care products. It is the quality of the raw materials used that determines the overall quality of the final product.

At SOLUM&HERBE we make it a point to use ingredients that are whole, pure and as close to their natural state as we can find. We seek out plant-based ingredients that are organically grown and minimally processed. This applies to our oils and plant butters, our essential oils, our aloe and hydrosols. Our clays are a medicinal grade, not pottery grade, which means that they have been screened for naturally forming but hazardous minerals.

At SOLUM&HERBE we welcome a few contributions from the animal world. We use beeswax to thicken our creams because of the quality of the emulsion we can achieve and the warmth of the material. We do not use emulsifying wax because it is a chemical manufactured product even though it is made from vegetable oils. And we use a pulverized silk powder in our ROSE&SILK Cream that is imported from Japan . See the notes on Silk powder.

The List of NO NO's. There are many commonly used ingredients in skin care products that are potentially dangerous to our health. We never use any of these. For information purposes we have listed a few at the end of this list and discuss why they are harmful.

Listed below is a collection of some of our prized ingredients and information on their origin and benefits. These ingredients, when combined in our successful formulations – formulations that have been produced over 10 years of research and development – are what make SOLUM&HERBE's products unique.

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OUR OILS AND BUTTERS

JOJOBA OIL – Jojoba is a non-greasy alternative to many vegetable oils as it is chemically a wax. It is non-comedogenic and non-occlusive, which means it will not clog pores and seal the skin off with an oily barrier as petrolatum and mineral oils do. Its waxy esters are highly compatible with the skin's own sebum, helping the skin to regulate its acid mantle and innate immune system. Our Jojoba Oil is organically grown in Israel.

ALMOND OIL - Almond is a mild oil excellent for use in cosmetics as it is high in the essential fatty acid Linoleic Acid. It is rich in Vitamin E and is able to slow the loss of moisture from the skin. Our Almond oil is organically grown in California.

SESAME OIL – Our organic Sesame Oil is pressed from organic sesame seeds and is not refined so that you benefit from the natural unsaponifiable healing fraction in the oil. Sesame oil is used extensively in Ayurvedic healing and massage combinations. It has good keeping qualities due to its high Vitamin E content and its own particular antioxidant compounds, sesamoline, sesamine and sesamol. Sesame oil has a tradition of use as a natural sun-screening agent.

SHEA BUTTER – Our Shea Butter is imported directly from the Ama Serwaa Women's Cooperative in Ghana and is a Fair Trade product. It is wild and unrefined retaining its natural healing and moisturizing properties. Shea butter has one of the highest percentages of unsaponifiables of all the vegetable oils - up to 17%. The unsaponifiable part of oils is sometimes called the healing fraction because this is where the healing and nourishing components of the oil are found. Included in the healing fraction are squalene, plant sterols, waxes, proteins, tocopherals (Vitamin E), carotenes (Vitamin A), vitamins and minerals. It is traditionally used for muscle soreness and pain and on the skin as an emollient and for protection against the sun.

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OUR NUTRIENT DENSE OILS

ROSEHIP SEED OIL – Our Rose Hip Seed oil is organic and made from the seeds of the Rosa rubiginosa that is grown in Chile . All Rose hips are highly nutritious and full of vitamins and minerals. The oil pressed from this particular Rose is high in the essential fatty acids, Linoleic and Alpha Linolenic Acids as well as in flavonoids, polyphenols and Vitamin C. Its unique compounds are effective for treating scars, UV (sun) damage and radiation burns and it mitigates the effects of aging from environmental exposure, treats brown spots and dry skin.

SEABUCKTHORN -- Seabuckthorn berries and the oil made from them are high in several of the carotenes, Vitamin E and other tocopherols, Vitamin C and flavonoids, Vitamins B1, B2, K and P, as well as essential fatty acids and phytosterols. Sea Buckthorn has a tradition of use in Europe and Russia where it grows freely. This storehouse of an oil can promote regeneration of the skin and mucous membranes as well as wound healing and pain relief while enhancing cell regeneration. The skin's ability to absorb nutrients and plant compounds makes Sea Buckthorn an important healing and nourishing ingredient for use in our skin care line.

BLACK SEED OIL – Black Seed is also called black cumin seed, black caraway, onion seed and coriander seed, though it has no relation to the spice cumin or caraway or onions. Mohamed is said to have declared Black Seed the remedy of “every disease except death.” The seeds are packed with over one hundred identified nutrients including the essential fatty acids, Linoleic Acid and Alpha-linolenic Acid, Zinc, Calcium, Folacin, Iron, Copper, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Pyridoxine, Carotenes, a number of polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein, carbohydrate and fiber. Black Seed's traditional uses as a medicine include external treatment of psoriasis, eczema, sore joints and dry skin. The seeds for our Black seed oil are grown in Egypt.

CALOPHYLLUM INOPHYLLUM – A sacred oil of Polynesia and Southeast Asia , it is also known by the names tamanu, kamanu, foraha, fetau, dilo and ti. It has a long history of use by the indigenous peoples in that area and is attributed magical healing powers. Recent research has supported this claim as the oil has been found to contain anti-neuralgic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant properties. Historically the oil was used to treat leprosy and is used to mend wounded skin, treat sore throats by external application and relieve pain.

CARROTS: The SEED & ROOT OILS - High in Carotenoids that are precursors to Vitamin A production in the body, Carotenoids are highly antioxidant and prevent deterioration of the cell membranes keeping our skin healthy and toned. There are over 600 identified carotenoids including beta-carotene, lycophene, lutein and canthaxanthin and the only way to capture these compounds is to use the whole plant source since only a few have been identified and extracted. The root oil is called HelioCarrot and is a pressing of the root that is placed in a carrier oil; it is very orange and full of healing and works as a sunscreen being used extensively in sunny states like Florida to protect against the sun. The Seed oils that we use come in two forms, a nutrient dense, pale green oil pressed from the wild seed that comes from Africa and a distilled essential oil of wild seeds.

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AROMATHERAPY

ORGANIC AND WILD PURE ESSENTIAL OILS – We have been able to find organic and wild grown essential oils for nearly all the scents we use. These essential oils represent some of the finest essences on the planet. Their quality is wonderful and the healing and aromatherapy properties are at their peak. Essential oils have both therapeutic and preserving qualities that we incorporate into our formulas. Each essential oil we use comes from a botanically identified plant and known country of origin. We never use the so-called bio-identical oils or ‘fragrance oils'. See No No's for a discussion (link to end)

FRAGRANT WAXES We consider ourselves fortunate to have found fragrant waxes of two of the most expensive flower oils. These are a Bulgarian Rose wax and a Jasmine sambac wax, which is known in Hawaii as Pikake. These waxes are a product of the production of the absolute of these flowers. As a by-product of this extraction process these waxes allow us to make wonderful products from these true plant scents. Often other companies use synthetic fragrances to make products reasonably priced.

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HEALING EXTRACTS

CO2 TOTAL EXTRACTS – These are concentrated plant extracts from the carbon dioxide extraction of plants. The extraction process results in the Essential oil and the Total. The Totals are the heavier compounds that remain after the volatile oils have been removed; the waxes, minerals, gums, flavonoids and other non-volatile components that make up the plant or flower. Calendula Total is one such extract that we use as Calendula holds so many benefits for the treatment of the skin and its afflictions.

HERBAL EXTRACTS - There are many herbs that are of benefit to the skin. These are a few of our favorites: Calendula, Rose, Plantain, Green tea, Violet leaves, Seaweeds, Dandelion flowers, Elder flowers, Arnica, Rosemary, St. John's Wort, Lavender, and Chamomile. We extract all of our herbs ourselves into organic oils, witch hazel hydrosol or grain alcohol. We grow the plants ourselves and collect ethically from the wild as well as purchasing plants from organic and eco-friendly farmers and companies.

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OTHER SPECIAL INGREDIENTS

ALOE GEL –Aloe is a part of the Lily family and has been known for its wound healing properties since before the time of the Greco Roman Empire. Aristotle who was teacher to Alexander the Great advised Alexander to conquer the island Socotra off East Africa so that he would have access to the ancient source of this plant to heal his soldiers wounds. Externally Aloe is antibacterial, anti-microbial, antiviral, a wound healing accelerator and anti-inflammatory . Our Aloe gel is organically grown and certified.

SILK POWDER – Silk is a precious substance that comes to us from the natural worlds of earth and sky. The silkworm produces silk threads to weave around itself as protection in its transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The silk worm spins its cloak only when the sun is shining and the sheen that we see in a piece of silk cloth can be described as sunlight captured in matter. Warmth is an important quality in maintaining health and well being. The Sun's protective warmth is felt in the warmth of Silk whether in a garment of silk or the powder directly against one's skin. We are constantly under stress from temperature extremes and pollutants, both particulate and electromagnetic. The protective qualities of Silk can help mitigate these stresses by protecting our life preserving forces. The Silk powder used in SOLUM&HERBE products is made from pure, crushed silk fibers from Japan.

CLAYS & PELOTHERAPY – Clays used for healing fall into several categories and are classified according to their actions on the body. The Kaolin's are the most gentle and used for protection, for healing wounds and the prevention of raised or fibrous scar tissue. Montmorillonite clays are more active than the Kaolin's and are used for purification, cleansing, balancing and draining. Bentonite is a Montmorillonite clay with volcanic ash that causes the clay to swell when water is added. Illite clay is used primarily for drainage on swellings and edemas, for clearing infections and for biochemical balancing. All clays used in our Masques are purified and refined medicinal grade clays, meeting the French pharmaceutical standards and the US FDA GRAS list. They are imported from France.  For more information on clay and its healing potential - http://www.eytonsearth.org/.

FLOWER ESSENCES - Flower and Gem Essences are gentle remedies that restore equilibrium between mind and body. They are vibratory imprints of the healing properties carried by flowers, gems and occasionally other plant parts. Working on principles akin to homeopathy, flowers and gems are used to imprint their individual healing properties into water. The resulting healing essences work on our electrical systems balancing and fine tuning them to greater health and well-being. There are no side effects from the use of Flower essences. Many of our essences we have made ourselves from our gardens. Others we purchase from flower essence companies.

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THE LIST of NO, NO's

Most cosmetic companies use mineral oils and synthetic and petroleum based chemicals for formulating their products. Why? Because they are inexpensive and reliable and readily available. When the interest in herbs and natural ingredients arose many of these companies' added doses of herbal extracts and changed their labels to reflect the new additions. This is not the same as a formula that is designed using food grade ingredients and unrefined and organic herbal extracts.

There are whole books listing petroleum and other synthetic chemicals used in cosmetics. We have listed here a few of the more common ones that we avoid. Common synthetics found in commercial products:

Synthetic fragrances, which includes the so-called “nature identical” “essential” oils. True essential oils are distilled from plants. They are made from various plant parts, such as flowers, or bark, or peel, and they have a botanical name. In addition essential oils are extremely complex and it is from this subtle complexity that the healing properties are derived. A chemist in a laboratory cannot make an essential oil using some of the major compounds found in, for example, lemon. Lemon is high in citral the primary compound producing the lemony scent. Litsea cubeba is also high in citral but both plants have other compounds that add overtones and nuance and their own healing properties to their respective essential oils. A chemist cannot extract citral, add a few other dominant compounds and call what he makes an essential oil, it is a fragrance oil and it is synthetic. It has no aroma therapeutic value.

Vegetable emulsifying wax is chemically compounded by taking fatty acids from vegetable oils and restructuring them into cetostearyl alcohol and Ethoxylated sorbitan ester. When the transition is made there is no relationship to the vegetable oil that was originally used. It is a chemically compounded product not a natural or whole one. In general it tends to be well tolerated by most people thus its popularity in many formulations. We use beeswax to achieve our emulsions.

Mineral oil comes from petroleum; the oil that is used to make many chemicals used in our modern day lives as well as propels our cars and trucks. Petroleum has many useful applications but not in skin care. On the skin it will coat the surface and cause the skin's natural functions to be disrupted. Our skin has an innate ability to care for itself with its own immune system and regenerating process. To interfere with this process is to cause it to age prematurely.

The parabens are synthetic preservatives and used extensively in the making of cosmetics. As synthetic chemicals they burden the body's eliminatory functions and interfere with the healthy function of the skin and organs. The argument for their use is that there is so little used in a product that it is immaterial and does not impact the body. What is not discussed with this argument is that they are in every product that we buy and the cumulative impact may not be as benign as the argument claims. As synthetic chemicals they do not belong in a ‘natural' product.

Propylene glycol is a solvent and a humectant and is used to extract many of the herbs found in commercial products. It is also used in the making of anti freeze and is not a natural substance from nature.

Anti-bacterial agents interfere with the skin's natural balance of microorganisms. The skin is colonized by beneficial bacteria and maintains its healthy balance if allowed to function without interference. Antibacterial soaps and lotions disrupt the balance by killing off all the bacteria allowing the harmful bacteria to proliferate once the chemical is gone. Simply washing with soap and water removes harmful bacteria from the skin.

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