Q&A - What is a "cold pressed oil?"

Answer:

Cold pressed oils, also known as cold expeller pressed oils, are oils obtained by mechanically pressing the oily parts of the plants in a temperature controlled environment. 
The friction, necessary for this process, causes temperatures to rise, the harder the plant being pressed, the higher the temperatures can get, temperatures can not rise above 120°F (49°C) for any oil to be considered cold pressed.

This process is not as efficient as using heat and hexane, but the oil remaining from cold pressed seeds, nuts or vegetables has no trace farm chemicals, no hexane molecules, no poisonous trans fatty acids.

You can find many of the amazing cold pressed Brazilian Oils at my site Rainforest Chica.

Love from the U.K.!

Rainforest Butters Sample!

No Wax All Natural, Vegan Lip Balm

  Natural lip products are usually made of waxes, butters and oils. 

  Beeswax is the most commonly used, but Candelilla and Carnauba are becoming more and more popular with the increasing demand for vegan products.

  Waxes are mostly used to raise the melting point of lip products, they do offer some health/beauty benefits but they are not as beneficial as butters and oils. 

  I am not a huge fan of stick lip balms (they end up melted on the bottom of my purse or my Jeep's cup holder), so my lip products don't need to be super hard.

   Ucuuba butter is softer than all the waxes but still hard enough to make a perfect jar or tin lip product.

   Depending on the other products used, I use 1/2 to 2/3 of Ucuuba for my recipes.

   A balm made from Ucuuba can also be used on upper lip to help with those pesky little wrinkles, cuticles, dry patches, etc... 

Ucuuba Butter Benefits

Ucuuba Butter is said to have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties and is ideal for treating acne, eczema and dry or irritated skin. Exceptionally rich in essential fatty acids, Ucuuba Butter is considered to have anti-aging properties and can be used to replenish tone and moisture to dry and mature skin. 

Anti-aging Lip Balm

Ucuuba Butter - about 1 oz

Muru Muru and Cupuacu Butters - 0.5 oz (0.25 oz. of each)

Pracaxi and Acai Oils- 10 drops of each

  

Put all the ingredients in a VERY clean and dry glass jar, make sure the lid is also clean and doesn't smell like food. Put jar in a pot with water, make sure it is not too much water, jar is not supposed to float. Use low to medium heat, water does not need to be boiling.  As soon as all the ingredients are melted, pick up the jar using a towel, *JAR WILL BE HOT, BE VERY CAREFUL* DRY the jar very well, if water gets in your balm it will shorten the shelf life of it. Pour in the container of your choice (I like the cute metal tins), put in the fridge for a few minutes and you will have the best lip and fix-everything balm ever!

  Ucuuba butter is dark brown and offers a nice gloss but natural coloring and scents can be added, they will limit the uses of your balm. I do add a couple drops of coconut unsweetened flavor oil, which still allows me to use it anywhere else I want.

  Unless they give you different directions, add coloring and scents AFTER the butters and oils are melted.

  This recipe can be modified easily with the uses of other oils (for a cheaper version coconut or olive oil can be used), if using different butter, melting points have to observed.

I sell these Butters and Oils at my shop Rainforest Chica.

I sell individual tin cans on my site, for more quantities take a look at Paper Mart and SKS sites.

Tucuma Butter - Uses and Benefits

Tucuma butter has an earthy smell. It is off white to light yellow. It is not greasy and has a melting point of 87.8ºF.

Unrefined Tucuma Butter

Tucumã butter is very similar in appearance, consistency and properties to the muru muru butter. With high concentration of Lauric acid (47%) it makes an excellent choice for cold process soaps as well for products intended to deeply treat distressed hair, loose curls and protect the hair fiber due to heat styling. 

This butter is also rich source of Palmitic, Stearic, oleic and linoleic acids - crucial in healthy cell development, regulation of the immune system, metabolic regulation and maintenance of healthy skin and hair. It is an excellent moisturizing and emollient butter. 

APPLICATIONS
skin care creams, lotions, scrubs
bath and body creams, lotions, scrubs
salves, balms, oils
lip products
hair / scalp conditioners
hair balms, moisturizers

Recommendation:
creams and lotions: 3 to 15%
salves and balms: 5 to 100%
w/o body butters and creams: 3 to 20%
conditioners: 3 to 10%

My Tucuma butter comes straight from Brazil and is sold in 2 oz. and 4 oz. stand up sealed pouches. I do accept custom orders!  I also have a Butter Sampler, 1 oz each of Bacuri, Cupuacu, Muru Muru, Ucuuba and Tucuma.


My oils and butters are are wild harvested grown naturally in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest without any pesticides, they are fair trade and self sustainable.
Buy it HERE!

Reviews for our products on RainforestChica.etsy.com

"Thank you Chrys for these amazing oils and butters! I will definitely be back. I have made a nice face moisturizer using the andiroba, acai, pracaxi and buriti. I've been using it about three days now and my face is soo soft. I will be trying the bacuri butter in a hand-made lotion for my achy knees. And my first purchase, ucuuba butter, has proven to keep my extremely dry hands moisturized. I'm trying to use the butters and oils in there natural state, i.e. not adding anything extra...and yes, it is extra work to melt the ucuuba butter because it's natural state is hard, but it is well worth it. I just place a portion in my hands and rub them together. :)"

Ucuuba Butter - "This butter is amazing. I've been using it as a pre-treatement prior to me shampooing and then in my conditioner. My natural AA stays moisturized and doesn't appear to "frizz" as much. I have also had the pleasure of communicating with Chrys prior to making additional purchases. She is extremely knowledgeable and very responsive to inquiries. Etsy asset. :)"

Bacuri Butter - "Appreciate the usable packaging. Finally a butter to soothe my winter itch. Absorbs quickly."

Buriti Oil - "Quick shipping. Can be applied to face with no irritation, a little goes a long way."

Cupuacu Butter - "This butter smells similar to Cocoa butter, but with a much lighter scent. This butter is very soft and fine. I use it as a leave-in conditioner/moisturizer for my hair--curly, dry, low porosity hair type. It does not leave my hair greasy like Shea butter."

Pracaxi Oil - "I have long naturally curly hair. It is really dry and I live it Southern California. I use this between shampoos to keep it in control."

Buriti Oil - "I used this on my skin after I had a sunburn issue. Cleared up the problem. I have allergies to a lot of products. No problem with this. LOVE!"

Andiroba Oil - "My husband uses this after he shaves. Loves it!"

Bacuri Butter - "What a wonderful butter. It sinks right into the skin and makes it soft and smooth. Very Hydrating!"

Buriti Oil - "Regenerating for the skin! Love It! I also burned my skin the other day. I put some of the oil on it and the next day the redness and pain were gone."

Pracaxi Oil - "Wow, I wish I could give this 10 stars! It smells like cocoa butter in a way; but it works 100 times better and quicker! I literally saw a drastic improvement in my acne and acne scars overnight! I'm glad that the seller recommended this to me. Finally something that works! Thank you!"

Bacuri Butter - "This butter goes on very easily! I can't tell if it gives me a glow or not because my skin is golden and glowy already. I have noticed a slight difference in my hyper-pigmentation overnight though! Great butter! Thank you for suggesting it to me (:"

Butter Sampler - "love these butters, I bought the sample package, this is what I call amazing butters, nice texture and natural nutty scent. I had an issue with delivery and Chrys the shop owner responded promptly and I received my package. Definitely will buy from this shop again."

Ucuuba Butter - Ecology and Popular Uses

Ucuuba Butter - Baboonwood - (Virola surinamensis, Myristicaceae)

POPULAR USES

Commonly, the oil is used as an ingredient of candles and to burn for light, which spreads an aromatic odor. In home medicine, it has been successful at treating  rheumatism, arthritis, colic, ulcers, and hemorrhoids. The butter of ucuuba, which is hard and yellow, can be used in combination with other ingredients for the production of candles and plant-based soaps, and is a substitute for paraffin, which is made with petroleum. Soaps and creams made with ucuuba show a proven anti-inflammatory effect, and have healing and anti-septic properties. A mature ucuuba tree can be sold for R$ 5.00, which is then transformed into broom handles that are sold for R$ 0.40 each in the fairs and ports of Belém. However the seeds, which are sold for R$ 0.50/kg, can generate an income of R$ 18.00 to R$ 25.00 per year, assuming a productivity of 30 to 50 kg of seeds per year. The fruits are collected along beaches and streams throughout the Amazon region, stored, and sold to make plant-based butter that replaces animal tallow when making soap.

ECOLOGY

Ucuuba is a native tree of the floodplains found throughout the Amazonian region, extending to the states of Maranhão and Pernambuco. The indigenous name of the tree means grease (ucu) and tree (yba). This species prefers flooded regions, and reaches a height of 25 to 35 m. A mature tree can produce between 30 to 50 kg of seeds per year. The seeds are rich in fats (60%–70%) and extracts of oil / tallow can reach 50% per kilo of seeds (dry weight). A plantation with 150 trees per hectare can yield up to 7 tons of seeds per year, which can be processed into 3500 kilos of fat per hectare. Trees can grow 3 m over the course of two years. The wood is of excellent quality and is used for particleboard and laminated wood. The extraction of trees for these uses is endangering the remaining forest resources.

For uses and benefits visit this page.

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Andiroba Oil - Uses and Benefits

Andiroba Oil - Crabwood (Carapa guianensis, Meliáceae) is dark yellow, has a faint floral, earthy smell and is viscous, having a melting point of 71.6 °F.

Andiroba oil is one of the most commonly sold medicinal oils in the Amazon. The seed oil is used directly on the skin to treat swelling (inflammation), arthritis, rashes, muscle and joint aches and injuries, wounds, boils, and herpes ulcers.

For cosmetic use this oil strengthens and embellishes hair, and when used in soap it acts as a magic remedy for acne, it also has been found to have anti-aging properties due to its alpha-hydroxyl acids that increase collagen on skin.

It is used as a  mosquito repellent in candles or applied directly on skin.

My Andiroba oil comes straight from Brazil and is sold in 2oz and 0.5 oz.  bottles. I do accept custom orders!  I also have an Oil Sampler, 1 oz each of Brazil Nut, Pracaxi, Buriti, Passion-Fruit and Andiroba oils.

My oils and butters are are wild harvested grown naturally in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest without any pesticides, they are fair trade and self sustainable.
Buy it HERE!