Essential oils. Not All Are Created Equally.

When my business partner Yael and I decided to focus full time on this new journey into the the world of tallow healing, one of the most unexpected explorations was into the world of essential oils.  I had never really given much attention to this world.  All I knew was that I wanted to make a back to basics-skin-care product for my daughter’s psoriasis, as the continual medical prescription of steroid creams was a not a long term option. My goal was to cook up a natural, clean product that would not only feel nice but smell nice too, something that was obviously free of artificial perfumes.  

I had heard of the healing properties of essential oils but had no formal training on the subject. Coming from a cheffing background I let my nose lead the way and as I have been developing my various formulations, using mostly intuitive instinct (my nose) our clinical results have over time been proven to be “on the nose”.

Essential Oils are made up of a vast number of natural chemicals, Aromatic Alcohols, Phenols, Aldehydes, Esters and Terpens to name but a few. In the essential oils industry it is almost standard practise to stretch the oils by adding cheaper components.  Traders often add cheaper oils to maintain the same standard of aroma, taste and price of the oil.

A pure natural essential oil will vary based on the season in which it is harvested. 

Climate conditions such as a very wet spring or drought conditions will change the chemical composition. The fragrance industry wants to standardise their products as customers are accustomed to having the exact same fragrance whenever they purchase their favourite oil. The industry therefore blends, reconstitutes and manufactures in a lab a standardised product so that each bottle or batch smells exactly same as the one previously purchased.  However nature does not work that way and often the products are not of a great standard, at Zero BS we let nature take the lead. 

The majority of our essential oils at ZERO BS, are sourced directly from a single farm. They have never seen the inside of a laboratory.   Our single source farm sits in the mountains of the Southern Cape Karoo in the Western Cape. The climate is predominantly Mediterranean with a very variable rainfall. Winters are cold with heavy frosts.  Summers can be very hot and very dry. We believe this particular climate has a direct impact on our essential oils.  As we do not standardise our oils you will notice our product fragrance will vary from batch to batch depending on the season and the cultivar or year the particular oils was harvested. Our farmer believes that his oils age well like a good wine and that the fragrance improves with age.    

We have gone to great effort to find the purest most natural ingredients in our product range.  It is this back to basics philosophy that is at the heart of our ZERO BS products and our company philosophy.  Keeping our products simple and letting nature lead the way.  Four years down this most unexpected journey brings incredible rewards to both my business partner Yael and I.  We get contacted almost daily by people who have had so much relief from our products,  especially with serious cases of eczema, psoriasis and TSW (topical steroid withdrawal). Our clinical trials have proven that we are on the right path of healing.  A late in life career change for both of us leaves us feeling blessed every day.