Our weekend got off to a great start on Friday, when Del Brown of UK-based website Del Brown Approved published his review of our Lemongrass & Tea Tree shave oil.

Del is a self-proclaimed ‘ingredient scrutiniser’ with a passion for natural and organic skincare, so he certainly knows his stuff. He is a respected skincare blogger and his reviews are always very thoroughly researched, so we were very keen to hear his feedback.

As expected, his first port of call was the ingredients list. He quickly noted that there was ‘not a synthetic additive in sight. No artificial perfume, colourings or preservatives. 97% of the total ingredients are certified organic.’

Satisfied that the ingredients met his high standards he gave the shave oil a try, even going so far as to shave his head with it! The great thing about this oil is that it is very versatile, as Del discovered when he ‘went a bit rogue’:

‘With an ingredient list this good, it would have been a sin just to use it as a shave oil.  So, I tried it as a beard and face oil and it is amazing!  As a beard oil, the combination of ingredients meant I only required a couple of drops, brushed into my beard, to give it a healthy, glossy, soft look and feel.  I also used a couple of drops at night as a face oil and my face was left feeling smooth, hydrated and calm.’

What man wouldn’t appreciate a multi-tasking product like this?!

Del concludes:

‘I really like the philosophy of Siam Botanicals. They do not use ANY synthetic ingredients, are cruelty free, committed to responsible sources and where possible, use local providers. So if you’re already a fan of using shave oils, you should certainly add this one to your try list. A highly practical, multi-tasking oil, packed full of skin benefiting ingredients. Fully Del Brown Approved!

Read the full review here; click here to buy or find out more about our shave oil.

In this new series of blog posts, we will be focusing on some of the individual ingredients in Siam Botanicals products, looking into their provenance and talking about their amazing properties and the therapeutic skin care benefits they provide. First up is one of our signature ingredients, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon).

Lemongrass is a fast-growing perennial grass native to India and tropical Asia and is an extremely popular herb in Thai cuisine, used fresh or in powdered or dried form to give a citrus kick to curries and soups. It is thought to have immune-boosting properties and is often combined with other health-giving ingredients such as chillies, coconut milk, garlic, galangal, turmeric and coriander, making Thai cuisine one of the healthiest there is!

Lemongrass is native to India and tropical Asia

Lemongrass is native to India and tropical Asia

Lemongrass essential oil has a refreshing, pungent citrus scent with hay-like top notes and grassy undertones. Its uplifting and energising properties make it a popular choice in aromatherapy, helping to relieve the symptoms of jetlag and to combat stress-related conditions. Its analgesic properties have long made it a popular choice in traditional Thai herbal treatments, where it is used to soothe headaches and stiff muscles. As well as boasting antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, the oil is also mildly astringent, making it useful as a skin-cleansing agent that can help control oily skin and reduce acne and blemishes.

Our lemongrass essential oil is distilled from both East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon Flexuosus) and West Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus). Its amazing properties make it a key ingredient in many of our products, including our Rudis Oleum Day and Night Formulas, several of our massage and body oils (‘Siam Roots’, ‘Refresh’ and ‘Rejuvenate’), and our ‘Refreshing’ bath salts.

Thanks to its exceptional cleansing properties, it is also the star ingredient in two of our most popular personal care products – our Lemongrass Shampoo and Lemongrass Body Wash. There’s nothing better than the fresh, invigorating scent of lemongrass to wake you up in the morning!

This wondrous oil is also an effective insect repellent and can be found in our DEET-free bug spray. Now you can even keep those mozzies at bay the natural way!

Bio Guard insect repellent

All of the above products can be purchased on our website, as can our pure lemongrass essential oil.

Note: Essential should be used with a ceramic oil burner to release their fragrances, or as directed by your aromatherapist. They are for external use only and should not be applied directly to the skin in undiluted form.

Sources http://thaifood.about.com/od/introtothaicooking/a/healthbenefits.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/aromatherapy/aromatherapy-lemongrass.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbopogon http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/lemongrass.htm