We’ve been formulating a few new products recently, and in doing so I’ve been looking for oils that are not only hydrating and absorbent, but light, thin, and very stable.  In my search I began experimenting with an oil that we use for our Oh Baby! oil due to its mildness and almost completely hypo-allergenic nature: fractionated coconut oil.

Fractionated coconut oil is exactly what is sounds like: a fraction of pure coconut oil (which is semi-solid at room temperature).  To obtain this, the coconut oil undergoes hydrolysis, then this product is steam distilled.  The result is that almost all of the long chain fatty acids (triglycerides) are removed so that only the medium chain saturated triglycerides remain.  This produces a thin, liquid oil rich in medium chain triglycerides and with a very very long shelf life because of its complete saturation.  In its virgin state, coconut oil is already a very stable oil with many beneficial uses.  After fractionation, it becomes even more stable, and its antioxidant and disinfectant properties increase since the comparative concentration of capric and caprylic (medium chain) triglycerides is even higher.  What a perfect, versatile, nutritive oil!

It turns out that fractionated coconut oil has a wide range of uses, such as:

• *In preparation of soaps, lotions, ointments and other cosmetics.
• In aromatherapy, as carrier oil, since it facilitates absorption of other oils and herbal extracts.
• In massage.
• In medicines, due to its anti septic and disinfectant properties.
• In hair care.
• And of course, in cooking, as it does not go rancid easily and is very stable.

Obviously, since it involves a lot more processing (such as hydrolysis and steam distillation), fractionated coconut oil is more costly than ordinary coconut oil. But then, it has its own benefits and justifications. Keeping in mind it’s very-very long shelf life, stability and rancidity resistant properties, it is worth the price you pay.*

I’m very excited to have discovered this fantastic oil, which happens to be exactly suited to some of our upcoming products- a cooling after sun skin oil, and a new line of pure perfumes scented with 100% essential oils.  Look for them soon, and enjoy the coconut oil!

** passages excerpted and edited from an article by Aparup Mukherjee

Well, its summertime in the beautiful Pioneer Valley, and it is HOT.  Very little rain, and a lot of days over 90 degrees have made it a wonderful season for swimming and not much else.  Nonetheless, my fellow co-operators and I have been busy creating some fantastic new products that we are so excited to share!  In our small studio with nothing but a ceiling fan, plenty of windows, and a big green field full of tall grass and blooming wildflowers out back, we’ve been spending the hot days experimenting with beeswax, oils, scents, and textures.  It has been a successful summer so far.  After dozens of tries, we’ve finally created a line of lip balms that we love, and hope you will too.  We have a gorgeous, alkanet-infused, deep red balm scented with sweet orange essential oil; a tingling, pepperminty, lip-loving balm, and a full line of colorful lip shimmers made with various micas and minerals that we are just about ready to unveil and introduce.  We also have a new soothing after sun oil that cools hot skin with a gentle but effective blend of essential oils that feels like a sweet fresh breeze and leaves the skin healthy and glowing the next day.

With so many of our friends and fans raving about the way our body oil makes their skin smell, we decided to create a line of perfumes inspired by our BonvOILage body oil line.  As a novice perfumer, and someone who is deeply fascinated by the alchemy of scents, this is very exciting to me.  Of course, all of our perfume blends will be made of 100% pure essential oils, diluted in an organic carrier oil so that they will be gentle enough to use directly on the skin.  A few of the perfumes will be the same scents that you already know and love, and a few of them will be brand new and just as fabulous.  Watch out for them in the next couple of months – they’ll be recognizable by our lotus symbol and beautiful blue glass roller bottles.

Since our newest co-op member is pregnant, one of us is a young energetic mother of four, and another of us is a doula, we have ample interest in expanding our line of products for mothers and babies.  We’re currently finalizing a great recipe for baby bum balm and developing some other mild, delicious skin care products for little ones.  There is so much more to come, it seems like our passion for this work is only growing!  Thank you for checking us out, for loving what we do, and for being passionate about your own important and awesome work, whatever it may be!