natural cosmetics

Throughout the history the anti-inflammatory properties of hemp seed oil have been used as a soothing restorative to dry, damage skin. The replenishing nutrients of hemp seed oil are able to penetrate deep into the skin cells, providing natural emollients and a lasting barrier to moisture loss, increasing the skin’s natural capacity for moisture retention.

In an interesting study recently conducted by the University of Kuopio, Finland, compared the nutritional value and other health benefits of hemp seed oil. It was found that hemp oil gives a dramatic increase in Blood Level GLA. Hemp oil is very suitable for usage in high class cosmetic products. In a concentration around 80%, hemp unsaturated fatty acids have excellent skin care properties, which prevent excessive skin moisture loss or dehydration, skin cracking and, able to support partial recovery of skin’s own lipid production. Hemp is the almost exclusive composition of essential fatty acids, linoleic acid, alpha linoleic acid and rare gamma linoleic acid. The most important application of gamma linoleic fatty acid (GLA) is treating skin aliments such as neuron dermatitis, psoriasis or, to assists in healing scars. Hemp contains both essential fatty acid and alpha linoleic acid in a ratio of 3:1. This composition is almost identical with the fatty acid structure of human skin, 4:1. it is possible to balance deficiencies of essential fatty acids through outer application with ointments.

The primary oil used in cosmetics, from baby moisturiser to face creams, shaving soap and body butter is mineral oil.

Hemp cloth, an eco-friendly way of clothing

Using hemp in cloth is a pretty old tradition. It was in the 5th century B.C that the skillful Scythians and Thracians were able to weave fine cloth from hemp. It was until the late fourteenth century that hemp weavers realized the importance of the hemp.

The stalk of the hemp plant has two parts, the bast and the hurd. The bast (fiber) of the hemp plant can be woven into almost any kind of cloth and it is very durable. Comparing with all the other available fibers, hemp is appropriate for a large number of applications. Hemp is also very eco-friendly crop and it requires no pesticides and needs little water. Clothing made of hemp is light weight and absorbent. It is three times stronger and long lasting than the tensile strength of cotton. It is UV and mold resistant, therefore it is excellent for outdoor wear. It is less expensive to farm, so it costs lesser than the others. It can be blend with other fibers like silk and cotton, for different qualities in the garments.

The cellulose fiber from hemp is used to make many products, including jeans, shirts, dresses, hats, bags, ropes and canvas. Until the 1920’s, 80% of clothing was made from the hemp textiles. Even the first Levi’s jeans were made from the hemp fiber. According to HEMPTECH in Industrial Hemp, 1995, the manufacture of textiles is the third largest industry in the world. In 1938, hemp was used to produce more than 5,000 textile products.