Does anyone remember the post I made in 2011 about the Neem tree and it's benefits? If not, here is the link: http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/neem-tree-uns-tree-of-the-21st-century.23195/#post-212098 Anyway, these days I was having some fun designing a logo for a new beauty care product (don't laugh) ... This thing basically will be petroleum jelly with some extracts of Neem in it! So not only will it work like a moisturizer for the skin during the dry winter months, but will also act as a therapeutic and a bit antiseptic agent over burns and cuts - As well as gaining control over acne and other low level skin ailments. So here basically is how I imitated nature again, in 3D virtual space - Enjoy!
Cool images, S-H! Just one question: will this beauty product have some nice perfume added to it? Not too long ago, I had some neem oil to combat aphids and other nasties on my roses, and I recall the smell to be, errr, uhmm... Well, let's say, not like something I would like to rub on my skin.
That indeed is a very good question! Let me answer it in a little detail for you now... That offensive smell is from the Neem oil (not water based extracts, but oils of Neem), and thus is not how the Neem tree usually smells like, (believe it or not). However things are not so simple, as there is another twist to it - Which is that even the oil actually doesn't smell bad. It's the extraction process, or rather the chemicals used in the extraction. Neem tree oil is of course not cheap, well OK, cheap for me as Neem trees are very common and popular over here, but not so in the outside world. So it's actually the greed factor, which forces their hand to do whatever is possible, so they can even extract the last few drops of oil... End result is that the chemicals use, (mainly as solvents to loosen up the biomass so that the oil gets separated from the cellular fibers of the plant), like Acetone, Methyl Alcohol, Tris-HCL, and a few others that I can't remember right now - All leave some residue in the end product. Hence the offensive smell which you mentioned... Take for example extra virgin olive oil, which doesn't taste bad, nor has any offensive smell. But compare it with pomace olive oil (which is oil that's now chemically extracted from the olive pulp after physical pressing won't give anymore oil) - Then it becomes clear to understand why extra virgin olive oil is so nice, while pomace olive oil tastes like pure garbage! So again, it's the greed factor, which forces the manufacturers to extract as much as possible. And since Neem oil is not an edible product, they really don't care about the residue of chemicals in the end product. They (unfortunately) only want to cash in, and as quickly as possible... So this was our actual first task, to maintain the authentic aroma of the flowers of Neem, which smell like a mixture of freshly cut grass, and how the soil smells like after the first rain of the season, (not like an insecticide). After which we had to make petroleum jelly out of the whole thing, which also wasn't easy... No artificial perfumes of any kind will be added to it, as they will ruin the authenticity of the product - We are focusing on the actual Neem, it's aroma, as well as it's therapeutic properties... Anyway, I'm happy to report that we have had success on all technical fronts! Now the only challenge is to manufacture & package it in bulk, as well as marketing.
Thanks for the info, S-H! I always thought it odd that there were neem-based products for cosmetic use, but now I understand. Unfortunately for gardeners over here, it looks as though all the neem-oil sold here is of the chemically altered variety. It did work on the plants, though, but I now wonder if that was the neem, or the chemicals that did it I wish you good luck with your neem project
Neem will work on the insects for sure, however unlike other pesticides it will not kill them. As the real quality of Neem is that it disrupts the otherwise normal cycle of the insects' lives. Like making them so lazy that they even neglect to reproduce themselves, or make them so forgetful that they now don't bother to hide from other natural predators during the daylight hours. Aside from this Neem also makes their body clock go haywire, so the insects eat at the wrong time, or simply think that they have eaten just a few moments ago, while in reality they may not have eaten for over a day... So this is how the Neem extracts work. It is not toxic per-se, but is rather like a very disruptive drug for the insects. While remaining harmless to humans, animals, birds, and other good insects like honeybees and ladybugs. Now about the chemical additives, well, I doubt if those chemicals will have any effect upon the insects. So whatever good it did for your plants, it was all the power of Neem I am sure. The chemicals are just there to extract the last few drops of oil from the Neem tree pulp, (after physical pressing will not give any more oil). Same as pomace olive oil - However, pomace olive oil is still an edible product, so the producers are legally bound by law to purify all the oil from these chemicals used for extraction. But since Neem oil is not a edible product, the producers simply let the chemical residue remain, as they are not legally bound to purify it. So the traces of those chemicals in the end product won't do any good, or bat either - They will just change the overall smell. Anyway, these are the tubes on which this logo will be printed! But I still can't decide which size tube will suit me best, or should it be see through, or white?
Sorry I'm a bit late, but thanks for the super interesting info, S-H! On the tubes, personally I think the white tubes will work better, because they don't carry the risk of the product deteriorating due to light.
