In our skin care products and eco-detergents, we primarily use only pure, chemically unrefined (does not contain chemical residues), organic and plant-derived oils obtained from the first pressing of the plant, using the cold-pressing method, as raw materials, of which we present the most important ones here.

Shea butter or shea butter

Properties of unrefined shea butter, i.e. unprocessed shea butter: Plant esters in shea butter have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. This can help minimize irritation caused by environmental factors such as weather and inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema.

Shea butter is rich in vitamins A and E, which means it promotes strong antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are important antiaging substances. They protect your skin cells from free radicals that can lead to premature aging and dull-looking skin.

Shea butter is rich in various fatty acids. This unique formula helps to cleanse your skin of excess fat (sebum).
At the same time, shea butter restores your skin's moisture and locks your skin in the outer layer, so your skin does not dry out. The result is a restoration of the skin's natural oil balance, which in turn can help stop acne before it starts.

Chemical bleaching, deodorizing, and other treatments of a raw material such as shea butter remove its valuable skin-healing properties, such as vitamins, antioxidants, and other important plant-derived active ingredients for skin care, leaving behind a substance that lacks natural, skin-protecting and healing ingredients. That's why Saaren Taika primarily uses only raw materials that have not been chemically processed.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra-Virgin olive oil is one of our main ingredients in several Saari Taika products. Olive oil is certainly a familiar product to each of us, and we also know the differences between cheaper olive oil and the highest quality olive oil. The olive oil with the highest antioxidant content is Extra-Virgin olive oil. It is the most expensive and of course the best quality. The name Extra-Virgin indicates that the product has been manufactured without chemicals from start to finish.

The olives in Extra-Virgin olive oil are collected from one area and their origin, growing conditions and fertilization situation are known and monitored. It is extracted using natural methods without heat or chemical treatment.

Scientific studies have found that applying olive oil to pressure sores accelerates wound healing thanks to olive oil's anti-inflammatory properties and reduces oxidative damage and promotes skin reconstruction.
Scientific studies also found that Extra-Virgin olive oil applied to the skin delayed the development of skin cancer and reduced the occurrence of skin cancer.

Extra-Virgin olive oil is the healthiest, most natural and also the most effective in skin care products, as it has preserved the most vitamins and fatty acids (antioxidants) characteristic of olives.

These fatty acids help your skin fight free radicals that you encounter every day through food, air pollutants, and chemical-rich cosmetics.
In brief; free radicals have no partner, so they "steal" an electron from a stable molecule. Every time such "theft" occurs, a new free radical is formed.

This is a chain reaction that occurs on the skin, which causes e.g. visible signs of skin aging on our skin.
Antioxidants can stop this chain reaction and thus control the appearance of signs of aging in our skin. So it's not completely irrelevant what products you use to treat your skin!

Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil helps maintain the skin's moisture balance, prevents acne by promoting the prevention of pore clogging, and promotes skin health with its antioxidant properties. The unprocessed selection of jojoba oil we use has significant advantages over processed oils extracted using chemical solvent extraction methods.

These methods, which include the use of hexane, benzene, toluene, petroleum ether, chloroform and isopropanol, can be harmful to both the user's health and the environment. Although the solvent extraction method can extract more oil from the seeds, the chemicals can negatively affect the quality of the oil and leave behind harmful residues. These chemicals can disrupt endocrine function, cause allergic reactions and even increase the risk of cancer with long-term exposure.

The cold pressing method used in the production of organic jojoba oil preserves the oil's natural properties and nutrients without the use of harmful chemicals. Although this method produces less oil from the seed, making the final product more expensive, it ensures the purity and high quality of the oil. This makes cold-pressed organic jojoba oil a safer, healthier and more ecological option.

Organic sunflower oil

Sunflower oil consists mainly of oleic and linoleic acids.
Linoleic acid and oleic acid are important antioxidants that help the skin fight against the signs of aging.

Sunflower oil has been found to preserve the integrity of the epidermis and improve the hydration of adult skin without causing redness.
The linoleic acid contained in sunflower oil enhances the healing of the skin's protective layer.

Chamomile

Roman chamomile (used by Saaren Taika) is commonly used to treat skin inflammations and various bacterial skin infections.
Chamomile has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory treatment, as an antioxidant, in the treatment of wounds and eczema rashes, in the treatment of gout, skin irritation, burns and bruises.
Chamomile is also used in the treatment of diaper rash, cracked nipples, chicken pox, rhinitis, etc.

Studies have been able to show that chamomile flavonoids and essential oils penetrate below the surface of the skin into deeper skin layers. Because of this, chamomile products are very effective when used locally for inflammation.
According to studies, the local use of chamomile has been shown to be moderately effective in the treatment of atopic eczema, and I myself developed Saaren Taika Chamomile Shea Butter for this condition.
In a double-blind study, a cream containing chamomile was found to be more effective than a 0.5% hydrocortisone cream.

Recent studies suggest that chamomile completely healed wounds faster than corticosteroids. However, it is worth noting that, like any plant or fruit from nature, chamomile can also cause allergic reactions for some. Although it is a relatively small part of people who are allergic to chamomile!

Sea buckthorn extract

Effective sea buckthorn oil is used to speed up the healing of burns, eczema and wounds. Its healing effect is due to the beta-carotene (provitamin A, plant-derived retinol) contained in the oil, which helps to reverse the harmful effects of solar radiation and minimize the long-term effects of sun exposure.

In addition, the UV spectrum of sea buckthorn oil shows a moderate absorption capacity in the UV-B range, which makes sea buckthorn a good alternative to sunscreen preparations.

Sea buckthorn is recommended for acne-prone skin, due to its antibacterial properties.

Sea buckthorn also acts as an enhancer of the penetration of the layers of the skin, i.e. it helps the access of important nutrients to the deeper layers of the skin, making their function more effective.

Studies have been able to show that sea buckthorn oil prevents inflammation, is antioxidative (a radical scavenging reaction, in which the antioxidant stops the reaction chain consisting of radical transfers by reacting with the radicals in the body and forming a relatively permanent structure that does not move the radical structure forward anymore), and helps in regeneration, and which was found to accelerate wound healing .

Sea buckthorn oils are particularly suitable for treating irritated or inflamed skin.

Most of Saari Taika's products use sea buckthorn leaves and the oil extracted from them. Buckthorn leaves have even more nutrients than berries.

Sea buckthorn bushes grow in our own garden completely organically, without fertilizers and pesticides. We collect the sea buckthorn leaves by hand, and extract the sea buckthorn extract from them ourselves, which we use as a raw material.

Coconut oil

Organic coconut oil can be found in almost every soap product (soaps, bar shampoos, cleaning soaps), it is indicated in the ingredients list under the INCI name Sodium Cocoate (saponified coconut oil). In its normal form, it is labeled with the INCI name Cocos Nucifera.

Scientific studies have proven that the symptoms of atopic dermatitis and severely dry skin have been significantly alleviated by using coconut oil. Products containing a lot of coconut oil are still not necessarily suitable for everyone's skin care as such, because coconut oil is known to be one of the oils that clogs skin pores and although not everyone will ever have problems from regular use of coconut oil, for some it may cause "the skin to explode" after just a few uses.

When used in soap, coconut oil is chemically changed, i.e. saponified, in which case its effect is to remove fat, and it is no longer able to block skin pores. All of Saaren Taia's bar soaps and bar shampoos contain plenty of organic coconut oil in addition to other high-quality ingredients important for skin and hair. That's why they are so well tolerated even by the most sensitive and they are said to ease the various skin problems of many, many people!

Salts in moisturizing the skin and neutralizing bacteria

Salts help the skin to moisturize by binding moisture to the skin. The moisturizing properties of salt are mostly based on the magnesium contained in the salt. It is a richly hydrating substance that binds water well. Sea salt and sodium chloride reduce the irritation of surfactants on the skin and are therefore often seen in the INCI list of various soap and shampoo products.

The crystalline form of salt can also be used in exfoliation. There are currently 3 exfoliating salt soaps from Saari Taia; gently exfoliating Veera salt soap (sea salt), strongly exfoliating Särkisalo salt soap (Himalayan rose salt) and in between Saariston salt soap (Dead Sea salt).

Dead Sea salt has the highest magnesium content and, therefore, from a scientific point of view, also the best moisturizing properties. Dead Sea salt is said to help e.g. for symptoms of rheumatism, arthritis and psoriasis. In fact, the Psoriasis Association of America even recommends soaking treatments in water mixed with Dead Sea salt! Dead Sea salt minerals are absorbed during soaking and stimulate blood circulation.

Himalayan rose salt works as an exfoliating ingredient. It is known to balance the pH of the skin, remove impurities, soften and moisturize the skin. Himalayan rose salt is known to help balance the skin's own oil production, and when used regularly, both dry and oily skin will benefit from this. Himalayan rose salt evens out both skin color and texture, making the skin round and smooth. It is also known to ease psoriasis.

Sea salt binds moisture to the skin. Regular use of salt soap significantly reduces the need to oil the skin.
Antibacterial sea salt helps to neutralize the bacteria on the skin that cause the characteristic smell of sweat.

Clays in skin cleansing

Kaolin clay (INCI: kaolin), i.e. white clay; is particularly effective at absorbing sebum, sweat and other skin impurities. It binds impurities to itself and when used in soap, these impurities are washed away from the skin with the rinsing water.

Green clay (INCI: Illite), is composed of a variety of minerals such as volcanic ash, plant matter and clay minerals. Green clay is one of the most effective clays in terms of absorption and is therefore especially useful for acne-prone skin. It effectively binds the skin's excess sebum, absorbs impurities from deeper in the skin pores and removes dead skin cells. As above, the impurities bound to the clay are washed into the drain along with the rinsing water.

Bentonite clay (INCI: Bentonite) is clay obtained from volcanic ash, which contains more than 70 different trace elements. Bentonite clay is one of the most effective healing clays. It binds to itself dirt, impurities and sebum, so that these impurities are washed away from the skin with the rinsing water.

Saaren Taika uses only the best and absolutely pure raw materials in the production of its products. The clays used by Saaren Taia do not contain any additives or chemical residues from any extra substances.