Soya Oil (Glycine max) is made from soya / “soy” beans. Also known as “Chinese Bean Oil”, Soya is a valuable, versatile vegetable base oil – often over-looked in massage. This is a shame, as its reasonably priced, highly nourishing, light to use and very useful for sensitive, irritated skins.
Soya Oil has many health benefits when used both in cooking (rich in nutrients, no cholesterol and low in harmful saturated fats) and for massage/skincare (please note that the oil we sell is not for culinary use):
- Used as a massage base it is rich in essential fatty acids – omegas 3 and 6 – and Vitamin E (100mgs of Soya Oil contains 17 mgs of Vitamin E!) It is therefore useful as a natural preservative to help prolong the life of your blend of oils, as well as being excellent for skin condition.
- The balance of essential fatty acids and lipids helps your blend of essential oils suspend in a well dispersed manner throughout the base oil.
- The balance of nutrients helps reduce inflammation/irritation in skin and scalp. Hot Soya oil is often used as a treatment for brittle hair or an inflamed/flaky scalp.
- Also useful in cosmetics – helping to reduce blotchiness, smooth skin tone and reduce the appearance of wrinkles! Big brands such as Estée Lauder have been using it for years!
Hot Oil Treatment for Hair & Scalp
Take 200ml of Soya Oil and heat (test temperature before use to make sure it”s not too hot). Then add your desired essential oils. For dandruff or an itchy scalp we recommend 2 drops Roman Chamomile and 4 Tea Tree. Massage the oil into scalp, leave on for 20 minutes then shampoo as normal using an SLS free shampoo. The proteins that are also rich in this oil will help nourish the hair condition (helping reduce frizz) and enrich hair follicles – helping to strengthen the roots of the hair.
Interesting Fact: Did you know that Edamame beans – one of the new “super foods” – are immature soya beans? They are so tasty and really rich in nutrients!
Joannah Metcalfe
Consultant Aromatherapist