What is a vegetable oil?

There's a lot of talk about vegetable oils and their benefits for skin and hair. But what exactly is a vegetable oil? Quite simply, it's a fatty substance, liquid at room temperature, extracted from an oleaginous plant, i.e. a plant whose seeds, nuts, almonds or fruits contain lipids. It is composed of three types of fatty acids: 

• saturated, 
• monounsaturated,
• polyunsaturated.

These three types of fatty acids are essential for your health and the beauty of your skin.

Vegetable oils are used as a base for soaps, creams, masks, conditioners... and emulsions in general. They can also be used for facial care or massage: thanks to their omega-6 and omega-9 composition, they bring suppleness, protection and nutrition to your skin. 

First cold-pressed vegetable oils

Thanks to the first cold-pressing process, all the protective and nourishing properties of a vegetable oil are preserved. 

Oil obtained at a temperature not exceeding 50°C is called "first cold pressing". In addition to protecting the oil's properties, this is the oldest method of producing vegetable oils. 

Cold-pressing step by step

After sorting, the fruit and seeds are pressed using a hydraulic "cold" press, i.e. at room temperature. Pressing results in the natural flow of a juice composed of oil and water. 

This liquid is collected and decanted, to separate the two substances and preserve only the oil. The resulting oil is the first natural juice to contain all the essential nutrients. Virgin, it undergoes no chemical treatment or refining. 

This extraction process, which respects nature, is the healthiest there is! It offers a more natural color and scent, and produces pure oils of exceptional quality - and we love that! 

It's hard to choose quality oils without considering how they are produced. That's why at Yodi, we've chosen to use first cold-pressed oils in our formulas. In this way, all the oil's qualities are preserved, leaving only the essentials! 

Check oil extraction method

To be sure of having a quality vegetable oil in your hands, it's essential that the label shows one of the following indications: "first cold pressed", "virgin vegetable oil" or organic certification. 

For efficiency reasons, most industries use other processes. 

For example, heating the seeds before pressing, or extracting the pressing residues with solvents, requires a refining step to remove a number of impurities from the resulting oil. 

This refining stage, which includes physical and chemical treatments, results in a marked change in the composition of the vegetable oil (fatty acid content, phospholipids, coloring matter). The oil is then totally denatured and loses all its properties (taste, nutrition, cosmetics).

But be careful! We tend to confuse "cold pressing" with "cold extraction", but they're not quite the same thing:

In cold extraction, the paste is ground in a millstone using a mixer, then a centrifugal mechanism expels the oil droplets, which clump together to form the organic phase. This process gives greater control over the oil's manufacturing parameters, but exposes it to a higher risk of oxidation.

The right oil for every skin type 

For oily skin 

Pores that are clearly visible, skin that is perpetually oily and shiny, a dull complexion that tends to look blurred... Sound familiar? In fact, these are the main characteristics of skin with an oily tendency. 

Often characterized by excessive sebum secretion, oily skin can be recognized by the face's tendency to glow and shine, the appearance of pimples and the sometimes granular appearance of the skin. This may be due to hormonal influences. For example, in women, sebum production tends to increase just before menstruation, as estrogen levels, which tend to slow down sebum production, fall. 

Contrary to popular belief, oily skin needs to be nourished and moisturized! Sebum secretion needs to be regulated with gentle, non-comedogenic plant oils. 

Why apply an oily texture to skin that's already oily? 

Quite simply, because vegetable oil provides comfort and fights dehydration, while giving the skin the oil it needs to stop producing excess sebum.

A little tip from : avoid scrubs and stripping products, which can increase sebum secretion and the sensation of oily skin!

For oily and acne-prone skin, we recommend using Jojoba oil, THE reference for oily skin. 

Firstly, it doesn't clog pores. And while it doesn't neutralize excess sebum, it does have the power to rebalance sebum production, leaving you with rebalanced skin in no time! It's one of the least greasy oils on application:

It quickly penetrates the epidermis without leaving an unpleasant oily film on the skin's surface. Finally, its anti-inflammatory action is also beneficial for problem skin, particularly acne-prone skin.

Another perfect oil for calming rashes and redness: Hazelnut oil. It effectively soothes, protects and purifies the skin. It is ideal for oily and blemish-prone skin. Extremely rich in unsaturated fatty acids, it regulates excess sebum, calms the skin and helps heal acne spots and pimples. 

For combination skin 

More sensitive to temperature variations and seasonal changes, combination skin combines both the flaws and benefits of dry and oily skin. 

Combination skin is generally characterized by a T-zone that's oilier than the rest of the face. This explains the presence of blackheads and visible pores around the nose, sometimes pimples in the T-zone and a feeling of tightness in the cheeks. 

The oilier areas of combination skin are due to an overproduction of sebum, while the drier areas of combination skin are due to a lack of sebum and the associated lipid deficiency.

For combination skin, there's nothing like grapeseed oil! It has cleansing properties as well as being a penetrating and nourishing oil, so it's sure to delight your dual-personality skin! This dry oil also acts as a sebum-regulating agent, gently unclogging pores. Your skin is purified and rebalanced!  

Argan oil is also an excellent ally for combination skin. Thanks to its high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids, it has a very strong affinity with the skin, enabling it to be rapidly absorbed. Its nourishing and protective properties enable it to benefit both dry and oily skin!

For dry skin

Dry skin is skin that lacks lipids. Its hydrolipidic film is less abundant than that of normal skin, so it becomes fragile in the face of external aggressions. 

This type of skin is generally recognized by its tightness and discomfort, its rough texture and the appearance of fine lines on its surface. Dry skin deserves a great deal of attention. It needs to be nourished to reinforce its hydrolipidic film, especially on the face, which is more exposed to external aggressors. 

If you have dry skin, Shea butter is your best friend. Renowned for its regenerating and skin-protecting properties, it's highly concentrated in saturated fatty acids, providing deep nourishment for the epidermis! As a result, the hydrolipidic film that acts as your skin's barrier is repaired, and your skin no longer looks dry at all.

The benefits of vegetable oils in soap 

As you'd expect, the basis of a good artisan soap is its ingredients, and in particular its vegetable oils. They are the first step in the saponification process. Our Sensitive Karité organic superfatted soap is a cold-saponified soap.

The fats are mixed with a caustic soda solution (sodium hydroxide). The fact that vegetable oils are not heated to too high a temperature during the soap-making process means they retain all their beneficial properties. 

Vegetable oils are fats, and are essentially composed of fatty acids. A fatty acid is a family of lipid molecules, including omega-3, -6 and -9. Without fats, there would be no creams, balms, soaps, shower oils, make-up, shaving foams, deodorants... 

Astonishing? Not really! 

Like the hydrolipidic film, fats play a key role in skin barrier and protection. The fatty acids in vegetable oils are essential for the skin. The more surgras, the more nourishing or ultra-gentle the soap. 

Naturally rich in active ingredients, vegetable oils preserve the skin's radiance and youthfulness, penetrating deep into skin tissue. They help the skin's protective function by reinforcing the hydrolipidic layer. But they also stabilize sebum production in oily skin, provide dry skin with fatty substances and relieve irritation in sensitive skin.

Oils can come from three sources: vegetable, animal or mineral. In the case of cold saponification, the chemical process is much more delicate, so it's vital to work with high-quality oils. Every oil has its own particularities, and every skin is unique. 

The strength of plant oils? Their great affinity with our epidermis. A remarkable compatibility between the precious essential fatty acids they contain and our own sebum. Thanks to the plant oils it contains, our Sensitive Karité superfatted soap is rich in vitamins and fatty acids, gently cleansing and nourishing your skin.

The oils in our Sensitive Karité 

Made with 100% natural ingredients, our ultra-gentle Sensitive Karité soap is enriched with first cold-pressed organic oils: coconut oil, grapeseed oil, rapeseed oil and organic shea butter for gentle cleansing.

Coconut oil

Very rich, coconut oil nourishes the skin and soothes irritation.

Dehydrated skin can cause a lot of trouble, and coconut oil is one of the best ways to prevent it. A must for natural beauty!  

Antioxidant, it fights skin ageing, tones and restores radiance. Not to mention its delicious, soft, sweet fragrance! It's also rich in lauric acid, which has a strong affinity with the skin and an antibacterial action. 

Our coconut oil soap is the ideal companion for caring for very dry skin. 

Grape seed oil

Organic grapeseed oil is very often obtained using solvents and refined. It is obtained by cold pressing and is certified organic. 

It is also a friend of mature, oily or damaged skin. Naturally rich in polyphenols and vitamin E, it is an antioxidant, helping to prevent cellular aging and reduce wrinkles already present. 

Our repairing and nourishing grapeseed oil soap is ideal for combination skin. Your skin will regain its softness, suppleness and elasticity.

Rapeseed oil

Another oil used in our soap is rapeseed oil. Rich in omega-3, omega-6 and vitamin E, it has many benefits. 

It is mainly used to nourish the epidermis. Its vitamin E content makes it an antioxidant. 

The skin is cleansed of all impurities and toxins that clog pores and encourage the appearance of spots and pimples. Skin becomes smooth and purified. With our Sensitive Karité, a healthy glow is guaranteed!  

A rapeseed oil soap will give your skin all the radiance and nourishment it needs.