Cocoa Butter:  Made from the cocoa bean, is solid at room temperature but melts when applied to the skin.  It is highly protetective because it stays on the surface of the skin, which helps prevent dehydration.  It also has water-repellent properties.

Coconut Oil:  Made from the fruit of the coconut palm.  It is solid at room temperature, but liquefies when temperatures exceed 76 degrees F.   This oil has a cooling property, which lends itself to sun products and burn remedies. It prevents destructive free-radical formation. It can help to keep the skin from developing liver spots and other blemishes caused by aging and overexposure to sunlight. It helps to prevent sagging and wrinkling by keeping connective tissues strong and supple. The oil is absorbed into the skin and into the cell structure of the connective tissues, limiting the damage excessive sun exposure can cause. Coconut oil will not only bring temporary relief to the skin, but it will aid in healing and repairing. It will have lasting benefits, unlike most lotions. It can help bring back a youthful appearance. Coconut oil can aid in removing the outer layer of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. The skin becomes more evenly textured with a healthy "shine". And coconut oil will penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and strengthen the underlying tissues. 

Jojoba Oil:  Pressed from the seeds of a small desert shrub with leathery leaves.  It is technically not an oil, but a liquid wax ester that resembles human sebum; the natural coating that protects our skin and keeps it supple.  Jojoba oil can act as a second skin, providing protection and emolliency while still allowing the skin to breathe.  It is used extensively in products for dry, aged and damaged skin and hair. 

Olive Oil:  Made from the fruit of the olive tree.  Virgin-grade olive oil is the first cold pressing of the olive and the most nutritious of the olive oils.  Olive oil has regenerating power on the skin tissue and has the ability to regulate the natural moisturizing system of the skin. Olive oil smoothes and softens the skin and is great for stimulating and healing the skin by toning up and firming it. 

Shea Butter:  Comes from the shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii), which grows in West and Central Africa.  Its seeds are harvested to make shea butter for food, skin and hair products.  Since the French colonized West and Central Africa, it has been used in French cosmetics under the name of karite butter.  Shea butter is solid at room temperature and can make a cream or balm slightly grainy, but this will not alter the effectiveness of a product.  Shea butter is extremely therapeutic; helping to heal cracked, aged or damaged skin.  It contains some ultraviolet protection, approximately SPF-6, and is therefore useful in sun products.  It is a very heavy butter that penetrates the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. 

Wheat Germ Oil:  Pressed from the germ of the wheat berry, is extremely nourishing and contains significant amounts of vitamin E. Wheat germ oil sooths irritated skin, especially in the case of eczema, aids wound healing and is known to have a favorable effect on scar tissue.