Useful properties of medicinal plants depend on where they grow. Plants of northern regions have to store more nutrients than plants of the same species growing in milder climates because this helps them to withstand the harsh weather. That’s why Russian beauty brand Granny Agafia’s Recipes has launched a cosmetic line named Agafia’s Siberian Pine which is formulated with Siberian pine nut oil.
Granny Agafia’s Recipes 5 Juices is a special line produced by Pervoe Reshenie (First Solution), a Russian cosmetic company known for its high-quality natural and organic products. It consists of five smaller lines, each formulated with an oil or extract from a particular northern plant: Altai sea buckthorn, Daurian juniper, Arctic cloudberry, Siberian pine, and Nanai schisandra. The line titled Agafia’s Siberian Pine is based on pine nut oil obtained from the edible seeds of Siberian pine.
Siberian pine, sometimes mistakenly referred as Siberian cedar (loan translation of the Russian name of the plant), is one of the most widespread plants in Siberia. It is especially valued for its edible seeds called pine nuts. Pine nuts are rich in protein and dietary fiber. They also contain vitamins, minerals and all three types of fatty acids (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). Vegetable oil extracted from pine nuts is not generally used for cooking, but it is known for its medicinal and cosmetic properties.
The triglyceride composition of pine nut oil includes linoleic acid, oleic acid, pinolenic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. Pinolenic acid is unique to pine nut oil. This oil also contains B vitamins, vitamins E, C and K, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and others. Due to its rich chemical composition, pine nut oil was chosen as key ingredient in nourishing hair and skin care products that make up the Agafia’s Siberian Pine line. It includes a shampoo, hair conditioner, hair mask, hair & body soap, shower gel, body scrub, body butter, and hand cream.
Agafia’s Siberian Pine shampoo, hair conditioner and hair mask are designed to nourish, strengthen and repair damaged hair. To complement and enhance the repairing effect of pine nut oil, these products are infused with other natural ingredients such as birch bud extract, oak bark extract, linseed oil, soap nut extract, European centaury extract, tundra rose extract, and others. The hair mask deserves special attention because it contains water enriched with silver ions.
Granny Agafia’s Recipes is known for its personal care products designed for use in a steam room. Of course, the brand’s Siberian Pine line also contains several of them. For example, Thick Hair & Body Soap is perfect to use in a steam room because the microclimate of a steam room enhances the effect of natural ingredients contained in the soap. The product contains soap nut extract that acts as a mild natural surfactant, pine nut oil and hazelnut oil that nourish and moisturise the skin and hair, and black alder extract that has antibacterial properties.
Siberian Pine & Berry Gommage and Thick Siberian Pine Body Butter will take great care of your body. Gommage is a type of scrub that has a gentler effect than regular scrubs. While most natural scrubs contain salt or sugar crystals as an exfoliating agent, Siberian Pine & Berry Gommage is made with pine nut shell powder, pine nut cake and strawberry seeds that remove dead skin cells gently yet effectively. The gommage also contains natural ingredients designed to nourish, moisturise and soften the skin, such as lingonberry seed oil, pine nut oil and raspberry seed oil.
Although the gommage is a very delicate product, your skin will still need hydration and nourishment after you exfoliate it. We recommend that you use Thick Siberian Pine Body Butter formulated with elk milk and hydrolysed wheat protein and enriched with tocopherol (vitamin E). This butter effectively nourishes and moisturises even extremely dry and flaky skin. Despite being quite thick, it absorbs well and doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy or sticky.
Another product from Agafia’s Siberian Pine line is Siberian Pine Hand Balm with protective and restorative properties. It contains pine nut oil that nourishes and moisturises the skin, propolis extract that accelerates the healing of scratches and minor injuries and prevents inflammation, and beeswax that keeps the skin hydrated and protects it from harmful environmental factors.
All products branded as Agafia’s Siberian Pine are free of silicones, parabens, SLS/SLES and other potentially irritating or harmful synthetic ingredients. You can buy them in our online shop Organic Store. We also offer products from the brand’s other lines such as Agafia’s Sea Buckthorn, Agafia’s Cloudberrry, Agafia’s Juniper and Agafia’s Schisandra.