Power of the Seed – A Book Review

Power of the Seed: Your Guide to Oils for Health & Beauty by Susan M. Parker

I picked up this book because I was becoming interested in developing a few botanically infused oils specifically for massage and a CE course on integrating those oils into a massage practice. I had lots of questions about what properties of oils made them more or less nourishing to the skin, absorption rates, time frames that oils stay open long enough to be an effective massage medium, and more that I don’t really remember right now. Online resources kept pointing to the same oils over and over again without enough information as to the why. Eventually one of my social media platforms served up a free, online mini-class about oils for skincare by the author, Susan M. Parker. Of course, I signed up for it and after listening to her talk about so many oils and their corresponding properties, I had to buy the book. And boy am I glad I did. This book answers questions I didn’t even know I had about oils.

What Kinds of Oils?

Now, the first thing you need to know about this book is that it is NOT about essential oils. This book is about fixed oils, carrier oils, or non-volatile oils. Oils that you can cook with, eat, or use safely on your skin undiluted (unlike essential oils). Even though she mentions petroleum-based oil products, the focus of this book is firmly botanically-derived oils, butters, and waxes.

If you had high school chemistry and did okay in it, you’ll be able to get through the sections on the chemistry of fatty acids. Thankfully there won’t be an actual test on all this, but the chemical make-up of saturated versus unsaturated fats has changed the way I think about what I’m cooking with in the kitchen. It also makes it very clear how and why oils go rancid and become so damaging to our health when consumed.

Fatty Acids & Phytochemicals

I got a little lost in the sections that covered the different fatty acids and their properties as well as all the differing phytochemicals. There are a dizzying array, but the good news is this book can be used as a reference guide. So when you need to know which oils are highest in, say, Vitamin C, you can just go look that up.

I’ve read a few reviews from people much more experienced in chemistry than I am cautioning that some of the definitions aren’t completely accurate, but for my needs and I’m guessing the layperson interested in using oils for developing their own skincare products, this book delivered just enough technical explanation.

In addition to the chemistry, phytochemicals and the general make-up of oils, this book contains a section covering 90 different oils, butters, and waxes with information about their chemical constituency as well as uses in cooking and skincare, a section on working with oils, and directions and recipes on how to make different skincare products with these oils. The appendix is vast making up about a third of the book with sections on oils by use, properties, source, botanical families, saponification values, fatty acid families, fatty acid composition tables, an essential oil dilution table, a glossary, bibliography, and source list. My biggest complaint is that there’s no Index, but we will forgive that because this book is already so amazing I feel sure the next edition will feature one along with even more oils as they become available.

A Summary

Power of the Seed is a beautiful book. I appreciate the artwork and the size of the book. It’s easily handled, not too big, not too small, just right! The rounded corners are something you don’t see often in publications and seem to make the book even easier to interact with. Also, the fact that the cover is easy to wipe down and doesn’t readily uptake oil is a plus since you’ll probably be using it around, oh, oils!

This book was a pleasure and I’ll be returning to it often as I continue my herbal healing adventures!

More information about the author can be found at the author’s website: Susan M. Parker