Thursday, July 30, 2015

Part 1 Clearing things up about natural, organic, sustainable and what some ingredients are used for in hand made soap.

I wanted to clear a few things up about natural, organic, and sustainable in soap making.  Also, I want to explain what some of the ingredients in soap are used for. It tends to look all Greek and can be confusing.  I am explaining simply and hopefully understandable.  If you have questions, please contact me or leave a comment. 

All natural doesn't have a set of standards for the definition or meaning when it comes to products, so it can mean whatever you want it to mean.  This is why I see so many soaps using "all natural," but they may actually be full of artificial color and fragrance. 

Mica is a soft, flexible, silicate mineral.  Silicate refers to it being developed in layers.  It is mined from the ground and much of the flake mica mining is done in South Carolina.  It has a pearl-like reflection.  Soap makers love to use this pearl-like shine in and on our soaps.  Minerals are the building blocks of rocks and they are mined from the ground.  Mica comes in colors, but much of the color in mica is artificial.  Soap makers purchase mica in powdered form.  Many soaps makers use mica for coloring soaps.  Mica is a mineral, so it is a natural substance.  Since color is added to a powdered mica form, is it still a natural substance?  Some claim it to be while others do not.  Since natural can mean whatever you want it to mean, we can claim it to be all natural.

Titanium Dioxide is pigment powder also found in the ground, or mined.  It is used in makeup, sunscreen, and even foods.  Titanium dioxide is is used in some mica mixes to help with lightening or whitening a color.  So what is a pigment powder?  It is a powder often used for coloring paint.

Cosmetic Grade Glitter is used as decoration on hand made soaps.  It is composed of very small reflective pieces and it does not scratch you.  It usually washes off in one or two washes.  Glitter is usually made from plastic.

ROE (Rosemary Oleorsin Extract) extract derived from the plant and used to keep oils from going rancid or extend the shelf life of oils.  It is an antioxidant.  


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