Ingredients for Soapmaking and Lotion making

Here are some common ingredients used in soap making. 

Activated Charcoal - is highly adsorptive so it removes impurities from the skin's surface and the antibacterial properties can also help alleviate infections.

Aloe Vera, Organic - Aloe barbadensis - a succulent, often called "The Miracle Plant", soothing, emollient, antibacterial, heals skin irritations, burns, and wounds, promotes new skin growth, moisturizes, protects, and counters the effects of aging; restores skin damaged by the sun's UVB rays; we use certified organic aloe.

Annatto Seed - Bixa orellana - imparts a beautiful earthy yellow color to foods and cosmetics and is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiseptic, astringent, and emollient.

Beeswax - Cera alba - unbleached and pure, cosmetic grade, used to give a waxy feel to cosmetics, also possesses healing qualities, only our balms contain beeswax, our soaps do not.

Calcium Bentonite Clay - adsorbs and absorbs dirt, oil, and toxins from the surface of the skin, cleanses, tightens, and tones, lends a slippery feel to soaps and increases lather, great for purifying the skin, helpful in treating acne, eczema, itching, hives.

Canola oil is an affordable option for soap. It produces a balanced bar with creamy lather. It's also a great substitute for olive oil. You can use canola at 15-40% in cold process soap.

Castor Oil, Certified Organic - Ricinus communis - soothing, lubricating, rich in fatty acids, acts as a humectant to draw moisture to the skin and hair, gives a rich creamy lather to soap.

Clay (Kaolin, Rhassoul, French Green, French Pink, French Soft Moss, French Peach) - cleanses and tones, absorbs dirt, oil, and toxins from the skin, increases lather, and lends natural color to our soaps.

Cocoa Butter, Organic - Theobroma cacao - the fat of the cocoa bean, smells like chocolate, super emollient, for chapped skin and lips, dry skin, mature skin, stretch marks, skin irritations, and wrinkles. This butter is solid and hard at room temperature. It adds a luxurious and moisturizing feeling to cold process soap. Use cocoa butter at 15% or less in cold process soaps – Too much may cause cracking in bars.

Coconut Oil, Organic - Cocus nucifera - one of the most common raw materials used in the soap and cosmetic industry.  76°F is the most common Melts at 76°F.  Coconut oil is super cleansing and produces large bubbles in cold process. It’s so cleansing that it can be drying. It can be used up to 33%, but we recommend using it around 15% if you have sensitive or dry skin.

Coffee - Coffea arabica - scavenges free radicals which cause premature aging and many other skin disorders, acts as an astringent, sunscreen, odor absorber, and anti-cellulite ingredient.

Diatomaceous Earth - Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is safe for all human uses, including using it as a detox or cleanse from parasites and heavy metals. Another impressive benefit is using our DE regularly can help to strengthen artery walls (because of the high content of amorphous silica) and in turn, lowering cholesterol levels. Similarly, DE has also been gaining popularity to increase finger nail and toe nail density, as well as fuller shinier hair.   http://bit.ly/2i699rc

Emulsifiers - are a group of molecules that allow things that don’t normally mix, to mix to form an emulsion. The three main examples of emulsifiers in skincare are - anionic emulsifiers, cationic emulsifiers and non-ionic emulsifiers. 

The three main examples of emulsifiers in skincare are - anionic emulsifiers, cationic emulsifiers and non-ionic emulsifiers

• Anionic emulsifiers have a negative charge and are also capable of the most irritation to the skin. The most common anionic emulsifier in skincare is sodium lauryl sulphate, or SLS. It helps skincare formulations foam up or spread more easily on the skin, and is a well-known skin irritant.
• Cationic emulsifiers have a positive charge and can bind to the protein keratin in the skin, causing irritation (but possibly not as much as an emulsifier such as SLS can). Examples of cationic emulsifiers in skincare include benzalkonium chloride and behentrimonium methosulphate. BTMS
• Non-ionic emulsifiers have a neutral, or no charge and are therefore less irritating on the skin. Examples of nonionic emulsifiers in skincare include cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid and glyceryl stearate.

Emulsifying Wax Our Emulsifying Wax NF is a non-ionic, vegetable derived emulsifying wax that can be used to make oil-in-water emulsions.  This E-Wax NF is a mild emulsifying wax that provides great stability, making it a great choice in DIY products such as creams, lotions, balms and more!  It's so fantastic, we use it in our famous lotion recipe used in lotion class and in our lotion making kits.

Essential Oils and Organic Essential Oils - fragrant natural botanical extracts that possess many healing properties on both the physical and emotional levels, used in the ancient art and science of aromatherapy.

Green Tea - contains polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants that help protect skin against the adverse effects of UV radiation sun damage and possibly photochemical damage that can lead to skin cancer; fights bacteria, reduces inflammation, decreases hormone activity and treats acne.

Honey, Raw Filtered - provides emollience, healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, as well as vital nutrients for the skin.

Mango Butter  - a premium skin care butter extracted from the mango seeds. Mango Butter is a rich source of antioxidants, emollients, Vitamins A and Vitamin E,  providing this cosmetic Mango Butter with excellent moisturizing properties. Our Mango Butter is an effective emollient, and speads on skin nicely.  It is reputed to possess high oxidation ability and to assist skin cell regenerative activity so it is used to treat burns, stretch marks and scar reduction. Mango Butter is reported to have a protective effect against UV radiation making it ideal to treat sunburns. Mango Butter is the perfect addition to various products including creams, lotions, bar soap, hair products, body butters, shaving creams, scrubs, balms and more!

Micas - Are powdered metamorphic minerals.  In melt and pour soap they look fabulous.  They are used in cold-process soap, however some of them change colors due to the pH.  We call this morphing.  Our micas can be added to cosmetic bases for body, hair and nails.

Neem Oil - Azadirachta indica - a tree native to India, used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine and commonly referred to as the "village pharmacy".  We use Neem oil in our most popular soap "Goat's milk, Oatmeal, Neem Oil and Sweet Orange".  Antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial, analgesic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory.  Neem has been used as an insect repellant and to kills parasites.  It may be helpful for treating acne, dandruff, eczema, psoriasis, herpes, cold sores, ringworm, fungus, itching, diaper rash, skin cancer, wounds, and sunburn; we use organically grown neem in our products.  

Oats, Organic - Avena sativa - soothing, moisturizing, demulcent, softening, calming, good for rashes, itching, bites, and all skin irritations, Oats contain polysaccharides, which have a gel-like texture when combined with moisture. This light gel leaves a protective layer over the skin that seals in skin’s natural moisture while also providing additional nutrients.  Oatmeal also serves as a gentle exfoliant and cleanser.  We have a Goat's Milk & Oatmeal soap kit for sale.

Olive Oil, Organic, Extra Virgin - Olea europaea - used extensively in skincare for centuries.  It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant and a superior moisturizer, used to nourish and protect the skin and to combat the effects of aging, draws moisture to the skin while allowing normal skin functions to take place and one of the very best oils for natural skin care.  We use only cold pressed organic olive oils for moisturizing in our bars, however we use pomace olive as a base oil in our soap recipe as it makes a nicer bar.  New research has shown that olive oil has oleocanthal - a powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-aging compound and pain killer.

Oxides Powder colorants are non-bleeding mineral colourants that are used in cosmetic applications such as cold process and hot process soap, mineral makeup, lip products and other personal care craft products to give beautiful natural looking colours.

Palm Oil, no-stir sustainable - we use sustainably sourced palm oil, meaning the farming method does not deplete the rainforest.  Rich in palmitic acid, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and Magnesium, this tropical oil adds longevity and hardness to the soap and gives a nice lather. Palm oil adds a unique feeling to cold process soap. It helps harden the bars and it creates lather when paired with  coconut oil. use up to 33% in cold process soap. 

Palm Oil - If your palm oil is not "no-stir" be sure to fully melt and mix the palm oil before use, to distribute the fatty acids evenly.

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt - possesses the ability to re-mineralize the body with minerals and trace elements essential to soften skin as well as easing aches and pains.

Potassium Hydroxide is a type of lye specifically used to make liquid soap. It is also known as potash, lye or even KOH. This is the chemical that induces saponification of the fats and oils to create liquid soap.

Preservatives 

Sea Salt - sodium chloride - contains 84 elements and minerals found naturally in the human body which are essential to good health.  It has been used as a treatment for psoriasis, eczema, acne, and for general good health.  It relieves muscle tension and soothes and softens the skin.  We use sea salt in our bath bombs for a more therapeutic bath.

Shea Butter, Organic - Butyrospermum parkii - Extracted from the kernels of a wild African tree, shea butter is an excellent emollient with great healing properties.  High in triglycerides and fatty acids, its soft buttery texture melts nicely into the skin.  Traditionally used by indigenous people for burns, wounds, sunburn, muscle aches and as a moisturizing beauty aid for hair and skin. Shea butter feels luxurious and moisturizing on the skin. It helps harden cold process soap and it can be used up to 15%.

Sodium Hydroxide - Commonly known as lye. Oils and lye when combined go through a chemical reaction called saponification. The end result is soap. Using exact calculations, your final bar of soap will have no lye. Some believe that homemade/handcrafted soap is harsh, because long ago, our grandparents and ancestors did not have the ability to calculate the ratio of lye to oils required for complete saponification (using up all the corrosive lye).  Nowadays we also use nicer, milder ingredients.

Sunflower Seed Oil, Organic - Helianthus annuus - the herb was traditionally used to heal wounds, burns, bruises, and in the bath for arthritic pain.  Light penetrating sunflower oil leaves a protective moisturizing barrier on the skin and is high in antioxidant vitamin E and essential fatty acids.  The seeds and petals are gentle exfoliants.  Keep refrigerated. Use in cold process recipes up to 100%, but we recommend 20% or less.

Sweet Almond - Always a staple. It’s full of fatty acids and it has a lightweight and moisturizing consistency. You’ll love the way it feels in DIY soap, lotion, and scrub. It can be used up to 20% in cold process.

Ultramarines -  INCI CI770007. Ultramarine is one of the most complex mineral pigments, a sulfur-containing compound of sodium-silicate, essentially a mineralized limestone containing a blue cubic mineral called lazurite (the major component of lapis lazuli).They create brilliant colors in cold process soap, eye shadow and other cosmetics including nail polish, and other bath and body care products.  Can be blended with other powdered colours to create different shades and colours.

Vitamin E - tocopherols - a natural anti-oxidant that helps to slow the aging process by scavenging free radicals, heals, moisturizes, and protects, prevents scarring, and reduces UV exposure.

Witch Hazel - Hamamelis virginiana - a winter flowering shrub is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and an astringent.  It is soothing, healing, helps prevent wrinkles, controls oil, tightens pores, and relieves itching.  We use both - alcohol distillate and alcohol free mostly in our bath bombs.