Emily
Friday, December 30, 2011
Bought bags...
Emily
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Food Grade Lye...
We are starting to use only Food Grade Lye. Customer questions led us to look harder into our grade of lye. We had no idea there we're differing grades! We were working on placing a bulk supply order. And noticed they also sold Food grade lye. We read as much as we could about it.And have chosen to go to it.
ALWAYS GREATER THAN 99% PURE. It contains less metals than standard Lye. Works good to have consistent batches, formulated with hard-to-saponify oil blends, or employ sensitive essential oils. This grade is also Food Codex / FCC / Kosher certified. Can be used for Pretzels, Olives, Lutefisk, Hominy or any other food use.
If it is safe
for food uses it has to be safer for soaps. It cost over double the
standard grade lye but we want the best product out there. We are always wanting to learn. And discovered this when on a mission to learn other things about soap.
Emily
ALWAYS GREATER THAN 99% PURE. It contains less metals than standard Lye. Works good to have consistent batches, formulated with hard-to-saponify oil blends, or employ sensitive essential oils. This grade is also Food Codex / FCC / Kosher certified. Can be used for Pretzels, Olives, Lutefisk, Hominy or any other food use.
Emily
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saponification... and Glycerin
Saponification is a process (chemical reaction) that produces soap from fats and lye. Depending on the nature of the alkali base used in their production, soaps have different properties. Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) gives "hard soap", whereas, when Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) is used, a soft soap is formed. In our soaps we use Sodium Hydroxide. The harder bar lasts longer and keeps its shape better.
Basically, saponification is the chemical reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt. Yep, Soap is a salt. ;) When you make soap using a cold process method you mix a fat (which is your acid) with Lye (which is your base) to form soap.
As you mix, and stir the carefully measured acid and base together, they start to react.Within the fats are a single glycerol molecule (which turns into skin nourishing glycerin) allowing the fatty acids to combine with the hydroxide ions within the base, forming soap. Two reactions occur. The first reaction is glycerol turning into beneficial glycerin, and the second reaction is the acid and the base combining to form a salt which is your soap.
In most 'soaps' you would buy at the store the glycerin has been removed. (And sold separately for more profit) Or they are not even soaps but rather detergent. If your soap is void of its natural glycerin it is not going to be skin softening. And can even be drying. A homemade natural bar of soap will have it's glycerin still in tact.
In the Saponification process the glycerin becomes chemically separate from the soap. Yet still part of the soap. Glycerin is a Humectant. Meaning it ATTRACTS moisture to your skin. It is a great thing! And to think it is a byproduct!
If you have skin problems from rashes to posion ivy to dry skin in the winter. Natural Homemade soap is a great choice! I welcome you to try ours! www.simplycleansing.com
Emily
Basically, saponification is the chemical reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt. Yep, Soap is a salt. ;) When you make soap using a cold process method you mix a fat (which is your acid) with Lye (which is your base) to form soap.
As you mix, and stir the carefully measured acid and base together, they start to react.Within the fats are a single glycerol molecule (which turns into skin nourishing glycerin) allowing the fatty acids to combine with the hydroxide ions within the base, forming soap. Two reactions occur. The first reaction is glycerol turning into beneficial glycerin, and the second reaction is the acid and the base combining to form a salt which is your soap.
In most 'soaps' you would buy at the store the glycerin has been removed. (And sold separately for more profit) Or they are not even soaps but rather detergent. If your soap is void of its natural glycerin it is not going to be skin softening. And can even be drying. A homemade natural bar of soap will have it's glycerin still in tact.
In the Saponification process the glycerin becomes chemically separate from the soap. Yet still part of the soap. Glycerin is a Humectant. Meaning it ATTRACTS moisture to your skin. It is a great thing! And to think it is a byproduct!
If you have skin problems from rashes to posion ivy to dry skin in the winter. Natural Homemade soap is a great choice! I welcome you to try ours! www.simplycleansing.com
Emily
Eczema
We get lots of requests for information on which soaps of ours are best for eczema and other skin rashes.
Eczema is a skin inflammation which can range from mild burning and itching to a bleeding wound. They are due to an allergic reaction and is hard to treat.
Most commercial soaps contain harsh ingredients.(And are often not even soap but detergents) The harsh content in this soap can lead to rashes, allergic reactions, and to eczema in worse cases.
Chemicals can strip our skin of its natural oils, making it prone to infection and irritation. In fact, medical practitioners highly discourage the use of commercial soaps as they can worsen eczema symptoms.
Just using a pure homemade soap like ours is a great start. We add Comfrey herb to our Spearmint soap (and soon our peppermint. Which is a great skin herb. It was a great help to our daughter to use the soap often. We really liked the affects when using soap that contained the comfrey. We also like to use Tea Tree soap. It is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic. Since her Eczema was pretty bad. (very thick, scaly, itchy and often would bleed) We found Tea Tree soap was a great option in keeping it under control. And infection away.
Our soaps contain coconut oil which is really great for skin and its issues. We use the same base ingredients in all our soap. And it helps keep in moisture. Which is really important when dealing with Eczema.
The soap gave her relief and less itching/burning. We did still have to change her diet. We found she was allergic to wheat and a couple other things. Now She has no signs of eczema most of the time. If any spots show up we just give her a couple bathes a day and it leaves again quick.
Emily
Eczema is a skin inflammation which can range from mild burning and itching to a bleeding wound. They are due to an allergic reaction and is hard to treat.
Most commercial soaps contain harsh ingredients.(And are often not even soap but detergents) The harsh content in this soap can lead to rashes, allergic reactions, and to eczema in worse cases.
Chemicals can strip our skin of its natural oils, making it prone to infection and irritation. In fact, medical practitioners highly discourage the use of commercial soaps as they can worsen eczema symptoms.
Just using a pure homemade soap like ours is a great start. We add Comfrey herb to our Spearmint soap (and soon our peppermint. Which is a great skin herb. It was a great help to our daughter to use the soap often. We really liked the affects when using soap that contained the comfrey. We also like to use Tea Tree soap. It is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic. Since her Eczema was pretty bad. (very thick, scaly, itchy and often would bleed) We found Tea Tree soap was a great option in keeping it under control. And infection away.
Our soaps contain coconut oil which is really great for skin and its issues. We use the same base ingredients in all our soap. And it helps keep in moisture. Which is really important when dealing with Eczema.
The soap gave her relief and less itching/burning. We did still have to change her diet. We found she was allergic to wheat and a couple other things. Now She has no signs of eczema most of the time. If any spots show up we just give her a couple bathes a day and it leaves again quick.
Emily
Friday, December 23, 2011
Lye,
Lye is a misunderstood item. Lye is caustic. We use less lye than is required in our soap recipe. We do this for a double reason.
1: It insures there is no remaining lye after saponification .
2: it makes a super fatted bar of soap. Which in turn makes it more moisturizing.
Many things are unsafe when concentrated. Lye is one one of them. Traditionally Lye is made by letting water seep through hardwood ashes. The ashes are not unsafe. But the concentration of it is. It can chemically burn. And can cause nerve damage.
When you properly mix the oils and lye you cause a reaction called Saponification. Which is the process of making soap.When the mixture of lye and oils starts to thicken the saponification process has begun. After 3 days it is completed. The soap still needs to sit for a few weeks to get good and dry. Here is a link with more information.
http://www.natural-soap-
Other names for Lye are Sodium Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide.
Emily
1: It insures there is no remaining lye after saponification .
2: it makes a super fatted bar of soap. Which in turn makes it more moisturizing.
Many things are unsafe when concentrated. Lye is one one of them. Traditionally Lye is made by letting water seep through hardwood ashes. The ashes are not unsafe. But the concentration of it is. It can chemically burn. And can cause nerve damage.
When you properly mix the oils and lye you cause a reaction called Saponification. Which is the process of making soap.When the mixture of lye and oils starts to thicken the saponification process has begun. After 3 days it is completed. The soap still needs to sit for a few weeks to get good and dry. Here is a link with more information.
http://www.natural-soap-
Other names for Lye are Sodium Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide.
Emily
A couple days away...
We have continued to be busy. We mailed out our morning mailing today and we are doing another this afternoon. We are ordering bulk oils today. And have to finish a room in Patrick's shop to store it. We have out grown our local stores ability to get us our supplies.
We are taking Monday off so any orders made after 2pm today will be shipped Tuesday morning.
Emily
We are taking Monday off so any orders made after 2pm today will be shipped Tuesday morning.
Emily
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Bath Fizzy
My little sister also has a Daughter that deals with Eczema. She started making these bath fizzies and saw more improvement in the healing of the rash and way less itchiness. She shared the recipe with me and we love the skin softening and fun smell! You can really smell the virgin coconut oil and we put in peppermint and Lavender essential oils. YUM! SO nice for winter months with wood heat!
Our girls love them! It is a treat to add them to their bathes! We use 2 per bath. Also great for just a foot soak!
Bath Fizzy Recipe
2/3 cup oatmeal, ground finely
1/4 cup citric acid
2/3 cup baking soda
3 Tablespoons coconut oil (we use extra virgin for the healing properties)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
I grind the oats in my blend tec then add in the rest and attempt to blend. ;) I end up dumping it in a bowl and kneading it til done. I use a cookie scoop to make balls. You want about 2 TBS per bath.
Add in a hot bath with a book and it makes for a nice evening! Enjoy!
Emily
Our girls love them! It is a treat to add them to their bathes! We use 2 per bath. Also great for just a foot soak!
Bath Fizzy Recipe
2/3 cup oatmeal, ground finely
1/4 cup citric acid
2/3 cup baking soda
3 Tablespoons coconut oil (we use extra virgin for the healing properties)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
I grind the oats in my blend tec then add in the rest and attempt to blend. ;) I end up dumping it in a bowl and kneading it til done. I use a cookie scoop to make balls. You want about 2 TBS per bath.
Add in a hot bath with a book and it makes for a nice evening! Enjoy!
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