Animal Products used in Soap

Beeswax - The Mayo Clinic recommends using a lip balm that contains beeswax during cold weather to reduce your chances of developing chapped lips. Beeswax acts as an emollient and a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin and sealing it in, beeswax also contains vitamin A, which may be beneficial in softening and rehydrating dry skin and in cell reconstruction. According to the magazine, Delicious Living, beeswax offers anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral benefits, making it potentially beneficial for treating minor skin irritations.  In a October 2013 article written by Glenda Taylor she writes the following: 

Beeswax may have mild antibacterial properties, according to a 2005 study conducted at Dubai Specialized Medical Center in the United Arab Emirates. Researchers combined honey, olive oil and beeswax, then applied the mixture to laboratory plates on which the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and the fungus, Candida albicans were growing. The honey/beeswax mixture inhibited the growth of the bacteria and fungus, making beeswax, along with honey, potentially beneficial in the treatment of diaper rash and other bacterial skin conditions.

Soapers Choice (www.soaperschoice.com), a well known supplier of equipment, oils & butters used in the making of soap has this to say about beeswax:

•Beeswax is a natural substance obtained from bees’ honeycombs. As a thickener and emulsifier commonly found in salves and lotions, beeswax reduces inflammation, softens skin, and has antioxidant properties.

•Beeswax is a wax used for batik as a resist, it doesn't crack very well if any and is usually mixed with paraffin to create a crackling effect. It melts at 120 degrees.

•Beeswax is an emulsifier, taken from honeycomb. Benefits: Forms a protective network on the skin's surface. It is also an anti-oxidant and therefore has some free radical-scavenging ability (ie - fights harmful pollutants).

•Beeswax was traditionally used to strengthen thread for hand quilting. Though it is not required when using quilting thread, it can strengthen regular sewing thread, if you need to match a color not available in quilting thread.

•Beeswax is used in soap, lotions, creams, balms, salves. May use cosmetic grade, white filtered pellets or natural. Adds hardness and works with borax to emulsify ingredients.

If you are going to use beeswax in your soap use between 1-3% of your total oil weight.  Make sure the beeswax is thoroughly mixed with the other oils and butters.  

Emu oil - made from the rendered fat of the Emu bird.  The oil is transdermal meaning anything you add to it will make it more readily absorbed through the layers of the skin.  Emu is non-comedogenic (won't clog pores), has a natural SPF, is hypo-allergenic and non-irritating, anti-inflammatory, helps with diminishing scars and stretch marks; it is a wonderful emollient and moisturizer.  You can use up to 20% in a recipe and still get a hard, well-lathering bar. Emu oil is a luxury oil that is mostly used in cosmetics, lotions and balms. It is reported to be remarkably healing to your skin and also to help other healing ingredients to absorb better into the skin

Lanolin - fat-like substance obtained from sheep's wool, actually a wax;  known to be effective in softening dry, cracked, chapped skin. It is easily absorbed and lays down a protective barrier therefore holding moisture in. A wonderful emollient when added to soap or lotion; a very small percentage of the population *is* allergic to lanolin.   Average usage is 1-2% of your total oils, or 1 Tablespoon per pound of base oils.  You can use cocoa butter or another hard oil to counteract the "stickiness" from the lanolin. 

Lard - made from rendered pig fat.  Lard is actually a good moisturizer for the skin, and a lot of soapers use it because it is readily accessible at your local supermarket.  Provides good lather and cleansing properties, but will make a soap too soft if used alone and is not easily soluble in cold water.  Combine with other oils and it makes a very cost effective base oil. Before vegetable oils were commonly available, it was one of the main fats (along with beef tallow) that folks used to make soap. If you use animal oils in your soap, then combining lard with some of the other liquid oils like coconut and olive makes a wonderful, well balanced bar of soap - and is really economical. Make sure your lard is fresh and of high quality. Use it at not much more than 30-40% or so.

Tallow - rendered beef fat.  Provides little skin conditioning, but adds to the mildness and hardness of the soap.  Easily saponified, readily available at your local grocer or butcher, and cheap.  Also has a distinctive odor that can be difficult to mask.  The label on commercial detergent bars typically includes sodium tallowate as one of the leading ingredients - that's the proper scientific name for saponified tallow.  Most pioneer soaps were made with tallow. Beef tallow gives you a super-hard, white bar of soap with low, creamy, stable lather that is very moisturizing. Before vegetable oils were commonly available, it was one of the main fats people used to make soap. I wouldn't recommend more than 40%.

Common Oils and Butters used in Soap Making

There are many different kinds of oils and butters used in the making of handmade soap.  In this entry, we will discuss some of the more popular.  This list is by no means complete, but gives a general overview of most oils and butters.  This post ended up being a longer post than I originally intended.  Therefore, I am dividing the entire post into different sections. Here is the first.

Almond Oil (Sweet Almond Oil, SAO) - produces stable lather and skin conditioning & moisturizing oil that is very light and absorbs well.  Wonderful for dry, inflamed, or irritated skin.  Contains vitamins and minerals.  Widely used for soaps, lotion bars, and cosmetics.  Can be used as a large percentage or for super-fatting but don’t use it more than 5% - 10% in soap.

Castor Oil - Acts as a humectant by attracting and retaining moisture to the skin. Also contributes lots of bubbles to soap - a "bubble booster" another way to say it creates stable lather.  Castor is wonderful to superfat with, but it must be saponified if you want the added bubbles it provides.  Used in larger percentages in shampoo bars, but average usage is 1/2 to 1 oz per pound of base oils (5% - 8%). Castor oil is a thick, clear oil that helps increase the lather in soap. Shampoo bars often use 10%-15%. Castor oil has a fatty acid makeup that's completely unique - which makes what it contributes to your soap (the rich, creamy lather) unique.  Note: Castor oil will speed up your trace. You may want to leave it out of recipes where you want extended time to swirl like a column swirl or even just a multi-layered soap.

Cocoa Butter - Cocoa butter is a by-product of making chocolate. When used in soap, it puts down a protective layer that holds moisture to the skin, acting as a softener. Also contributes to a very hard bar. Limit amounts to 15% or less of your total oils or soap could be brittle.  You can use it to counteract "sticky" ingredients such as lanolin, honey, etc.

Coconut Oil (76°F) - Coconut is the only oil that will lather in *any* type of water - even seawater. When used in the correct percentage, coconut oil is moisturizing and adds lots of fluffy lather.  Limit to 20% or less of total base oils, some people can be more sensitive to the potential drying effects of coconut oil.  Coconut oil is one of the primary oils soap makers use in their soap. Most of the coconut oil sold and used is liquid at 76°F.

Jojoba oil - it's actually a liquid wax rather than an oil.  Commonly used in shampoo bars for its conditioning properties.  Jojoba has some anti-inflammatory properties and is highly resistant to rancidity (shelf life - 1-2 years), it can actually lend that property to other oils thereby extending their shelf life as well.  A stable oil to have on hand for its moisturizing potential. Use it at 5-10% maximum. It can make the soap batch trace more quickly, so it's not a good oil to add if you're going to do complex coloring or swirls, or are working with a temperamental fragrance or essential oil.

Olive Oil - an excellent oil to use in soap as it is a moisturizer that forms a "breathable" layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture. Produces small, silky bubbles and contributes hardness to the bar. Olive oil was used for centuries to make traditional 100% "castile" soap.  May be used in any amount in a soap recipe, but soaps with high amounts of olive oil *do* take longer to bring to trace and will be softer initially after unmolding.  Wait 24-48 hours to remove from the mold.  Olive oil makes a very hard, almost completely white bar after a few weeks that is worth the wait.  I wait at least 5 weeks sometimes longer.  Suitable for babies & even the most sensitive skin types. 100% olive oil makes the famous "Castille soap” while the "Marseille soap" must contain at least 72% olive oil. Olive oil is generally the #1 oil in most soap makers' recipes. Olive oil soaps are very moisturizing, make hard, white bars of soap (though high % olive oil soaps take a longer time to cure) and are exceptionally mild. But the lather from Castille soap is low and a bit slimy. Most soap makers combine olive oil with other oils to improve the lather.

Palm Oil - made from the pulp of the fruit from the palm tree. When used in a combination with other oils, it makes a very hard bar of soap. It is very mild and cleans well, but does not offer much in the way of skin conditioning.  Its lather is small and stingy if not used with other soaping oils.  Palm helps pull other stubborn oils into saponification just a little quicker.  Palm is the vegan alternative to using animal fats such as lard and tallow in soap.  Palm separates into layers as it cools and must be melted and stirred before using in soap recipes, otherwise you may get inconsistent results.  Palm oil, along with olive and coconut, is one of the top oils used by soap makers today.

Shea Butter - also known as the African karite butter. It is expressed from the pits of the fruit of the African butter tree in Central Africa. Fabulous for superfatting soaps to add moisture and nourish the skin. High in unsaponifiables, therefore leaving lots of skin conditioning emollients in your soap.  Average usage is 2 - 5% of your total recipe.  Too much can cause the soap to be "sticky" feeling.

Sunflower Oil - rich in vitamin E, provides skin conditioning for dry skin.  Can be used as an added emollient or as a larger portion of your recipe, however it can make the soap too soft if used in too high a percentage.  Slow to saponify, so use with other oils to help speed things along.  Average usage is up to 15% of your total oils.

Apache Trail Swap Meet

Making final preparations to attend the Apache Trail Swap Meet.

Sent from my iPhone

Dewin' Soap: Introduction

My name is Sean and this is my first blog entry and our story.  I was intrigued by candle-making as I enjoyed making candles growing up and wanted to make more candles.  As I researched how to make candles, I realized, there were a few things in common with candle making and soap making—scents, molds and coloring.  When I felt I had gained enough knowledge, I made my first batch of soap—I was hooked!  After waiting for the soap to cure I used my first handmade bar of soap.  Desert Dew Soaps was born.

Desert Dew Soaps makes and sells quality handmade soap for the whole body.  We strive to produce soap with a variety of oils and butters with each adding a different quality to the soap. There will be a post on the qualities each ingredient brings to the soap in a later blog post.  Some add moisture, some add skin protectant and actually attract moisture to the skin; while others make for a hard, long-lasting cleansing bar.

Soap itself is drying to the skin, but during the manufacturing process a normal byproduct is glycerin (many of the commercial makers strip glycerin out of the soap).  Glycerin is used to help moisturize the skin.  Glycerin also makes the bar of soap a little softer.  I imagine one reason, though just an educated guess on my part, for commercial manufacturers to strip the glycerin from soap is to make the bar harder and thus last longer.  Remember soap dries the skin out thus the need for additional cost of lotions, etc.  

Soap is made with sodium hydroxide also known as lye.  ALL soaps require an alkali.  Lye acts as the alkali in the soap-making  process creating a chemical reaction.  The reaction is a chemically complicated one but can be summarized as follows.

The easiest definition to understand, I have found, for the soap-making process can be found on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap#Soap-making_processes).  There are essentially only two ways to make soap, the hot process and cold process. Commercial makers of soap use a modified process of the hot method, a detailed example can be found at the above link.  According to M. Wilcox (2000), the earliest known record of the use and making of soap-like material is found around 2800 BC in ancient Babylon, where a formula for soap consisting of water, alkali, and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC. In summary…

Fats from animals and vegetable oils are the main materials that are saponified.  There are other substances such as beeswax that must be calculated into the soap batch because a portion of beeswax does saponify.  These oils are called triglycerides which are then treated with a strong base such as lye.  This reaction concludes with the production of soap and glycerin.

Now, lets get a few concepts and words defined.

1. Handmade soap - soap that is made without machinery
2. Soap - soap is the result of a chemical reaction (saponification) between a fat (oil) and an alkali.
3. Alkali - a chemical compound that neutralizes acids.  In making soap, your oil or fat is the acid and the result is a salt we call soap.
4. Saponification - is a chemical process that produces soap, usually from fats (oils) and lye (sodium hydroxide, NaOH).
5. Triglycerides - triglycerides are the main constituents of natural fats and oils. These are also the fats responsible for heart disease.
6. Detergent - this is essentially the synthetic form of soap.  You can read the dictionary.com definition by clicking this link.  http://www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/detergent

Over the next few blog entries I will write about some of the more common fats and oils used to make soap and why they would be used.  I will also discuss some of the acids found in soap.  These acids are present in various degrees depending on the fat/oil used.  I urge you to read the labels on the soap you buy.  When I started to read them I started to have questions and noticed some patterns.

Citation:

1. Willcox, Michael (2000). "Soap". In Hilda Butler. Poucher's Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps (10th ed.). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 453. ISBN 0-7514-0479-9. “The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BCE in ancient Babylon.”