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%.
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