Olive oil! Everyone knows olive oil! A staple in the culinary world, the production of Olive oil is said to have began as early as 3500 BCE! Even Homer, the famous Greek behind The Odyssey and The Iliad is said to have called olive oil "liquid gold." The oil is extracted by pressing olives grown in the Mediterranean region of the world, and is used in cooking, soap making, and religious ceremonies!
Olive oil is an excellent base for soap, and is the main ingredient in all of our soaps! Olive oil creates a mild bar of soap that is good for all skin types. Some people even bathe their babies in pure olive oil soap due to its mildness! It is said that olive oil based soaps are excellent for helping to repair skin damage caused by wind, sun, or environmental hazards (like smoking and pollution).
Olive oil is also an excellent cleanser! I mean, soap is there to get you clean, right? Olive oil will adhere to dirt, which can be rinsed off, getting you cleaner! And olive oil will not clog your pores as it cleanses!
Olive oil is common in beauty regimens. Olive oil can be smoothed onto hair to create shine!
All of our soaps contain a base of olive oil, and we are working on a formula for castille soap, which is pure 100% olive oil! Make sure to check out my Etsy shop to see my olive oil based soaps.
For more info on olive oil, check out:
The Olive Oil Source
Olives 101
Happy Creating, everyone!
Showing posts with label know your oils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label know your oils. Show all posts
Friday, October 14, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Know your Oils: Cocoa Butter
Photograph by AgricultureSouce.comCocoa Butter has been around a very long time in the culinary world as well as the cosmetic world. Cocoa butter is one of the main ingredients used in both milk chocolate and white chocolate. It is completely edible, and can be used in baked goods as well. The natural form of cocoa butter is a creamy color and has a slight chocolate smell to it!
In the world of cosmetics, cocoa butter has always been reccomended for pregnant women to help reduce stretch marks. It's also found in lip balms and products used to heal dry and cracked skin. It is a fantastic moustiruzer, and a pot of it can last for years!
When used in soap, cocoa butter helps to add hardness to the bar, as well as creamy lather when used. Its lovely moisturizing property can be found in soap when used to superfat, and it helps to create a barrier between the skin
and the envorinment. And in regular cocoa butter, the cocoa smell will sometimes come through! Yummy! (Unscented cocoa butter can be found as well!)
You can find cocoa butter at most stores, but I buy mine from my local health food store. I actually try t
o look for the "Fair Trade" logo on most special oils that I buy. "Fair Trade" simply means that companies are committed to buying products (like cocoa butter and palm oil) from developing countries at fair prices. Fair Trade is also applied to other items, like fruit, wine, coffee (probably the most well known fair trade product), and gold, among others.
As of this writing, I have only used cocoa butter in one soap, which
is currently in the "curing" stage. In the curing stage, cold process soaps are losing water and becoming hard. This soap (see right) was made with cocoa butter, colored with cocoa powder, and is scented with a fragrance oil called "Chestnuts and brown sugar", which is a sweet, rich, warm smell that goes along perfectly with the undertones of cocoa!
Happy creating, everyone!!
In the world of cosmetics, cocoa butter has always been reccomended for pregnant women to help reduce stretch marks. It's also found in lip balms and products used to heal dry and cracked skin. It is a fantastic moustiruzer, and a pot of it can last for years!
When used in soap, cocoa butter helps to add hardness to the bar, as well as creamy lather when used. Its lovely moisturizing property can be found in soap when used to superfat, and it helps to create a barrier between the skin
and the envorinment. And in regular cocoa butter, the cocoa smell will sometimes come through! Yummy! (Unscented cocoa butter can be found as well!)You can find cocoa butter at most stores, but I buy mine from my local health food store. I actually try t
o look for the "Fair Trade" logo on most special oils that I buy. "Fair Trade" simply means that companies are committed to buying products (like cocoa butter and palm oil) from developing countries at fair prices. Fair Trade is also applied to other items, like fruit, wine, coffee (probably the most well known fair trade product), and gold, among others.As of this writing, I have only used cocoa butter in one soap, which
is currently in the "curing" stage. In the curing stage, cold process soaps are losing water and becoming hard. This soap (see right) was made with cocoa butter, colored with cocoa powder, and is scented with a fragrance oil called "Chestnuts and brown sugar", which is a sweet, rich, warm smell that goes along perfectly with the undertones of cocoa!Happy creating, everyone!!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Know your Oils: Coconut Oil
Coconuts are great in pies, cakes, pina coladas, and perfect for making radios on deserted islands, but did you know that Coconut oil has tons of benefits for your skin?
Coconut oil has been used as a moisturizer for the skin, scalp, and hair for centuries. It can be used to make hair shine, and straight oil can be massaged into the scalp to help relieve dandruff!
When used in soap, coconut oil is beneficial by making the bars hard. The coconut oil in my soap usually consists of around 30% of the total oils. Some people find that higher percentages of the oil tend to be drying, but lower percentages can be moisturizing! Coconut oil usually consists of 100% of the oils found in salt bars, because this amazing oil can actually create suds in salt water!
Coconut oil, which is found in the bakery isle of your local grocery store, is also excellent to cook with. It can be used to grease, cook, and fry, and can be beneficial for people with sensitive digestive systems. When ingested, CO aids the body by helping with the absorption of minerals! This helps strengthen the bones and teeth. It is also a healthy and economic alternative to cooking with animal fats, and is a good substitute for people looking to lose weight.
For more information on coconut oil, check out these sites:
LiveStrong.com
Natural-Soap-Making.com
All of my soaps contain coconut oil, and it even makes up 30% of the base of my lip balms! Check out my shop to see my products!
Coconut oil has been used as a moisturizer for the skin, scalp, and hair for centuries. It can be used to make hair shine, and straight oil can be massaged into the scalp to help relieve dandruff!
When used in soap, coconut oil is beneficial by making the bars hard. The coconut oil in my soap usually consists of around 30% of the total oils. Some people find that higher percentages of the oil tend to be drying, but lower percentages can be moisturizing! Coconut oil usually consists of 100% of the oils found in salt bars, because this amazing oil can actually create suds in salt water!
Coconut oil, which is found in the bakery isle of your local grocery store, is also excellent to cook with. It can be used to grease, cook, and fry, and can be beneficial for people with sensitive digestive systems. When ingested, CO aids the body by helping with the absorption of minerals! This helps strengthen the bones and teeth. It is also a healthy and economic alternative to cooking with animal fats, and is a good substitute for people looking to lose weight.
For more information on coconut oil, check out these sites:
LiveStrong.com
Natural-Soap-Making.com
All of my soaps contain coconut oil, and it even makes up 30% of the base of my lip balms! Check out my shop to see my products!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Know your Oils: Jojoba Oil
Psst! I am starting a new series called "Know your Oils", where I talk about the properties of the beneficial oils I use in my soaps! Tune in weekly (Thursdays or Fridays!) to learn about how your skin can benefit from these amazing, earth-based soaps!
***
One of the ingredients that I find myself using a lot in my soaps is a wax called Jojoba oil. Pronounced ho-HO-ba oil, the liquid wax comes from the jojoba shrub in warm climates like Southern California and Mexico.
Jojoba oil has many benefits to human skin. Jojoba absorbs well into the skin, and is a fantastic moisturizer. Jojoba will not irritate the eyes, so it is safe to use the plain oil as a make-up remover! Jojoba can be found in shampoos, lip balms, and lotions! I like to use it in my soaps because it will not go rancid after a period of time, and is one of the more stable oils on the market. I usually add my jojoba oil towards the end of the soap making process as a superfat (extra oil not consumed in the soap-making process).
For more information on Jojoba oil, check out this website!
You can buy Jojoba oil at most health food stores, and at vitamin shops.
I currently have a few soaps on the market which contain Jojoba oil... Make sure to go check them out!
Unscented Tallow Soap with Jojoba Oil, in Purple, Green, and Yellow
Set of 3 CP Soaps, Fall Leaves scented with Apple and Mint jelly, Vegan
Happy Soaping, everyone!
***
One of the ingredients that I find myself using a lot in my soaps is a wax called Jojoba oil. Pronounced ho-HO-ba oil, the liquid wax comes from the jojoba shrub in warm climates like Southern California and Mexico.
Jojoba oil has many benefits to human skin. Jojoba absorbs well into the skin, and is a fantastic moisturizer. Jojoba will not irritate the eyes, so it is safe to use the plain oil as a make-up remover! Jojoba can be found in shampoos, lip balms, and lotions! I like to use it in my soaps because it will not go rancid after a period of time, and is one of the more stable oils on the market. I usually add my jojoba oil towards the end of the soap making process as a superfat (extra oil not consumed in the soap-making process).
For more information on Jojoba oil, check out this website!
You can buy Jojoba oil at most health food stores, and at vitamin shops.
I currently have a few soaps on the market which contain Jojoba oil... Make sure to go check them out!
Unscented Tallow Soap with Jojoba Oil, in Purple, Green, and Yellow
Set of 3 CP Soaps, Fall Leaves scented with Apple and Mint jelly, Vegan
Happy Soaping, everyone!
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